Reflections: Thoughts on violence against workers

Rio is already internationally known for its violence. It’s not different on the trains, although a new security policy implemented by the company, intending to prevent cases of violence, has cut at least half of it in the last couple of years. Employees are trained to know how to react. They might witness anything from fights between husband and wife to passengers being hit by bullets sometimes, as the train crosses areas where groups of drug dealers are fighting against the police or even against each other. I remember once a worker himself was injured in this way.
Ideraldo Gonçalves, General Secretary, STEFRJ, Brazil

In Colombia, 29 trade unionists were murdered between January and May 2003 alone, 99 received death threats and 12 fell victim to physical assaults. Thanks to these frightening numbers, workers won’t affiliate to the unions. The biggest union centre in the country, CUT, for instance, is no larger than 800,000 members, out of a labour force of more than 18 million workers and a population of around 43 million people.
Miguel Sanchez, UNIMPESCOL, Colombia

We have a specific problem in urban transport in Finland, which is the night bus system. At the weekend the buses in Helsinki operate all night. The operating company, Connex says it does not dare to put non-European drivers on night bus duty because they are so extremely at risk of being hit or knifed. The Company applies the same rule to women workers. The Company does not allow them to work the weekend night shift because of the dangers.
Rainer Heino, ERTO, Finland

Because of train staff reductions in Slovenia, the employers are abandoning their safety rules. The trains are full. The conductors are overloaded. The number of thefts has risen and we have more reports of staff on passenger trains being threatened. The union constantly reports cases to the employers, but the employers often don’t act. And when they do, the police don’t react properly.
Peter Verlic, SZS, Slovenia

In Kenya the union dealt with the worker to worker violence through our collective bargaining agreements. With the management we tried to eradicate the problem through education and this process has worked. Violence between workers has stopped. The management have also accepted our advise that staff must not work alone at night and as a consequence not less than two workers work together at night. This has reduced the incidences of violence against workers by the public.
John Kaunga, RWU, Kenya

Violence and aggression against public transport staff is unacceptable, but it is not inevitable. We demand that employers accept their responsibility for ensuring the safety of their staff, and enter into negotiations with the trade unions to implement effective preventative measures. Local authorities, police and the courts also have a major role to play in ensuring public order on public transport.
Martin Mayer, TGWU, UK