ITF women leaders meeting in London last week pledged to continue building union power, denouncing discrimination, and challenging neo-liberal austerity policies.

A 48-hour national strike organised by the ITF-affiliated Union des Chauffeurs du Burkina Faso (UCRB) on 30-31 March caused fuel shortages, power cuts and supply difficulties, and led to positive meetings with the country’s president and transport minister.

“We are working 24/7. When it comes to accidents we just take care of ourselves. When it comes to payment, it’s very little. We have families and we can’t make it with this salary," explained Ronald, an Agility Logistics trucker, to an ITF investigative team, in Kenya from 27 March to 2 April to look into the Kuwaiti-owned company's treatment of its workforce.

All eyes are on the Kuwait-based multinational firm Agility Logistics over its treatment of road transport workers in Kenya, the International Transport Workers’ Federation said today at a press conference in Mombasa.

ITF international and regional representatives won government commitments to address national transport unions’ concerns during a meeting on 24 March with Burkina Faso’s prime minister and minister for infrastructure and transport.

An outcry raised by a coalition of trade unions and civil society groups has led UN Women to disassociate itself from a partnership with ‘ride booking’ app provider Uber just over a week after its announcement. The unions and NGOs had acted speedily to persuade the United Nations organisation to reconsider a strategic partnership with the company that would supposedly create ‘a million’ jobs for women drivers.

The reach and power of ITF road transport and railway unions were on show this week as representatives from 50 unions in 30 countries met in London for steering committee meetings.

Global road transport unions meeting in London today welcomed the peaceful return to work of Kenyan drivers and reinforced the call for union rights at Kuwait-based company Agility logistics.

The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) is warning of an imminent crisis as massed, armed Kenyan riot police make ready to attack truck drivers peacefully gathered near the towns of Kanaan and Mai Mahiu.

The ITF is supporting some 80 truck drivers who have parked their trucks in the town of Voi, Kenya and are refusing to move until Agility Logistics gives them union recognition and ends what they say are enforced work shifts of up to 24 hours.

The ITF was told on 10 March that charges against all three Cameroon union leaders arrested in January have been dropped.

A coalition of concerned organisations, led by global unions including the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), has formed to express its shock over a ‘strategic partnership’ between UN Women and Uber, the ‘ride booking’ app provider. The coalition took the message to the floor of the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW59) today, after Uber used the event to announce a plan to supposedly create a million jobs for women drivers.