The ITF Congress will include participants from around 140 countries, representing over 600 transport unions with more than 19 million members. It is set to be the biggest to date, with over 2,000 participants.
The guest-of-honour for the opening ceremony is secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore, and minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ng Chee Meng.
The Congress aims to give transport workers a collective voice and set the agenda for the transport industry for the next five years. It will also discuss how digitisation is reshaping global transport, along with strategic policies.
ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton said: "This Congress is all about transport workers building power through innovative campaigns, growing membership and influencing policy. By uniting our efforts, we can ensure that the future of work provides good opportunities for all transport workers."
Mary Liew, chairperson of the ITF Singapore national coordinating committee (SNCC) and general secretary of the Singapore Maritime Officers Union (SMOU), said: "It's no coincidence that this Congress is being held in Singapore as it focuses on the future of work in transport. We have shown here that by building partnerships across society and the economy we can create decent, sustainable jobs now and for the future."
Singapore unions
Five transport unions from Singapore make up the SNCC, which is assisting the ITF in organising the congress:
- National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU)
- Port Officers' Union (POU)
- Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU)
- Singapore Organisation of Seamen (SOS)
- Singapore Port Workers' Union (SPWU)
Media information
Media pack: http://www.itfglobal.org/en/resources/reports-publications/itf-congress-media-pack/
After the opening ceremony, official photographs will be available to download from the media area of the ITF Congress website: https://www.itfcongress2018.org/en/press/
