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Page context: Home > Transport International Magazine > Issue 35 - April 2009 > In this issue
Climate change is commonly held to be a problem for transport unions. After all, as governments take measures to curb emissions, the face of our industry must change. But it’s not all doom and gloom, argues Asbjørn Wahl. The climate change agenda is very compatible with trade union values and – ideally – offers the chance to mobilise a new generation of activists and harness their energy towards a fairer society.
Young workers are in focus here at the ITF,with a new programme of work to make sure their needs are met. Common wisdom has it that young workers are the future –we say that they are the present and unions need to act now to get them involved and active. We meet a handful of young activists, who are inspiring others in their commitment to fair labour.
Fair labour has been in the news in Britain, where workers recently held wildcat strikes. They were protesting at companies who, according to the union Unite, refused to consider UK-based workers for jobs. The trend of social dumping is nothing new. Employers realise they can cut costs by hiring a workforce on lower pay with worse terms and conditions. As trade unions, we need a coherent response to deal fairly and effectively with the issues. A new book from the Nordic unions proposes some answers, and we review it.
Finally, we look at some recent cases from the world of seafarers. The Hebei Two had been released on bail at the time of writing, thanks in no small part to a concerted campaign from the ITF and the shipping industry. And we examine the plight of Burmese fishers, who face human rights abuses as migrant workers with minimal power. The ITF has started a three-year organising project in East Asia, sponsored by the FES foundation, to try and improve the living and working conditions of the fishers in the region.
The ITF will continue to fight for workers’ rights. Affiliates should be proud that their latest efforts, for the people of Gaza, raised almost half a million US dollars towards the relief effort.
Section home:
Issue 35 - April 2009
Other pages for Issue 35 - April 2009:
On track for equality | Gaza relief effort | Climate change | Hebei Two campaign | Murder at sea | Young workers | European Works Council | Power to the workers | Book review | Leading by example | Working life
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