Campaign Activities

Australia
ASU members in Queensland have today held a BBQ at a worksite related to TNT in Brisbane to promote their recruitment campaign. (Phone report by Jo Justo)

Australia
The Transport Workers Union of Australia took part in the Action Day by organising yard meetings. Petitions have been signed and union members have been encouraging non-members to join their union throughout the day. Claire Moore (Queensland) spoke about the Integrators’ Action Day in the Parliament on 9 November. (Email report by Daniel Kicuroski)

View the speech made by Claire Moore in Parliament >>

Hong Kong
Representatives from the Federation of Hong Kong Transport Workers' Organizations met with workers at integrator company service centres in the New Territories of Hong Kong to discuss their issues on 8 November. Workers raised various issues including health and safety matters and management's relationship with workers. The union will meet this evening to evaluate their activities. (Phone report by Yu-Loy Wong)

India
ITF Delhi Office has circulated the press release to ITF unions in India. In Chennai and Mumbai, workers in DHL and other integrator companies are leafleting at their work sites today. (Phone report by Sangam Tripathy)

France
Following the successful 24-hour stoppage at 40 DHL worksites nationwide on 17 October, the CGT began their second wave of strike action on 9 November and is continuing today. The union is in dispute with the management who wants to de-stablise the wage system with greater flexibility.  (Email report by Sylvette Concas)

Germany
Ver.di has successfully targetted all "big four“ companies on the Action Day by organising leafleting and holding meetings at worksites which collected petitions. Hubs in Leipzig and Cologne as well as union branches in Stuttgart, Berlin and Mannheim were amongst the locations where unionists took part in the programme. The petitions will be submitted to the management of DHL, FedEx, UPS and TNT respectively. (Email report by Thomas Meseke)

View a copy of the petition used by the union >>

Great Britain
The GMB suspended its dispute with DHL following a new offer by the company.  It is now being presented to GMB members for consultation and voting.  The offer, which secures employment and ceases casualisation also includes new equal opportunities and dignity at work agreements, provision of new health and safety facilities, access to organising and recruitment, and a new pay deal which will increase members' pay above the industry average.  The planned nationwide health and safety audits of DHL workplaces will, therefore, take place in the next few weeks.  The materials for the campaign have been distributed to union representatives.  (Phone report by Mick Rix)

Great Britain
On 9 November, Transport and General Workers Union members across TNT Express operations have voted to accept a pay deal which union leaders say will set the standard for the rest of the hugely competitive express mail and parcels sector. The 18-month deal will deliver a package close to 10% to 7,500 workers. 1,300 new members across the company were organised in the last four months. (Email report by Steve Turner)

Morocco
A dozen union representatives from UMT held a 20 minute demonstration in front of the DHL offices in Casablanca demanding their freedom of association and the right to collective bargain.  (Phone report by Mohamed Sardy)

View the communiqué distributed by the union >>

South Africa
SATAWU shop stewards have started engaging DHL management regarding outsourcing / restructuring within the company.  During negotiations, pickets have been arranged at the gateways during lunchtime in Johannesburg.  The union has written to management requesting a meeting to discuss issues including temporary labour, outsourcing and amalgamation.  On 9 November, the union will continue its lunchtime picket as part of the ITF / UNI Action Day.  Similar activities are also planned in Port Elizabeth.  In Cape Town, union representatives at the DHL depot have met management today to raise issues such as continuation of employment of casuals, flexi-time.  In Gauteng, workers will take part in a picket during lunchtime.  The union will also meet with TNT management to discuss their relationship with workers and the union.  (Email report by Abner Ramakgolo and Liver Makua)

Canada
In order to inform its members about the ITF and the union's role in the wider global trade union movement, and to build awareness of participating in global action to organise the unorganised locally, Teamsters Canada displayed the campaign posters and leaflets on their union bulletin boards in workplaces across the country.  On 9 November, members of the union visited Parliament Hill and handed out union leaflets to Members of Parliament.  Activists also met with Members of Parliament responsible for Labour and Transport issues to discuss the Action Day and to highlight the challenges workers face worldwide in trying to organise workers.  (Email report by Phil Benson)

View the union webpage >>

Colombia
SINCONTAXCAR, together with the wider trade union movement, participated in a mass-scale march in Cartagena called by CUT on 8 November.  The extreme difficulties of Columbian unions to organise is reflected in the loss of unionists' lives.  In SINCOTAXCAR alone, 22 members have been killed over the past four years.  Whilst this nationwide action in Colombia was not designed to organise the integrator companies, they have sent this report to the ITF, wishing to raise the appalling record of trade union rights' violation in Colombia to transport workers worldwide.

See photos of the action in Cartagena >>