On this International Women's Day, the International Transport Worker’s Federation (ITF) is proud to reaffirm that women belong in transport, in unions, in decision-making, and in leadership.
At last year’s Congress we celebrated the 25-year journey of the ITF Women Transport Workers’ Committee. With the learnings and wisdom from this journey we move forward – building on the strong foundations already built by women transport workers to the next 25 years and beyond, with a renewed commitment to promote and advance the rights of women transport workers globally.
However, it is important that we acknowledge the challenges that we face going forwards. Women’s rights are under attack globally – women around the world continue to experience multiple forms of discrimination, violence and sexual harassment.
Systemic exclusion
Women transport workers are a proud part of the workforce which keep the world moving, but many women are excluded from decent and secure work in the global transport and logistics industry.
As part of ITF’s commitment to ending the systemic exclusion of women in transport, we are today launching a new resource on our website which brings together the experiences of women transport workers to make the causes and effects of systemic exclusion visible and map a path forward of action.
ITF Women Transport Workers’ Committee Chair Meryem Halouani said “We pay tribute to the essential work done by women transport workers every day of the year. But on International Women's Day we take pause to celebrate all that has gone before us, and to also acknowledge the challenges we face ahead of us.
“We need to win the battles against systemic exclusion and violence against women in our workplaces, in our unions and in our legal systems. In 2025 these are things that we should not still be having to fight, but it is a fight we must win on a global level. And that means working together as a global federation of trade unions – we will not allow these issues to be relegated to be only for women to act on – they are trade union issues.”
ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said: “The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Accelerate action – for the labour movement that means we collectively have to pick up the pace in defending and promoting women’s rights and fighting exclusion. The strength of a global trade union movement lies in our solidarity. Trade unions are key to achieving women’s inclusion – by coming together locally, regionally, and sectorally.”
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