The impact of the Arab Spring on trade union rights, and global support for the freedom of workers in Palestine are high on the agenda of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Arab World regional conference.

The next stage of the ITF’s Pathway to congress is just a few days away as unionists from across the Arab World prepare to come together for their regional conference.

Just two days after the ITF warned that the Irish government’s system of permits for migrant fishers was ‘legitimising slavery’, the former jobs minister has admitted hearing ‘alarming allegations’ of abuse and called on the government to scrap and replace the system.

The ITF and its member unions ver.di, the SUR (Seafarers’ Union of Russia) and MTWTU (Marine Transport Workers' Trade Union of Ukraine) are calling for a fast but reasoned response to the kidnapping of eight crew members of the BBC Caribbean in the Gulf of Guinea. The seafarers – seven Russians and a Ukrainian – were taken off the cargo ship by pirates and are believed to be being held hostage in Nigeria.

Show solidarity now for Spanish port workers who are protesting against their government’s plan to gut the rules that govern the country’s ports.

The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) today described plans by the Spanish government to gut the rules that govern Spanish ports as beyond belief and a danger to Spain's standing in the world.

The ITF addressed the congress of the French union federation the FEETS-FO to bolster the determination of activists to strengthen their unions in the face of national and global threats to workers.

Commenting on President Trump’s travel ban ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) president Paddy Crumlin stated: “The 2016 national election in the US featured a heavy focus on immigration. President Donald Trump’s post-election actions have signalled that this will continue. The latest attack on immigrants has targeted the nationals of seven majority-Muslim countries.”

The ITF is urging its unions to support its newly-launched LabourStart solidarity campaign for thousands of unfairly fired dockworkers in Nigeria.

The first woman train driver in the Arab World and Africa, according to her trade union the UMT, has hit the age of 50 at which all Morocco’s train drivers have to retire.

The ITF sent a message of support to a protest by dockworkers and lorry drivers on 13 January over their demands that Peel Ports provides basic toilet, shower and catering facilities at Liverpool Port’s Seaforth container dock.

ITF unions around the world are helping informal transport workers realise their power, according to the newly-published evaluation report of the ITF’s informal workers’ project and a video by the ITF and the Global Labour Institute.