Week of action begins today across northern Europe

4 June 2007

Early this morning the ITF and its affiliates began a week of action (4 to 8 June) that will visit and inspect vessels across Northern Europe. ITF inspectors, dockers and union volunteers will investigate ships irrespective of whether they are flying a national flag or flag of convenience, in order to establish and enforce decent conditions onboard.

The week long operation will check conditions, recover owed wages, put vessels under ITF agreements that protect vulnerable workers, and more.  It will also include a particular focus on three areas:

CSAV ships
Leonhardt and Blumberg ships
Ferries and ro-ros operating in the Irish Sea

The countries participating are: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the UK.

Steve Cotton, ITF Maritime Coordinator, commented: “This is a new kind of week of action. It’s an intensive, week long offensive that also adds these three distinct elements into the objectives of securing labour rights and quality shipping. It stands firmly alongside our long running campaigns but also gives everyone involved a chance to show what they can do.”

“Those three elements include paying attention to the Irish Sea, where recent cases have proved that there is a risk of a rush to the bottom being led by a few operators could seriously harm their more socially responsible competitors. We will be looking at CSAV, with whom we have an ongoing dialogue, as part of our attempts to persuade them of the benefits of co-operation. We will also be engaging L&B, whose CEO, Frank Leonhardt, had long boasted that he would take on the ITF and never sign an agreement – since then of course an ITF campaign has rather changed his mind on that, and he’s signed 20.”

For more details of the week of action please see the dedicated area at  www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/newa.cfm

Press releases will follow daily throughout the week.

ENDS

For more information contact ITF press officer, Sam Dawson.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260.
Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:
HEAD OFFICE
ITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DS
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871
Email: mail@itf.org.uk
Web: www.itfglobal.org

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