07 Oct 2009 -
International Road Transport Action Week 2009

South Africa
SATAWU in South Africa concentrated its activities for the Action Week on Saturday 10 October in the Northwest Province at the border with Botswana. A large number of people, who came in by bus from the local provinces, attended the rally along with representatives from the Botswana Railway Workers' Union. Campaign posters were displayed and leaflets were handed out to the people who attended the gathering. SATAWU planned the campaign around the most important issues for transport workers in the area - “Fatigue Kills”, cross-border problems, and labour brokers. (Phone report by Tabudi Ramakgolo)

Ghana
The General Transport, Petroleum & Chemical Workers' Union of TUC has continued its activities for the Action Week with a symposium held at the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board in Accra. Approximately 120 participants are attending the event, including the union's National Executive Council members, representatives from the social partners and union members from the different regions in the country including for example Accra, Takoradi, Kumasi, Tamale, Ho and Tema. The majority of representatives are from the transport sector but there are also representatives from the oil/gas and chemical industries. The symposium is discussing the ITF Action Week and serious issues for road transport workers including HIV/AIDS, safety aspects, precarious work, women in transport, harassment and highway robberies. The symposium, which started today, is due to continue tomorrow, 13 October. A workshop for 60 of the union's National Executive Council members to keep up-to-date with ITF activities will also be incorporated in the programme for 13 October. (Phone report by Emmanuel Mensah)

Russia
The local organisations of the Motor Transport and Road Workers' Union of Russia organised their events for the ITF Road Transport Action Week within the framework of the national trade union campaign "For Decent Work!" held on 7 October 2009. Generally, the local organisations held trade union meetings with the common agenda "Decent Work - Decent Future!". Many of the trade union committees attended local meetings with the leaders of government executive and legislative administrative bodies to discuss the social and political situation in the regions and the current situation for road transport. Road transport workers raised the issues of preserving the system of inland passenger transport, cutting fuel prices, elimination of wage delays, and job cuts due to the current economic crisis in Russia. Discussion was also held on the issues around restricted financing for road transport facilities in the current year. Workers at their meetings discussed safe and health workplaces, observation of social guarantees and fulfilment of conditions stipulated in collective agreements. In the North Ossetia-Alania Republic the worker meetings were attended by 1,500 union members. In the Omsk Region, the attendance exceeded 2,000. At its plenary meeting held in September the union agreed to hold a nationwide protest action against the deterioration of the public passenger transport system, financing cuts and increases in fuel prices. (Email report by Mikhail Lyakhov)

Kosovo
The road transport and urban sectors of the Independent Trade Union of Traffic and Communication in Kosova (SPKLK) organised action on 6-7 October in Pristina to protest a reduction in traffic for urban transport workers in the city following a change in traffic lanes that had been introduced without agreement. The event was also part of the "World Day for Decent Work" promoted by the ITUC. Meetings with municipal officials were held. In their report to the ITF the union commented: "[We] express our full solidarity with the whole membership of the ITF for fighting negative phenomena to workers wherever they appear." (Email report by Alush Sejdiu)

Baltic States
On 8 October, union representatives from the Latvian Trade Union of Public Services and Transport Workers LAKRS and the Estonian ETTA union distributed the joint questionnaire to truck drivers at Ainaži-Ikla on the Latvian-Estonian border. Activists from LAKRS also communicated with drivers at petrol stations and other parking areas in Latvia. A number of dirvers also completed the questionnaires at the LAKRS union office. At the beginning of October, a number of truck drivers joined the union. The union is now planning possible action to combat the "black list" on the www.cargo.lt website. The site blacklists professional drivers who are sympathetic to trade unions. (Email report by Irena Kalnina)

Nepal
On 10 October the Jhapa District of NETWON in the eastern part of Nepal organised a rally to mark the ITF Action Week. Union activists marched from the Kakarvitta bus depot with their flags and banners. They also distributed leaflets during the rally. (Email report by Ajay Kumar Rai)

View photos of activities in Nepal >>