Background to the dispute
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On 23rd October, three members of the ITF-affiliated TDWU (Transport and Dock Workers’ Union) in Mumbai, India, were beaten by company supervisors who forced their way into their homes – with one of the assaults carried out in front of the man’s wife and children.
The men worked for a contractor called SC Thakur, one of a number of non-union contractors operating at the GTI terminal in Mumbai. GTI is majority-owned by Maersk.
This was not the first time that violence has been used against workers who have joined the TDWU. Other incidents have taken place. The ITF and the TDWU been involved in a two-year dialogue with Maersk and GTI, aimed to improve the situation for workers there.
Yet the company claimed publicly that the October beatings were the result of a drunken quarrel between private individuals. The ITF commissioned and has now received an independent report which has shown this to be untrue. The ITF believes the incident has demonstrated that GTI – which is 70 per cent owned by Maersk – has not taken seriously the commitments it has made to workers’ rights.
ITF unions are determined to fight for
- GTI contractors to sign union agreements with the TDWU
- Respect for the rights and safety of unionised workers in GTI.
