The ITF global delivery network was launched at a consolidating meeting in Washington DC, US, in November 2005. The move to set up the network was adopted by the ITF’s congress in Durban in August 2006. Its aim is to focus on building solidarity and developing a global organising strategy targeting workers in the world’s four largest logistics firms – DHL, TNT, UPS and Fedex – and in CEVA, which used to be a part of TNT.

This work is being carried out in co-operation with Union Network International (UNI), the global union for skills and services.

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Global impact
The global delivery companies, also known as integrator companies, move parcels and packages locally and internationally using different transport modes. As they operate in a global market, strategic business decisions designed to increase profitability are made on a global level. The decisions they make affect the workers who work for them in all the countries in which they operate.

Key issues for workers
Over the past three decades global delivery firms have operated in an increasingly liberalised, deregulated and competitive market, which has raised a number of issues for workers. Competition between the major delivery companies, for example, has led to an increase in work intensity, an ever-greater stress on flexible working practices, a deterioration in pay and lack of job security. In some countries employers are using anti-union tactics and relying on a more casualised workforce.

Union strength has been shown to vary within companies. Some unions have strong memberships, while others are still trying to build their strength. Unions that are strong in their own country have seen companies move work to other countries where workers are less well protected.

Global response
To respond to these challenges, the global delivery network is bringing together national unions that represent the more than one million workers employed in these companies. Currently 188 unions from more than 50 countries are registered in the ITF global delivery network. The workers they represent are employed across all transport modes and in a range of jobs in the industry, including call centre operators, customs clerks, pilots, security personnel and truck and van drivers. As a result of the network, a number of cooperative initiatives have already been established to expand trade union strength and solidarity among workers in these companies. These are:

• a network in three key DHL hubs – Leipzig in Germany, Hong Kong in China, and Wilmington in the US – initiated by the German affiliate Ver.di
• an alliance of DHL global cargo pilots led by a US-European core group
• a network of key European DHL aviation hubs
• a UPS aviation hubs network
• a global delivery organising project in India.

Communication and research
In February 2006, an ITF integrators extranet, a members-only password protected resource, was established on the ITF’s website to enable network members to share information. Click here to log-in and/or join>>

In addition, a number of unions in the network are developing a research strategy to analyse the contract logistics operations of the integrators.