Fighting fatigue

تغيير خيارات الرسومات المنخفضة | تغيير اللغة | القفز عن المحتوى إلى الملاحة

محتوى الصفحة: Home > مجلة النقل الدولي "Transport International" > Issue 13 October 2003 > Fighting fatigue

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Tasting success
Highlights from six years of the Fatigue Kills action day campaign:

1997: ITF affiliates in Bangladesh win a new law stipulating that two drivers must be on duty for shifts that exceed eight hours of driving time.

1998: Legislation in line with ILO Convention 153 (concerning hours of work and reset periods) is enacted in Bulgaria. SINAMEQUIPH in Honduras wins an increased rest period for drivers working with an oil multinational company. In Paraguay, USTT wins legislation to cancel the operating licences of companies that breach regulations.

1999: Nepal Yatayat Mazdoor Sangh (NYMS) scores a major victory in December, winning most of the 15 demands it had submitted to the government on the action day.

2000: The number of bus workers booking annual leave increases dramatically following the action day in Côte d'Ivoire.

2001: The Lithuanian government agrees to demands put forward by the Motor Transport Workers' Federation to improve drivers' working conditions and border-crossing procedures. FENASICOCH, Chile, wins government support for new legislation to reduce the retirement age for truck drivers. The Transport and General Workers' Union in Zimbabwe sets the deadline for negotiations with a large trucking firm on the action day and subsequently secures its demands for improved working conditions.

2002: In Thailand, TRAN-U secures legislation limiting working hours to eight per day, with rest time after four hours. Continuous pressure from road transport workers' unions in Europe finally bears fruit when the Working Time Directive for mobile road transport workers is adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of Transport Ministers in February. The Transport Workers' Union in Malaysia successfully commemorates the signing of the first memorandum of understanding on occupational health and safety with a major bus operator on the action day itself.

Campaign target groups
In order to bring about change, road transport unions try to influence a range of different interest groups:

Professional drivers themselves: who may not be aware of their rights under existing regulations on driving, working and resting times.

Fellow trade unionists: the ITF is currently seeking cooperation from the dockers and their trade unions in particular. Support from the national labour centre and its affiliates is essential.

Employers: who may insist on drivers working to unrealistic schedules and actively encourage the disregard of regulations. Employers in multinational companies are lobbied to apply consistent standards to workers they employ in different countries.

Politicians: who make the regulations.

Public servants: who are supposed to implement the regulations.

Traders and other end users: who set delivery times that require long driving hours and insufficient rest periods.

The public: who may support a campaign to reduce the risk of accidents involving fatigued truck, bus and taxi drivers.

The media: who can offer useful publicity on the number of road accidents caused by drivers' fatigue.

ITF affiliates have gained real benefits from their involvement in the action day campaign, as these testimonies show:

“Through the ITF campaign, we have been able to meet with our industrial partners for discussions which have led to improvements in rest time for road transport drivers.” (SYNTRAMEG, Niger)

“The issue of drivers' excessive working hours has been raised among drivers as well as among public authorities, employers and drivers' families. As a result, the rules and regulations of drivers' hours have been amended in certain contracts.” (Mongolian Transport, Communication and Petroleum Workers' Union)

“We have been able to conclude a tripartite agreement to reduce the total shift duration to 11 hours in the bus sector.” (FNCTTFEL, Luxembourg)

“In the past accidents have been attributed to speed, but now thanks to the campaign, fatigue has also been incorporated as a possible cause.” (Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union, Uganda)

“The ITF campaign has generated unity between workers and an awareness that we can change our situation.” (CNTTT, Brazil)

“We have successfully made our rank and file members aware of the need for international solidarity action against globalisation. We have sent the message to our government, to the employers, that we are not alone in our struggle.” (Bangladesh Truck Chalok Sramik Federation)

“More drivers know of the ITF and its role thanks to the campaign. It enables us to work with employers who have previously resisted involvement in negotiation.” (SATAWU, South Africa)

“Our members who have gone out on the action days have always come back with a feeling of accomplishment in knowing that they have had an opportunity to speak to the drivers directly on important trade union issues.” (CAW, Canada)

The 2003 Action Day campaign in Europe
By Beatrice Hertogs , ETF

While European legislation now exists to regulate working and driving times as well as rest periods, correct implementation and control of these is still a long way off.

The creation of the single market in the EU, with its promotion of the free movement of goods and services, has accelerated the ongoing process of liberalisation. Meanwhile the enlargement of the EU obviously expands the liberalised market into Central and Eastern Europe. In this environment, the restructuring of the sector, and the development of the logistics sub-sector, take a heavy toll on the working conditions of lorry drivers.

As part of the ITF Road Transport Day of Action campaign 2003, the ETF is demanding:

1. A correct transposition of the working time directive in the member states. This directive, enacted in 2002, has still to be “translated” into national legislation.

2. A better enforcement and more control of the regulation on driving times and rest periods.

3. A more thorough collation of statistics on road accidents. Today some statistics exist but more and better work is needed in this field.

4. Adequate eating and sleeping facilities must be provided for drivers. This requirement must be considered when work is undertaken on road building in the context of the trans-European networks.

الصفحة الرئيسية للأقسام:
Issue 13 October 2003

نسخة الرسومات الكاملة

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