Representatives from ITF unions met in Marrakech, Morocco for their 4-yearly women transport workers’ conference hosted by ITF-affiliated union the UMT. The event was the latest in the ITF Pathway to Congress which sees every industrial section, region and department of the ITF meet to set its direction and key priorities in the run up to ITF Congress being held in Singapore next year.
The conference sent a message to COP23 – which was running concurrently in Bonn, Germany - calling for the development of public transport to further climate justice and gender equality. Read the details here
Seafarer Jasmin Labarda from AMOSUP, Philippines led an action linked to gender-based occupational segregation in transport workplaces under the heading ‘This is our world too!’. The delegates posted selfies online using the tagline and called for women not to be discouraged from working in the transport sector, either directly through recruitment and promotion policies or practices, or indirectly via sub-standard provisions or unacceptable treatment of women workers; systematic obstacles that characterise the dominant global culture that is sustained by managers, authorities, customers and co-workers.
Jasmine said: “I’ve been sailing for 17 years. I could have stopped and been content with my own career and forgotten about other women seafarers. But there are still many women who failed and will fail to pursue a career at sea because of discrimination, bullying and harassment. It is my dream that women will think of a job at sea as safe and open for both genders.
“It’s 2017, and I’ve had enough of being told I work in a man’s world. This is our world too and we definitely have the power to make change happen! “
The ongoing ITF campaign to tackle violence against women in their workplaces, homes and communities was a major focus of the conference, including the push to achieve a new ILO convention on violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work. Find out more: ITFendvaw.org
Live social media coverage was featured in social media accounts more than three million times during the event. @ITF_Women
The next phase of the ITF Pathway to Congress is the ITF Americas conference starting on 24 November in Cartagena, Colombia. Follow their social media channels ITFfacebook/ITFAmericas and @ITF_Americas on twitter for the latest from the event.
