road transport

KPTU-TruckSol member killed during strike action

Mark_D — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:50:45 +0000

KPTU-TruckSol member killed during strike action

KPTU-TruckSol member run over, two more injured, after police forcibly break sit-down protest.

A Korean trade union member was killed on Monday after he was run over when police forcibly pushed workers engaged in a sit-down protest at a logistics centre in Southern Gyeongsan Province, Korea.

The KPTU-TruckSol member was taking part in a strike protest at a CU Logistics Centre, part of a strike action by TruckSol CU members which has been underway since April 5.

Two other TruckSol members were injured in the collision with a 2.5 tonne box truck replacement transport vehicle, which police present at the scene had allowed to depart. The union member was run over, and by the time he arrived at a local hospital his heart had stopped.

“This is an absolutely tragic death which simply should never have happened. Our movement has lost a trade unionist who was in the middle of peacefully and lawfully demanding that the rights of the workers he represents must be upheld,” said ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton.

ITF Regional Secretary for the Asia-Pacific, Scott McDine, said: “Our deepest condolences go out to our brother’s family, colleagues and friends, and to all the members of KPTU-TruckSol, who are understandably shocked, deeply saddened and angry at what has happened. It is vital that there is a serious investigation into precisely what has happened, and that anyone bearing responsibility is held to account.”

The strike action was against dire working conditions for truck drivers and a refusal to meet a request for collective bargaining by BGF Retail – which instead sought to worsen conditions further while also initiating damages suits against striking workers.

KPTU-TruckSol members delivering goods for convenience store chain, CU, work at the bottom of a three-tier contracting chain, with BGF Retail (the CU convenience store operator) at the top, followed by BGF Logis (logistics subsidiary), subcontracted trucking companies, and owner drivers at the bottom.

Drivers must cover all the costs of operations, which requires them to make two runs a day – one run would mean operating at a loss – and work upwards of 13 hours, to make around KRW 3 million (USD2,000) per month. Drivers regularly work night shifts without allowances and work an average of 25-26 days a month with minimal breaks.

Drivers cannot rest when they are sick because they are responsible for the costs of hiring a replacement driver, while they also endure extreme weather conditions and regularly engage in loading and unloading tasks, leading to severe occupational safety and health (OSH) related issues.

Flemming Overgaard, President of 3F Transport, Denmark, and ITF Road Transport Section Chair, said: “Words cannot express how deeply saddening and troubling our brother's death is.

"While this should never have happened, I believe that our fellow union member would have wanted all of us to continue the fight he was leading – to stand in solidarity with KPTU-TruckSol, the fight for Safe Rates and the fair working conditions KPTU-TruckSol members deserve. This is a fight that we will support until KPTU-TruckSol drivers win what should be theirs by right."

Mark_D 22 Apr 2026

safe rates

road transport

drivers

Global report reveals road transport in crisis: unsafe pay systems driving deaths, exploitation and corruption

Rosalyn Smith — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:51:35 +0000

Global report reveals road transport in crisis: unsafe pay systems driving deaths, exploitation and corruption

A report from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) exposes dangerous working conditions and deadly consequences for road transport workers across five continents.

The study, Commercial pressures, working conditions, and safety risks in the road transport industry, featuring interviews with over 170 workers in India, Kenya, Brazil, South Korea, and Australia, reveals how low pay, piece rate pay systems, extreme hours, unsafe vehicles and roads, and exploitative industry structures are fuelling a global road safety crisis.

In most countries, workers are still trapped in deadly cycles of exploitation. Figures show a large majority of workers in Kenya experience fatigue (81.5% of those surveyed) and stress (64%) on the job, while close to half (49.2%) have experienced falling asleep at the wheel. In South Korea, truck drivers account for a staggering 53.2% of highway fatalities, while in Australia, articulated trucks are three times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than passenger cars.

“This research lays bare a global crisis in road transport. When drivers are forced to choose between safety and survival, everyone on the road is at risk,” said Noel Coard, ITF Inland Transport Section Secretary. “It’s no coincidence that where Safe Rates are implemented, lives are saved and standards rise. Governments must stop ignoring the evidence: Safe Rates are not optional, they are urgent.”

The ITF is demanding immediate action to implement Safe Rates systems globally, including policy frameworks that ensure truck drivers are paid fairly and operate safely, with obligations on all industry stakeholders and a seat at the table for trade unions.

“We were constantly pushed to do more, to overload, to miss breaks and to not record jobs in our logbooks… I don't know how I was functioning.” Australian driver

Key findings from the report include:

In India, commercial vehicles account for 23% of all road deaths despite making up just 4.4% of vehicles on the roads. Truck drivers work up to 24 hours a day, earn as little as USD67/month, and face systemic corruption – paying up to EUR 5.1 million annually in bribes to avoid harassment by enforcement officers.
In Kenya, road fatalities jumped 17% between 2019 to 2023, driven in part by low pay and algorithmic pressure in ride-hailing apps. Forty-nine percent of ride-hailing workers surveyed admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, while 81.5% experienced fatigue.
In Brazil, self-employed truckers face starvation rates, cargo theft, and deteriorating health. Drivers sleep on the streets without restrooms or security while waiting to unload, risking assault and robbery. Poor road conditions, cargo theft, and no access to healthcare are major risks. Brazil’s Safe Rates law exists but is plagued by weak enforcement.

“Since the Safe Rates system was sunsetted… we’re sleeping in trucks for six days straight. Fatigue is building up. It’s unbearable.” Korean truck driver

“Safe Rates save lives”

Evidence from Australia and South Korea proves that these systems reduce road deaths, improve driver wellbeing, and strengthen industry standards.

The Safe Rates system in New South Wales saved over 200 lives, but pressure from transport buyers and gig platforms continues to undermine safety nationwide. New national regulations under the Closing Loopholes Act No. 2 amendment to the Fair Work Act are a positive step – will expectations that conditions and safety will improve if they are adequately resourced and enforced.

In South Korea, the 2020–2022 Safe Rates system dramatically improved pay, reduced overloading and fatigue, and slashed dangerous driving practices. Its removal led to a 34% income drop, longer hours, and a return of deadly cost-cutting.

ITF’s General Secretary, Stephen Cotton, said “This report is a wake-up call. Behind every road crash statistic is a worker pushed beyond human limits – by greed, by broken laws, and by supply chains built on exploitation. Safe Rates save lives. Governments and industry must act now.”

ITF demands immediate action:

Enforce Safe Rates worldwide: Ensure workers are paid fairly for safe hours, with costs of maintenance and safety factored into pricing.
Repeal punitive laws like India’s BNS 106(2) that blame workers for systemic failures.
Include unions at the table: Workers must help shape the standards that govern their livelihoods.
End impunity for transport buyers and companies that push down prices and ramp up risks.
Invest in road safety: Infrastructure, rest areas, vehicle maintenance, and healthcare access must be priorities.

“You are unsafe with your truck. You’re urinating on a pole. You are subject to a fine and no pay for unloading.” Brazilian truck driver.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The ITF is a global federation representing 16.5 million transport workers in 150 countries.
Full report and multimedia content available at [link]
Interviews with spokespeople and workers available on request.

For media enquiries, contact: Rosalyn Smith, Media Manager, on media@itf.org.uk or +447522 229623

Rosalyn Smith 18 Jun 2025

Unions rally globally for fair pay, good jobs and safe roads

Rosalyn Smith — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:34:55 +0000

Unions rally globally for fair pay, good jobs and safe roads

A week of action demanding fair pay and decent working conditions for drivers to tackle fatigue launches today spearheaded by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and affiliated road transport unions.

The 2025 ITF Safe Rates Action Week (19-25 June) launches today, backed by dozens of unions and campaigns worldwide. Timed to coincide with the European Transport Workers’ Federation’s Day of Action against Driver Fatigue on 21 June, the week will focus on mobilising workers. It also calls on governments, businesses, and civil society to confront the commercial pressures threatening lives on the roads and adopt ‘Safe Rates’ that guarantee fair pay and decent working conditions to keep drivers and the public safe.

“Pressure from low pay, poor working conditions, and lack of rest is killing drivers,” said Flemming Overgaard, ITF Road Transport Section Chair. “The data shows it, and drivers are living it. In Europe, 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers report regularly driving while fatigued. Governments and companies can change this situation and save lives by setting fair and safe standards for pay and conditions and working together to enforce them.”

“For too many professional drivers, every day is the longest day. Fatigue is systematically built into their working conditions. This is a safety crisis created by unfair pay, poor enforcement, unreasonable pressure, and supply chains that prioritise the lowest price over a sustainable road transport industry,” said Livia Spera, ETF General Secretary.

A dangerous industry pushed to the brink

New ITF-commissioned research, Commercial Pressures, Working Conditions, and Safety Risks in the Road Transport Industry, reveals the shocking conditions faced by drivers globally:

In India, commercial vehicles account for 23% of all road deaths despite making up just 4.4% of vehicles on the roads. Truck drivers report working 16-20 hours a day, making monthly salaries as low as USD67, and facing informality, poor vehicle conditions and widespread corruption.
In Kenya, road fatalities jumped 17% between 2019 to 2023, driven in part by low pay and algorithmic pressure in ride-hailing apps. Forty-nine percent of ride-hailing workers surveyed admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, while 81.5% experienced fatigue.
In Brazil, self-employed truck drivers report being unable to earn enough money to cover the cost of their vehicles. Explaining the impact one worker said, the driver “is sleepy, tired… he does not eat right, gets stressed, nervous, accidents happen.”

These findings underline the root cause of fatigue and road crashes lies not with individual drivers, but with an industry structure in which a few powerful companies profit by squeezing pay and imposing unsafe schedules, while workers and the public pay with their lives.

The study also shows that the Safe Rates systems that sets fair standards for pay and conditions can lead to real improvements:

In South Korea, after the Safe Rates system was introduced, the number of drivers regularly falling asleep at the wheel fell by 25.8%. Speeding and overloading also decreased significantly.
In New South Wales, Australia, the Safe Rates system saved at least 205 lives that would have been lost in articulated truck crashes over recent years. New legal amendments promise to expand these positive outcomes on a national scale.

A week of global action

The ITF Safe Rates Action Week kicks off with a launch event in Berlin on 19 June, followed by an event, The Danger is Rolling Towards Us, co-hosted by the German union ver.di and the ETF at the Euro-Park Rasthof in Herbolzheim on 20 June.

Outreach to drivers will take place throughout the week in corridors and border areas in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Arab world. Protest, action, tripartite stakeholder forums and other events are planned in several countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Nepal, South Korea and Uganda demanding legal reforms and industry accountability.

The ITF is calling on all road transport workers, unions and supporters around the world to join the campaign, with resources and materials available at a new Safe Rates campaign website.

“The way forward is clear: Safe Rates save lives,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. “When drivers are paid fairly, they don’t have to speed, skip rest, or risk their lives to make ends meet. Governments and industry stakeholders must act now to set and enforce fair standards in road transport together. We call on companies who depend on road transport to work with the ITF to make road transport fair, safe, sustainable and inclusive.”

#SafeRatesSaveLives

Notes

What are Safe Rates? 

Guaranteeing Safe Rates mean drivers are paid fairly for all the time they work, allowing them to make enough money to drive safely and support their families. If drivers own their own vehicles, Safe Rates are calculated to ensure that they can cover the cost of purchasing, maintaining, and operating them. Safe Rates can be guaranteed through multi-stakeholder agreements, or legal regulatory systems which:

Set standards for pay and conditions that are fair and equal for all drivers
Hold all industry stakeholders accountable, including the companies at the top of road transport supply chains
Include strong provisions on monitoring and enforcement
Involve unions in the process of setting, monitoring, and enforcing standards.

Rosalyn Smith 18 Jun 2025

Road transport unions shifting power to workers

Sian Manaz — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:07:53 +0000

Road transport unions shifting power to workers

The road transport industry is in a crisis that demands urgent action to protect workers and tackle extreme exploitation, safety risks, and the ongoing strain of labour shortages caused by a lack of decent pay and conditions in the industry.

Today trade unionists approved a bold five-year plan to address these challenges head-on at the ITF’s Road Transport Conference in Marrakech.

As part of their vision for delivering on the ITF’s six global demands, delegates committed to coordinate internationally over the next five years to grow union membership, exercise power, and transform their industry.

“At the core of this plan is the fight against the dangerous and unsustainable pressures that road transport workers face every day,” said ITF Road Section Chair Flemming Overgaard of Denmark’s 3F. “From fatigue caused by excessively long hours to deaths on the road due to unrealistic time pressures, the consequences are life-threatening.”

Unions not only identified the problems but also committed to take decisive action to shift power to workers and enforce protections across global supply chains.

The sectoral strategy focuses on building leverage through a comprehensive approach including data-driven mapping and organising, raising public awareness, pressuring corporate targets, and demanding new regulations that secure safer working conditions.

One key priority is growing the global Safe Rates campaign pioneered by truck drivers to establish fair pay and decent conditions.

Safe Rates is a model for setting fair standards for pay and working conditions and putting obligations on the companies at the top of supply chains to reduce pressures that lead to fatigue and unsafe on-road practices.

“We are going to scale-up our wins in Australia, Korea, Brazil, Paraguay, the United States, Canada and Japan by putting Safe Rates on the map across the world and making it a truly global standard,” said Overgaard.

The campaign will now expand to target exploitation throughout all aspects of road transport, including last mile delivery, global logistics, and the operations of companies using non-standard forms of employment.

Affiliates will be supported to organise, negotiate and build leverage with global logistics companies with the goal of raising labour, human rights and safety standards across the industry – including for subcontracted, precarious and informal workers.

Company-specific global and regional networks will help to promote solidarity between unions with common employers.

As a new priority area, the road transport strategy identifies improving rights, conditions and safety in long-distance road passenger transport. Business models based on subcontracting and outsourcing – embodied by multinationals such as Flixbus – require a coordinated union response to challenge long working hours, irregular schedules, short rest breaks, fatigue, lack of access to sanitation facilities and pressure to engage in unsafe practices.

At the conference, delegates adopted a motion to increase support for organising of cross-border and informal road transport workers, often the most vulnerable to exploitation.

By expanding regional training programs, collecting best practices, and executing strategic campaigns, the ITF and its affiliates will ensure workers across borders can organise effectively to improve local conditions.

NETWON (Nepal) and the Transport Employees Union Bihar (India) jointly submitted the motion with a goal to achieve fair standards and protections for cross-border drivers.

Another critical component of the plan is advancing the inclusion of women in road transport. Female workers are often underrepresented in the sector, facing barriers that range from a lack of infrastructure and poor work-life balance to outright violence, harassment and gender-based discrimination.

Delegates committed to removing these barriers and ensuring that women play an active role in campaigns and negotiations that will shape the industry’s future.

Newly elected global women’s representative Karina Moyano from the Federación Nacional de Camioneros said: "I will fight for the cause of women around the world. In Argentina we resist all political pressure put on trade unions from the right wing government, and women are heavily involved in that resistance. On 30 October all parts of the transport sector will be on strike in the country - and we will need the support of the ITF to make our government listen to the demands of trade unions."

Delegates elected Julian Ehret (ver.di, Germany) to Vice Chair for Urban Transport, and launched a digital campaign against India’s Hit and Run law.

“The need for this global strategy is clear in light of the ‘Amazon effect’ which has resulted in a race to the bottom, forcing transport companies to cut corners on wages and safety to meet impossible delivery demands,” said Noel Coard, ITF Inland Transport Sections Secretary.

“This race has had disastrous consequences for road transport workers worldwide, and unions are fighting back.”

Sian Manaz 15 Oct 2024

road transport

Global

ITF Congress 2024

INDIAN GOVERNMENT: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECENT WORK AND ROAD SAFETY

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 17:00:29 +0000

INDIAN GOVERNMENT: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECENT WORK AND ROAD SAFETY etheridge_renn… 10 Oct 2024

At the end of 2023, the Indian government passed a new Criminal Code (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, BNS), which is undemocratic and authoritarian. One clause – 106(2), the ‘Hit and Run Law’ – calls for up to ten years imprisonment and heavy fines for drivers who are involved in fatal accidents and do not report them immediately.

The ‘Hit and Run Law’ does not recognise the main causes of India’s high road fatality rates; over laden vehicles, poor infrastructure and old vehicles, pressure from shippers and transport companies on drivers, poor pay and incentive-based pay systems, long hours, unsafe conditions, and the overall informality of the sector. There is also a lack of safe reporting mechanisms for drivers involved in often unavoidable crashes.

Indian road trade unions have criticised the government for trying to appear as if it is responding to the problem of road deaths, while in fact avoiding its responsibility to protect the public, passengers and other road users.

Road transport trade unions have won once when the implementation of the ‘Hit and Run Law’ was put on hold when the rest of BNS came into effect in July. However, trade unions fear it will be implemented once public attention dies down, while the root causes of poor working conditions and road accidents go unaddressed.

Please join Indian road transport unions in calling on the Indian government to fully repeal the ‘Hit and Run Law’ and take responsibility for decent work and road safety by working with trade unions to improve pay, conditions and standards across the road transport industry.

------------------

Out petition to Shri Amit Shah, Indian Minister of Home Affairs, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Indian Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya.

The international community is gravely concerned with the state of the road transport industry in India and the high level of road fatalities, which topped 171,000 deaths in 2022. We are also concerned that the general informality of the road transport industry and poor pay and working conditions, along with the poor state of roads and vehicles, make it impossible commercial vehicle drivers to work safely, putting their lives and the lives of the travelling public at risk.

We are aware that your government has made an appearance of addressing these problems through inclusion of a ‘Hit and Run Law’ (BNS 106(2)) within the new penal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This provision puts heavy penalties on drivers who do not immediately report fatal crashes they are involved in, despite the unavoidable nature of many of these accidents and the lack of safe reporting channels. While the implementation of this provision is currently on hold, we are aware it could be enacted at any time.

We stress to you that this law will in no way solve the structural problems in the road transport industry that result in high road fatality rates. Instead, it will only contribute to India’s driver shortages.

Indeed, new research by the ITF finds Indian truck driver work as many as 16 to 20 hours a day, with little time for sleep or rest, and yet are paid as low as EUR 96 per month. They lack access to rest and sanitation facilities and are often provided with no formal employment contracts, while facing extreme pressure from shippers and transport. This means drivers are forced on the roads in a state of fatigue and stress. They say, should BNS 106(2) be implemented, the added pressure will make them quit their jobs and leave the industry altogether.

The ILO Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work and Road Safety in the Transport Sector make clear that governments and industry stakeholders have a responsibility to “protect the public, passenger, and other road users against preventable crashes and dangers, including those resulting from decent work deficits of commercial vehicle drivers.”

We call on your government to live up to this responsibility by fully repealing BNS 106(2) and meeting with trade unions to develop a plan for addressing the structural safety risks in the road transport industry. This plan should include introduction of a system to set and enforce fair standards for pay, working time and contract provision, robust inspection and audit machinery, and investment in road infrastructure, fleet renewal, safe and secure rest and sanitation facilities.

road transport

safety

Indian road transport unions successfully push back against anti-worker legislation

Mehak_D — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:20:05 +0000

Indian road transport unions successfully push back against anti-worker legislation

In an important victory for trade unions in India, the Modi Government has announced it will not implement the ‘Hit and Run’ provision of the new criminal law (BNS), which is set to go into effect on 1 July 2024.

After large scale protests by affiliated unions to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and other unions on 16 February, the Indian Government announced it has put implementation of the problematic section 106(2) of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita on hold, until further consultation with the All India Motor Transport Congress – an industry association – takes place.

This is a victory for road transport unions in India, including ITF affiliates in the country who organised extensive action against the clause, including industrial action and hunger strikes.

ITF’s Inland Transport Sections Secretary, Noel Coard, said: “This is a step in the right direction for thousands of drivers and unions who organised and protested against Section 106(2) of the new law on a very large scale.”

“ITF affiliates have been tirelessly protesting this provision, which unfairly penalises drivers with severe prison sentences and fines, through industrial action, mass protests, and hunger strikes. But this fight is not over.”

“The ITF is calling on the Modi government to fully repeal the provision, and consult with unions as well as other stakeholders. Workers and unions who represent the road transport workers are best placed to assist the government in developing fundamental solutions to the issues of decent work and road safety. Unless we address vast infrastructural issues and introduce fair and safe pay, decent working conditions and other protections for drivers caught up in unrelenting supply chain pressures, there will be no real progress,” said Coard.

The law, previously introduced without consultation with unions, failed to recognise that road accidents are often caused by low pay and unsafe working conditions. Indian road transport workers are under extreme pressure to meet unsafe deadlines, and speed and overload their vehicles just to feed their families.

In September 2023, the ITF launched a global ‘Safe Rates’ campaign, which calls on governments and industry stakeholders to implement legal reforms like those recently passed in Australia and other countries, create safe, fair and decent standards for workers in order to reduce road transport accidents and increase industry sustainability.

Mehak_D 28 Feb 2024

Indian road transport workers strike against new anti-worker legislation

Mehak_D — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 01:29:06 +0000

Indian road transport workers strike against new anti-worker legislation

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) stands in solidarity with Indian road transport workers striking today (February 16) as they demand Modi’s Government reverse legislation that seeks to criminalise drivers.

ITF has written to the Indian Government expressing concern at the new ‘Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita’ (BNS) law that places criminal liability on the driver for road traffic accidents. ITF-affiliated road transport unions in India will strike today as part of wider national protests called by the Central Trade Unions (CTU) against a series of anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-people measures enacted by India’s Central Government.

Road transport workers will join workers from agriculture and other sectors to demand dialogue and to repeal various pieces of new legislation that infringe their rights. ITF affiliated railway and dockers unions have pledged their support.

The law, introduced without consultation with unions, fails to acknowledge road accidents caused by unsafe working conditions on road transport workers when pressured to meet unsafe deadlines.

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said that the way this law was enacted, coupled with the treatment of trade unions that have voiced opposition to the legislation, raises concerns about potential violations of international labour standards.

ITF’s Secretary of Inland Transport, Noel Coard, said the ITF stands with Indian road transport workers in their fight for justice. “The issues in India are the same we see globally within the road transport sector, and the solutions must be proactive not punitive and anti-worker,” said Coard.

“No driver sets out to have an accident on the road. At the scene of an accident crowds have been known to violently attack drivers, who must flee for their safety. The law blindly calls this ‘hit and run’ and seeks to imprison any driver who leaves the scene with up to ten years imprisonment. This falls far short of addressing any of the underlying systemic issues that cause driving accidents on Indian roads.”

“We have just seen world-leading legislation passed in Australia that enforces minimum standards for road transport workers which the Indian Government can use as an example of how to make roads safer and the road transport industry more viable.”

Coard said that the ITF stand ready to engage with the Indian Transport Minister and our affiliated unions in genuine dialogue to improve working conditions and road safety for all.

In September 2023, the ITF launched a global ‘Safe Rates’ campaign, which calls on governments and industry stake holders to implement legal reforms like those in Australia that create safe, fair and decent standards for workers which dramatically reduce road traffic accidents.

Mehak_D 16 Feb 2024

Fixing driver shortages: new global plan launched by employers and unions

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Fixing driver shortages: new global plan launched by employers and unions

21 June 2023, Geneva, London – IRU, the world road transport employers' organisation, representing more than 3.5 million road transport operators, and ITF, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, representing 18.5 million transport workers, have today launched a three-point plan to help fix driver shortages.

The new approach aims to ease driver shortages and transport labour market imbalances, ensure decent working conditions and standards for drivers working outside of their home country, and simplify and enforce rules for workers and employers.

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said, “Driver shortages are quickly getting out of control. Balancing global labour supply and demand via simple measures to ease legal immigration and stop exploitation of non-resident drivers is one way to fix the problem, support decent work and keep vital road transport services moving.”

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said, “Governments, transport employers, and the multinational customers of transport must work together with trade unions to build decent work to end driver shortages. Road transport will only be able to attract and retain drivers if it is built on cooperation between all stakeholders and rightsholders to ensure decent work, fundamental labour rights and genuine social protections.”

The plan outlines action for the UN, national governments and the industry:

UN and international organisations – develop a global framework with clear guidelines to protect non-resident drivers; improve driver conditions and increase social cohesion; and harmonise qualification standards and cross-border recognition.
National governments – amend and enforce labour immigration procedures to protect non-resident drivers, reduce bureaucracy to allow easier legal immigration for current and potential drivers; boost recognition of third-country qualifications via bilateral agreements; invest in and increase enforcement of road transport laws and regulations; and subsidise domestic training and integration programmes.
Road transport operators – develop operational integration programmes for non-resident drivers to receive the same conditions as their domestic workforce; and support training, skills management and certification processes.

The plan aims to better balance national labour pools – between those with a surplus and those with a deficit of driver talent – without exporting problems from one country to another. It should not override existing national initiatives, or harm safety standards or worker conditions.

The chronic global shortage of professional truck, bus, coach and taxi drivers is accelerating, impacting millions of road transport workers, employers and services. Around 11 percent of driver positions were unfilled in 2022. With up to one third of drivers retiring within the next three years in many countries, unfilled driver positions could more than double by 2026.

Governments, unions and operators are driving multiple actions, but it is not enough. Other solutions include subsidising license and training costs, building more safe and secure parking areas with better facilities, encouraging more women and young people into the profession, and improving the treatment of drivers and understanding of the profession.

Media contacts:ITF: Luke Menzies, media@itf.org.ukIRU: John Kidd, press@iru.org

Anonymous (not verified) 21 Jun 2023

Georgian and Uzbek drivers win back over €300,000 sounding alarm for European trucking industry

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:21:47 +0000

Georgian and Uzbek drivers win back over €300,000 sounding alarm for European trucking industry

LONDON, BRUSSELS, GRÄFENHAUSEN — After weeks of striking, around 60 truck drivers at the Gräfenhausen rest area in Germany have won their battle against Polish consortium Lukmaz, Agmaz and Imperia.

The drivers, who are mostly from Uzbekistan and Georgia, have collectively won back over €300,000 in wages owed to them following their five-week wildcat strike.

Today, the drivers achieved a major victory, signing an agreement with the Polish company that commits the company to paying drivers all their outstanding wages and to drop all current and future charges against the drivers. The drivers have also committed to hand over the keys of all vehicles 12 hours after receiving their payments.

“The Gräfenhausen strike exposed the rampant subcontracting and illegal practices and violations of basic human and labour rights that plague the European road transport industry – particularly for migrant truck drivers,” said Livia Spera, General Secretary of the European Transport Workers’ Federation.

“This must be a wakeup call for European institutions and Member States to immediately introduce measures and actions that guarantee drivers’ decent rates of pay and protections that preserve their safety.”

Edwin Atema, from Dutch trade union FNV, who is on the ground at Gräfenhausen said: "These drivers showed Europe and the world what is going on in this industry. These drivers were treated like animals, or easy prey, by this company – but they’ve fought back like a pack of lions and won this dispute. Drivers like this are changing the industry."

This win also comes after unions supporting them called on multinational companies contracting Lukmaz-Agmaz and Imperia for road transport services, and European institutions, to take accountability for blatant violations of workers’ rights in their supply chains and on European roads.

According to the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains, which came into effect in 1 January 2023, multinational corporations must take responsibility for mitigating and preventing violations of human and labour rights and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations in their road transport supply chains.

“The striking Gräfenhausen drivers have made clear to multinationals at the top of supply chains that they can no longer ignore the problems in European road transport,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

“Companies have a choice – they can either cooperate with unions and their affiliates associations to monitor their supply chains and remedy abuses, or they will experience more disruptions like this one, which will undoubtedly grow in intensity.”

The drivers' militant action did not go unnoticed, receiving widespread press coverage as well as support from trade unions, civil society organisations, Members of the European Parliament and national politicians.

“I send our collective thanks to all the unions and organisations in Germany, across Europe and throughout the world that stood in solidarity and supported these courageous drivers – including the ETF and ITF affiliates who visited the striking workers and participated in other solidarity actions,” said Frank Moreels, President of the ETF.

“We congratulate the drivers who achieved this victory in the face of threats and intimidation. Their success is a testament to the power of collective action, solidarity and perseverance in the face of exploitation. This win sounds an alarm across the industry to act and eliminate the industry’s dark underbelly or we’ll see more drivers taking similar action to protect their rights,” said Paddy Crumlin, President of the ITF.

Media contacts:ITF: Luke Menzies, +44 7770 728 229, media@itf.org.ukETF: Begüm Boynukalin, +32 478 79 40 53, b.boynukalin@etf-europe.orgFNV: Edwin Atema, +31 6 51610350 (on the ground in Gräfenhausen)

About the ETF: The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) represents over 5 million transport workers from more than 200 transport unions across Europe, from the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Central and Eastern Europe, in over 30 countries. The ETF's work is driven by its vision for Fair Transport: quality jobs with safe, reliable transport services for customers.

About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation of transport workers’ unions recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve working lives, connecting trade unions and workers’ networks from 147 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for their members. We are the voice of the almost-20 million women and men who move the world.

Anonymous (not verified) 26 Apr 2023

Major global brands implicated in blatant violation of drivers’ rights as wildcat strike continues

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:09:42 +0000

Major global brands implicated in blatant violation of drivers’ rights as wildcat strike continues

London, Brussels — Major multinationals and the European Commission can no longer ignore the widespread rights violations and profiteering from cheap subcontracted labour exposed by the wildcat truckers’ strike currently underway in Gräfenhausen, Germany.

A strike by over 60 truck drivers who have been unpaid for months exposes the dark underbelly of an industry that carries over 90 percent of freight within Europe. The workers, mostly from Uzbekistan and Georgia, have parked up their trucks at the Gräfenhausen rest area near Frankfurt, Germany, for the last two weeks and have vowed not to surrender the vehicles until they are properly paid.

The drivers have been forced into working long hours, often sleeping in their cabs and pressurised into unsafe practices. The company they work for, the Polish consortium Lukmaz, Agmaz and Imperia, work in the supply chain of major corporations including Volkswagen. Under German ‘due diligence’ laws, these corporations are ultimately responsible for labour abuses in their supply chains.

“These drivers are standing up and demanding to be treated with decency and to be paid for their work,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). “It is unbelievable that instead of immediately paying the wages owed to these drivers, their employer arrived at the picket line in an armoured car with hired thugs to intimidate workers and attempt to confiscate their trucks.”

“This sense of impunity has been caused by years of indifference from major multinationals and European legislators who didn’t care about the abuses in critical supply chains as long as the goods continued to arrive on time.”

The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) has today written to the European institutions and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) highlighting this strike and demanding immediate measures and actions that guarantee drivers’ decent rates of pay and protections that preserve their safety and recognise their critical role in European supply chains, with a particular focus on preventing the exploitation of third country nationals working in Europe.

“The extraordinary courage these drivers are demonstrating in the face of ruthless threats and intimidation has shone a light on the reality for thousands of truck drivers transporting goods all over Europe,” said Livia Spera, ETF General Secretary.

“For multinationals and their transport suppliers who have been exploiting every loophole in European legislation, or flagrantly violating European law, to maximise profits at the expense of employment standards, this strike has put them on notice.”

“Drivers have had enough of the exploitation and the millions of transport workers in Europe and globally stand with them as they say enough is enough.”

The drivers have authorised European and Georgian trade union representatives to negotiate on their behalf.

“We call on Lukmas, Agmaz and Imperia to negotiate and pay all drivers what is owed them,” said Spera. “And it’s time for the multinationals implicated in this dispute to wake up to their responsibilities and ensure compliance in their supply chains.”

Under the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains introduced on 1 January 2023, and international best practice, the onus is on users of supply chains and transport companies — the customers of transport companies like IKEA, Volkswagen, CH Robinson, LKW Walter and Sennder reported in this case — to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses and ensure that worker rights are preserved in their supply chains.

“The ITF and its 18 million members, together with the ETF and its five million members, are proud to stand with the striking drivers. We will continue to ramp up solidarity actions for these brave drivers until their demands are met,” said Cotton.

Media contacts:

ITF: Luke Menzies, +44 7770 728 229, media@itf.org.ukETF: Begüm Boynukalin, +32 478 79 40 53, b.boynukalin@etf-europe.orgRTDD Foundation: Edwin Atema, +31 6 51610350 (on the ground in Gräfenhausen)

Notes to Editors:

About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation of transport workers’ unions recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve working lives; connecting trade unions and workers’ networks from 147 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for their members. We are the voice of the almost-20 million women and men who move the world.

Anonymous (not verified) 12 Apr 2023