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Relying on politicians is not enough, Cockroft tells Norwegian unionists
11 June 2009
Transport trade unionists needed to step up their efforts to build powerful unions, ITF general secretary David Cockroft told delegates of the congress of a Norwegian transport union.
Speaking at the Norsk Transportarbeiderforbund (NTF) congress in Tromso, Norway from 8-11 June, Cockroft warned delegates that a political crisis was facing Europe. Parties of the left had suffered heavy losses in the European parliamentary elections, while the right had made gains. The struggle against social dumping would not get any easier, he said.
“But one thing is certain; relying on politicians is not enough. We have to work more and more to build strong effective transport unions,” he said.
“We have to fight to focus our unions’ attention on organising recruiting and retaining every category of transport worker: mobile or non-mobile workers; workers in distribution centres; call centre workers; men workers and women workers; and above all else younger workers. Bus workers, taxi workers, dockers, seafarers, and aviation workers, whatever the job they do. If their employer is in transport, they are a transport worker and their union should be in the ITF.”
He also stated that a transport industry that didn’t destroy our planet and that continued to provide decent jobs also had to be created. That was why the ITF was engaged in the fight for sustainable transport, which would be the focus of the federation’s congress in Mexico in 2010.
Eduardo Chagas, general secretary of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, who also addressed the congress, lent his support to the fight against social dumping, particularly in light of recent European court decisions.
The NTF congress marked the election of Roger Hansen to the presidency of the union; he succeeds Per Ostvold following his retirement. Ostvold had contributed a great deal to raising the profile of the NTF and Nordic transport unions in general; in recognition, Cockroft presented him with the ITF gold badge, the federation’s highest honour.
Cockroft also paid tribute to Frank Holm, vice-president of the NTF, who retires on 1 July.
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