Worldwide Update
Information on activities planned by unions for the ITF International Road Transport Action Week in 2009.
On 7 October, the ETF and representatives from the road transport affiliates in Europe will hold a demonstration between 08:30 and 10:30 in front of the European Commission in Brussels. Around 200 union representatives from ITF/ETF as well as countries including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland are expected to attend. This activity forms part of the ETF’s ongoing campaign for the revision of the Working Time Directive – an ETF delegation is also planned to visit the European Parliament on 7-8 October to meet with MEPs and to attend a possible vote in plenary by the Parliament on the Directive.
Members of the road transport unions in the three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – will come together during the Action Week for joint activities on 8 October. These actions are a continuation of activities organised jointly by the Baltic Network to organise drivers. Activities will include the distribution of a questionnaire at places where there will be a concentration of drivers, for example at parking places. Two questions have been added to the questionnaire this year – one on HIV/AIDS and one on the types of labour agreement drivers have. Separate national activities are also planned. For example, in Lithuania, members of the Lithuanian Transport Workers’ Federation will be working to progress the benchmark agreement they have been working on for a number of years. In Estonia, the bus drivers of ETTA will be meeting with top officials in the government to discuss changes in the industry. LAKRS in Latvia plans to meet with representatives of the responsible state authorities during the Action Week regarding the transport policy and general collective agreement for public transport. On 13 October, the union will hold an educative information day for trade union activists about national, European and International legislation.
The national office and the branches of Norsk Transportarbeiderforbund will be engaging its activists during the Action Week to visit various workplaces and disseminate information on rights at work. On 8 October, they will approach long-distance drivers at border stations, ferries and truck stops with a focus on driving and rest times. In several locations, the union will do this in cooperation with Biltilsynet (the Norwegian Automobile Registration Department). On other days, the union will visit freight forwarding companies, warehouses, bus companies, taxi ranks and goods terminals, to organise unorganised workers.
ELA-Hainbat in Spain has prepared an information leaflet in four languages on the theme “Fatigue Kills!”, which it plans to distribute at the transport companies during the Action Week in order to raise awareness among professional road transport workers of the need to observe rest time and to denounce the deregulation and liberalisation that is taking place in the sector. The campaign posters will be displayed at transport companies and at different industrial estates. Between 21 September and the end of the Action Week, the union is also planning education courses for its members on themes such as collective bargaining, health and safety issues, and transport legislation. During the Action Week, the union will make its presence known at the transport companies with a parade of vehicles and distribution of the union leaflets. On 13 October, union activists will distribute information to freight drivers in Biriatou.
Ver.di in Germany will be distributing campaign leaflets and posters to workers on the road and at some companies with the aim of highlighting the dangers resulting from excessive working hours and fatigue, as well as putting pressure on politicians to honour the promise they made in 2008 to improve parking and rest facilities for truck drivers. The union has prepared campaign materials including a union leaflet for drivers and a separate leaflet for non-mobile transport workers. For drivers in cross-border transport, the union has produced leaflets in English, German, Polish, Russian, French and Turkish. Parts of the leaflet have also been used in the union's annual drivers' handbook, which is used as a promotional material during the Action Week. This material is becoming more and more popular and is even used and handed out to drivers by the motorway police.
Under campaign messages such as “Uniting the working class in the transport industry”, “All transport workers should rally against the capitalist system” and “It is time for young workers to fight for a new society”, the Namibian Transport and Allied Workers’ Union plans to address some of the consequences of the global financial crisis and in particular by targeting young workers and women road transport workers. The union will also include dockers and ground handling workers in their activities.
The Communication and Transport Workers’ Union of Zanzibar in Tanzania will be organising workers through activities such as leafleting the public, road users and drivers; decoration of trucks, buses and taxis with campaign messages; press conferences; and interviewing transport workers. The union is also planning to organise a meeting with the government and private employers to discuss transport issues. In addition, the union will hold seminars with transport workers on organising, HIV/AIDS and the need to combat fatigue.
Activities including a meeting with public transport employers and workers; distribution of stickers and posters about the campaign to long-distance drivers at the borders of Tunduma-Mbeya, Namauga-Arusha and ISaka-Kaham; and rallies in Dar-es-Salaam and Mavanza City are planned by the Communication & Transport Workers' Union of Tanzania - COTWU (T). Media will be used during the Action Week to promote the importance of belonging to a union.
SATAWU in South Africa will concentrate its activities for the Action Week in the Northwest Province and plans to raise awareness and highlight areas of concern for road transport workers, in particular cross-border problems.
The Transport & Communications Workers' Trade Union Industrial Federation in Ethiopia will hold a panel discussion with representatives from employer and social action groups to discuss important issues for road transport workers – namely, violence at work, climate change, road safety and the future for transport workers. The union is also planning activity on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the transport sector and will also undertake organising activities targeting the global delivery companies and other formal road transport sectors. Solidarity action is also planned with workers in Iran through the collection of signatures for submission to the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce, a key organiser of a business trade fair planned in December 2009 in Ethiopia.
In Rwanda, the Association des Chauffeurs des Poids Lourds au Rwanda Centrale Syndicale Du Rwanda (CESTRAR) is planning to visit transport companies in order to discuss issues related to the campaign with road transport workers, the employers, police and private sector. A “border to border” campaign will be organised to raise awareness of road safety. Campaign material will be distributed. A television programme on the campaign is also planned.
Following on from the successful action day organised in 2008 for taxi workers, the Syndicat des Conducteurs de Taxis de Côte d'Ivoire plans to build on this success in 2009 with activities under the theme of the importance of “sub-regional solidarity in order to build effective unionism”.
A national executive council meeting is planned by the General Transport, Petroleum & Chemical Workers' Union of TUC in Ghana during the Action Week. Invitation will be extended to the Transport Minister and social partners in the industry to address the meeting. Campaign leaflets will also be distributed. An organising campaign will be held at some transport companies.
Syndicat National des Travailleurs du Congo (SYNATRACO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo plans to mobilise women road transport workers to join the union during the Action Week and to pass the message on to drivers and new members about this programme of work.
Syndicat des Travailleurs Libres (STL) in the Democratic Republic of Congo will visit different road transport workplaces in Kinshasa to raise awareness about the campaign to road transport workers. The union’s woman’s network will also meet with women taxi drivers to discuss issues related to the campaign.
The Zambia Bus & Taxi Workers’ Union plans to sensitise workers in the intercity bus terminals in Lusaka about the campaign and the importance of belonging to a trade union by distributing the poster to drivers and taking part in a radio interview about the Action Week. Union activists will also participate in a march in Kitwe.
A procession of drivers at the main parking place on the Djibouti-Abidjan corridor is planned by the Syndicat du Personnel du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics (SPBTP) in Djibouti. Through different activities the union plans to raise awareness of the campaign theme and issues.
Syndicat National des Chauffeurs du Transport Urbain et Interurbains du Cameroun (SYNACTUICAM) in Cameroon will launch an awareness campaign during the Action Week on road accidents and social security, and in particular around ILO Convention 153. As part of the campaign, the union also plans to launch a campaign against corruption in transport.
The Syndicat des Travailleurs des Transports in Burundi is planning campaign activities on three levels during the Action Week. Firstly, there will be a lobbying campaign for ratification and application of ILO Convention 153 by the national government. Secondly, the union plans to raise awareness of employers to respect working conditions, in particular on working time and social security. Finally the union will hold voluntary testing for HIV/AIDS for workers during the Action Week.
In Niger, Syndicat National des Conducteurs de Taxis et Transport Urbain plans to visit the different taxi lines during the Action Week to raise awareness of drivers about the Action Week and the issues related to the campaign.
This year, Fédération Nationale des Transports et Marins Pêcheurs de Guinée (FENATRAMP.G) in Guinée-Conakry is planning activities for the Action Week together with two other union federations under the central slogan “United We Stand”.
Syndicat National des Conducteurs des Hydrocarbures du Togo is planning a football match followed by a press conference during the Action Week for its members and representatives of the national authorities.
A workshop for road transport activists is planned by the Government Services Employees Association in Mauritius on “stress management at work” during the Action Week. The union will also raise awareness of the public through press interviews and a press conference. A street demonstration is also planned by union members to highlight issues related to the campaign.
La Coordination Nationale des Syndicats et Associations des Chauffeurs et Conducteurs du Mali will mobilise union activists to participate in demonstrations at stations and parking areas in the country. A procession of people is also planned in the large cities.
A campaign meeting is planned at the border by the Transport & General Workers' Union in Malawi. Themes such as “fatigue kills”, “get tested and know your status”, and “defend your rights, join the union” will be highlighted as part of this activity.
Through the display of campaign posters at border posts and different transport services in Burkina Faso, the Union des Chauffeurs routiers du Burkina will hold activities to raise awareness on the campaign themes, fatigue kills and working hours. A radio debate is also planned.
Following activities in 2008, which saw a reduction in serious accidents, the Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers Union plans to repeat activities organised for the 2008 campaign. This will include education of drivers about road safety at a main truck park.
The Transport and General Workers' Union in Zimbabwe has distributed the campaign materials to its main centres and its targeting some big companies. Arrangements have been made at the three borders – Beitbridge, Nyamapanda and Churundu – for activities during the Action Week. Due to the level of accidents in the country, the union has concentrated its activities around the slogan “fatigue kills”.
The Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union in Uganda will use the Action Week to sensitise its activists about the Action Week and the issues related to the campaign.
Through meetings with urban bus drivers and lorry drivers as well as releasing information via radio and television, the Federacao dos Sindicatos dos Trabalhadores dos Transportes e Comunicacoes de Angola (FSTTCA) plans to campaign on the issue of fatigue during the Action Week. The union also plans to meet with the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Labour to raise their awareness of the importance of safe transport services without risk of accidents. Practical action in the ports of Luanda, Lobito, Cabinda and Namibe will also be held.
In Mozambique, the Sindicato Nacional do Trabalhadores dos Transportes Rodoviário e Assistência Técnica (SINTRAT) plans to educate workers regarding their rights and raise awareness among crews. Through lobbying activities, the union will demand the governors of the country to adopt legal measures to protect workers and in particular will demand ratification of ILO Labour Convention No.153. Posters and placards will also be displayed during the Action Week.
The Transport & Dock Workers’ Union in India will display banners on the arterial roads leading to the Mumbai Docks and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. Leaflets will be distributed explaining the importance of the different ILO Conventions, in particular ratification of ILO Convention 153. In preparation for the campaign, the union has been holding gate meetings. Demonstrations are planned outside the Mumbai Port authorities and the Port Safety Inspectorate to demand access to subsidised canteens at the Port. A mass protest action, in the form of a peaceful demonstration, is also planned outside the gates of the Gateway Terminals India Pvt. Ltd. This action will be to protest against the slow pace in concluding a collective agreement despite assurances given by the company and also to highlight intimidation tactics by the company and violations of the Contract Labour Act.
The JRU in Japan plans to strengthen education of its members on issues such as safety and oppression of trade unions through enhanced international solidarity actions. A preparation meeting for the Action Week has already been held. One activity that is envisaged is the distribution of leaflets at railway stations. The union is also considering organising some actions relating to the ongoing oppression of bus workers in Iran.
Road transport affiliates in Thailand will focus their activities for the Action Week on truck and container drivers at Laem Chabang Port. On 10 October, union activists will leaflet workers and talk to drivers at the port about the ITF and the importance of joining a union as part of organising activities by the Transport Workers’ Union of Thailand (TWUT).
The Mongolian Transport, Communication and Petroleum Workers’ Union will be gathering information on problems faced by road transport such as climate change, poor working conditions, working time, health and safety issues, and the effects of contract labour. Using such information, they will be lobbying government authorities through, for example, meetings with representatives from government and participation in debate on television. The union also aims to organise a number of unorganised workers during the Action Week especially in the informal transport sector – a conference on the campaign theme “Building Union Power” is planned with participation from union leaders and unorganised workers. Specific activities for young workers are also being organised, including for example discussion forums online so that workers can exchange information and their experiences.
On 13 October, NETWON in Nepal will organise a one-day seminar in Kathmandu to discuss ILO Convention No.153 and the issue of violence against transport workers. The Transport Minister, senior officials from the Transport Department, traffic police officers, national union centre leaders and other guests are expected to attend the event. This year, the union is focussing its activities on violence with the slogan "Stop the Violence to Transport Workers in the Workplace". Outside Kathmandu, all union district committees will organise gate meetings at local bus depots as well as rallies and distribution of leaflets to workers, traffic police and passengers during the Action Week.
The National Distribution Union in New Zealand will be conducting a leaflet campaign during the Action Week at its local shipping terminal as part of a general union organising project and a new initiative to start an owner-driver section within the union.
The Barbados Workers’ Union is using the Action Week to organise follow-on activities from the ITF Action Day held in April 2009 on violence at work. Under the theme “A Comfortable Driver, A Safe Ride”, the union will target bus commuters primarily. Through activities such as announcements in bus terminals, holding a “meet and greet” by the operators at the terminals, and a social evening for road transport workers to socialise with each other and with union representatives, the union hopes to build awareness among the travelling public of the consequences of violence against road transport workers, to identify actions which commuters can take which would make the drive safer for both passengers and operators, and to provide opportunities for commuters and Road Transport Workers to dialogue and build relationships.
Working with its National Organising Department, CAW Local 4268 in Ontario and Local 114 in British Columbia, Canada will have members out at border crossings, truck stops, ferry terminals, bus terminals and other locations on 7-9 October to speak to drivers about the ITF and the CAW. Activists will distribute a flyer to road transport workers showing the benefits of belonging to a union and will also display the ITF campaign poster at locations where drivers stop. The union’s goal is to reach out to as many union and non-union road transport workers as possible to highlight that internationally they share the same issues and that through organising they can accomplish gains and protect standards already in place.
During the Action Week, the
US Teamsters will be focusing on school bus driver organising at FirstStudent and National Express (called Durham in the US). There will be representation elections at locations in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Minnesota during the Action Week.
6 October 2009
