The International Transport Federation (ITF) has today published a report ‘What young workers want from transport’ which demonstrates the need for young workers’ voices to be heard in the decision-making around transport.
The report, What young transport workers' want from transport, demonstrates how transport plays an important part in the lives of young workers aged 18 to 35, as they are more likely to recognise the reliance of the world’s economy on transport.
Key findings include:
- 85% of young workers think that transport is important to the economy of their country.
- 84% of young workers support laws that hold companies to account for environmental and labour rights abuses in their transport supply chains.
- 71% of young workers believe the transport industry would be better off if there was greater involvement from transport workers in decision making.
The report is being launched on the first day of the ITF’s Young Transport Workers’ Conference taking place in Mumbai, India, where over 150 delegates from transport unions across the world are coming together to share their struggles and chart a path for the future.
The report takes its findings from the global poll carried out by YouGov for ITF in September 2022, and represents the mean responses from the general public in 15 countries.
Young workers, faced with a convergence of crises from the rising cost of living to the impact of climate are worried:
- 71% are concerned about the cost of transport generally.
- Two-thirds (68%) of young workers worry about the impact of transport emissions on climate change.
- Almost two-thirds (62%) worry about access and affordability of public transport.
ITF Young Transport Workers’ Committee Co-Chairs Dorotea Zec and Horacio Calculli said “This report shows that it is clearly time to rework how transport is run globally. We need to move away from a system with rising costs, poor reliability and high emissions, and instead invest in a sustainable model for all of our futures.”
74% of young workers believe that it is important for transport unions to have an active role in society. Young workers want strong unions with active youth structures.
The ITF Global Poll also sets out an action plan for governments, employers, and investors:
- 81% support investment in sustainable transport.
- 85% support health and safety laws to protect transport workers.
- 84% support calls to protect transport worker employment rights.
- 63% support providing workers who earn a living through gig companies (such as Uber, Deliveroo or Ola) with the right to safe working conditions.
“Young workers will inherit the economic and climate crises of today,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary.
“Their struggles in a rapidly changing world cannot be ignored by governments and employers. In response to this the ITF Young Transport Workers’ Committee is leading campaigns for decent work, transport worker rights in the platform economy and for climate justice. It’s time for governments, business and investors to listen to the voices of young workers.”
