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“No to liberalisation, yes to safety,” say railway workers
9 March 2005
A 1000-strong rally of railway activists voiced its opposition to attempts to liberalise European railway passenger services, as part of the ITF’s sixth annual International Railway Action Day on 7 March.
Organised by the ITF’s European arm the European Transport Workers’ Federation, the demonstration took place in Strasbourg, France, and involved activists from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. Unions fear that liberalised passenger services will see workers paying the price with job cuts, poor working conditions and pressure on safety. A trade union hearing in the European Parliament, which is due to vote on the package in the coming weeks, is taking place today.
Other ITF affiliates used the action day to highlight serious safety concerns. In Italy the Federazione Italiana Trasporti - Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori organised a demonstration in Bologna. They were protesting against the handling of rail safety following a fatal train crash in January 2005, in which six workers and 11 passengers lost their lives. In Australia, the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) delivered a petition to parliament demanding the release of the findings of an inquiry into a rail accident that resulted in the death of an RTBU member. Meanwhile a demonstration in the Philippines by affiliate Bagong Kapisanan Ng Mga Manggagawa Sa PNR highlighted safety issues in the wake of a major derailment in November last year, killing six people and injuring many more.
Mass meetings and leafleting were organised in Japan, India, Ukraine and Argentina. Some affiliates in Africa combined the action day with International Women’s Day, which took place on 8 March. All in all, more than 50 unions in 36 countries took part in the event.
“This action day is an investment: by involving union activists at grassroots level, we are educating future union leaders on international trade unionism,” commented Mac Urata, ITF Inland Transport Section Secretary.
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