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Inland Navigation

Improving working lives on the waterways.

The ITF represents crew on inland waterways vessels throughout the world, in both trade and passenger tourism. We campaign for better working conditions on canals, rivers and lakes, and in ports and harbours. From timber to tourists, coffee to commuters, our crews carry cargo and passengers in a growing and increasingly challenging industry.

ISSUES

Workers on the world’s waterways are seeing a decline in their working conditions and a reduction in their pay and training. This is due to globalisation, market consolidation and increasing deregulation in the sector. The role of the ITF and its affiliated inland navigation unions has never been more crucial in fighting for sustainable jobs and workers’ rights in the sector and in the wider global supply chains.

OUR PRIORITIES

  • RAISING INDUSTRY STANDARDS

  • SUPPLY CHAIN ACCOUNTABILITY

  • REGULATION & ENFORCEMENT

  • ORGANISING

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WHAT WE DO

The ITF inland navigation section consists of 114 affiliated unions from 64 countries worldwide, representing around 115,000 members.

We fight for a safe workplace and fair treatment of all inland navigation workers, including their right to join a union to protect them at work.

The main issues ITF’s Inland Navigation Section works on are:

  • The fight for international core principles
  • Organising workers to defend their rights 
  • Stopping the race to the bottom for tug workers

 

To ensure that governments and authorities maintain and enforce high working standards, the ITF launched our ‘Stopping the race to the bottom’ campaign for tug and towage workers to raise awareness of their vital role in the global supply chain.

WHERE WE FOCUS

Our objectives across all our work include:

  • Establishing and improving minimum standards across the industry - nationally, regionally and internationally.
  • Developing and promoting regulations and codes of conduct governing the industry.
  • Safeguarding the jobs of members in the face of ownership changes, and the use of non-domiciled workers.
  • Promoting inland navigation as a mode of public transport and an sustainable way to transport goods.
  • Promoting decent working conditions and health and safety on board tug vessels.
  • Building union density and increasing diversity among our affiliated unions’ membership.

 

Our democratic committee decides on the issues we focus on.

 

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Congress Vision and Resolutions 2024-2029

We set out our 2024-2029 vision for ‘Transport Workers Moving the World Forward’. These are our demands and strategy to transform the transport industry, to create a safer, fairer and more sustainable
OUR PEOPLE

The ITF Inland Navigation Section Committee brings together trade unions representing workers who move passengers and cargo on the world’s canals, rivers and lakes, and ports and harbours. The Section is run on a democratic basis, with representation from all world regions as well as women and youth leaders.

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SECTION COORDINATOR

Fabrizio Barcellona

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ASSISTANT COORDINATOR

Steve Yandell

 
SECTION COMMITTEE

Jacques Kerkhof

BTB-ABVV
,
Belgium
ITF Inland Navigation section Chair

Mariano Moreno

CPOFPCM
,
Argentina
1st Vice Chair

Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam

BNSF
,
Bangladesh
2nd Vice Chair

Olga Losinskaya

ver.di
,
Germany
Women Transport Workers' Representative

Matias Hernan Vargas

SOMU
,
Argentina
Young Transport Workers’ Representative
AFRICA

Brigitte Sharadi

CSC/Transcom
,
Democratic Republic of Congo
Regional Chair
ASIA/PACIFIC

Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam

BNSF
,
Bangladesh
Regional Chair

Manoj Yadav

FSUI
,
India
Ordinary Member
Arab World

Hossam El Din Mustafa

GTUMTW
,
Egypt
Regional Chair
ETF Inland Waterways Section

Jacques Kerkhof

BTB-ABVV
,
Belgium
Chair

Olga Losinskaya

ver.di
,
Germany
Women Transport Workers' Representative

Bert Klein

Nautilus International
,
Netherlands
Regional Member (IW SSDC Spokesperson)

Vacant

Latin America

Mariano Moreno

CPOFPCM
,
Argentina
Regional Chair

Ricardo Ponzi

FNTTA
,
Brazil
Regional Member

Francisco del Gaudio

UTT
,
Uruguay
Regional Member

Matias Hernan Vargas

SOMU
,
Argentina
Regional Member
North America/Caribbean

Jason Woods

ILWU
,
Canada
Regional Chair

Eduardo Iglesias

IOMMP
,
USA
Regional Member
OUR AFFILIATES

The ITF Inland Navigation Section has 114 affiliated unions from 64 countries representing 115,000 workers worldwide.