strike

ITF stands in solidarity with transport workers striking in Argentina

barton_linda — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:05:54 +0000

ITF stands in solidarity with transport workers striking in Argentina

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) expresses its full solidarity with transport unions and workers across Argentina taking strike action today in defence of labour rights, trade union freedoms and democratic protections.

The national strike called by CGT comes as President Javier Milei’s labour reform advanced through Congress after being approved in the Senate last week by 42 votes to 30 following a marathon debate and now moves to the lower house for final approval.

The proposed legislation includes measures to weaken collective bargaining, restrict the right to strike, reduce severance protections, deregulate working conditions and increase employer flexibility, changes that would roll back fundamental rights won through decades of struggle. By undermining freedom of association and collective bargaining, these attacks place Argentina in clear conflict with its obligations under ILO Conventions 87 and 98. Transport workers are once again on the frontline of defending democratic and workplace rights as unions mobilise against reforms.

ITF President Paddy Crumlin said: “This reform agenda is a direct attack on working people and on the trade union movement in Argentina. President Milei’s government is attempting to dismantle hard-won labour rights under the false promise of economic freedom, while shifting the burden of crisis onto workers and their families. Transport workers are right to resist. When governments try to silence unions, restrict the right to strike and weaken collective bargaining, the international labour movement must respond with unity and solidarity. The ITF stands firmly alongside our affiliates in this fight.”

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton added: “Across the world we are seeing economic reforms used to shift risk onto working people. Argentine transport workers are right to defend secure employment, social protections and internationally recognised labour rights, and governments must engage in genuine social dialogue rather than impose reforms that erode workers’ protections. Today, transport workers across every region of the world stand in solidarity with all those on strike in Argentina defending their rights and their future.”

The ITF joins the global trade union movement in calling for respect for international labour standards and meaningful dialogue with unions and stands firmly with Argentine transport workers and their unions in their struggle for decent work, social justice and democratic freedoms. The ITF stands alongside the ITUC and TUCA in supporting the CGT, the CTA-A and the CTA-T as they oppose this regressive package, which represents a serious assault on trade union and democratic rights.

_{Image credit: REUTERS}

barton_linda 19 Feb 2026

strike

Latin America

Rights

Court intervenes in Rotterdam’s biggest ever lasher strike

Mark_D — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:07:05 +0000

Court intervenes in Rotterdam’s biggest ever lasher strike

A week of strike action by 700 FNV dockworkers brought major Dutch port to standstill –strike action set to resume on Friday without progress.

The biggest ever strike of lashers in the Netherlands is on hold for a week after concerted industrial action by the FNV Havens dockworkers brought the largest and busiest port in Europe to a standstill.

Rotterdam lashers - who work to lash and unlash containers – at International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) affiliate, FNV Havens, have been in negotiations for a new collective labour agreement with two companies, International Lashing Services B.V. and Matrans Marine Service B.V., since April 2025.

However, with no agreement reached on wage increases – which are directly tied to the rates container transshipment companies pay lashing companies – the dockworkers started a 48-hour strike , on the morning of Wednesday 8 October.

Then, on Friday morning 300 lashers – ‘sjorders’ – held a special members’ meeting at which offers from the companies were unanimously rejected by the FNV Havens lashers.

FNV had initially demanded a 7 percent pay increase, on top of automatic inflation compensation but, acting in good faith to find a resolution, lowered that demand to 6.5 percent. The dockers were frustrated that the offer from Matrans Marine Services only arrived that morning – while neither offer matched the union’s reasonable demands for pay and conditions that reflect their hard work in demanding roles allowing them to retire in good health. As a result, all 700 lashers working out of Rotterdam moved into an indefinite strike.

The strike is the biggest in Rotterdam since 1991, when all lashers – a smaller number than those employed today – went on strike. It represents a crucial fight for fair wages, safe working conditions and the recognition of the essential role that dockers play in container operations.

On Friday morning last week, in a sign of their reasonable approach to the strike and negotiations, FNV’s lashers responded to a special request from a cargo owner pleading for nine refrigerated containers of fresh fish to be unloaded before they spoiled. In line with safety agreements, dockers considered this to be an emergency situation and duly dispatched an emergency team to enter the port to un-lash the specific containers.

However, on Saturday morning, the two companies filed an emergency lawsuit against FNV, stating that the strike is disproportionate and threatens supply chains – points rejected by FNV. The court ordered the strike to be suspended from 0700 on Monday until 0700 this Friday, with the strike permitted to resume in the absence of any agreement, and the companies also able to ask the court for a ruling on the strike itself.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority acknowledged the impact of the strike, which meant no container ship was able to unload at the port, leading to some 25 container ships waiting off the Dutch coast. A Port spokesperson explained that: “Even if the lashers now [Monday] return to work without further interruptions, it will take until the end of October to clear the backlog.”

Both FNV Havens and the ITF want a quick and fair resolution to this dispute.

Mark_D 15 Oct 2025

collective agreements

Solidarity with general strike in Argentina

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 14:37:32 +0000

Solidarity with general strike in Argentina

Argentine transport unions and the country’s broader labour movement have united in a powerful demonstration of solidarity to organise a third national strike in opposition to the Milei government's attacks on workers and pensioners.

Argentinian confederations CGT and CTA, of which a number of ITF affiliates are members in Argentina, called for a 36-hour general strike that began on Wednesday 9 April at noon.

This strike is being organised by transport workers from all sectors, as well as education, health, banking, and public sector unions.

The economic policies being imposed by the Milei government are reducing the purchasing power of workers and pensioners, creating an atmosphere of anxiety.

Initially planned for April 10, the strike has been moved forward to join pensioners’ protests on April 9, who are also protesting for the defence of their pensions and their rights.

ITF President Paddy Crumlin declared: "The Milei government has picked a fight with workers and pensioners, and now they will feel the full force of organised labour. The international trade union movement stands ready to fight back with our Argentine comrades. We will not rest until these attacks on workers' rights are defeated."

Multiple transport sectors are currently under direct threat of privatisation, including the national carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas, the National Highway Board and Argentina’s merchant marine.

The privatisation of the highway board would directly impact ITF affiliate Sindicato de Trabajadores Viales, which is fighting against a proposal that would result in the dismissal of more than 1,500 workers, reduce road maintenance works, and put the safety of road users at risk.

The deregulation of the merchant marine is another direct attack on the heart of Argentina's economy and sovereignty, directly affecting inland navigation, maritime navigation and fisheries. It is a direct attack on the employment of Argentinean maritime workers and their rights.

Union-run social services, which are dedicated to supporting the provision of health care to both union and non-union members, are also under attack.

With much of the country's population reliant on union health insurance as an affordable alternative to private care, the Milei government’s plan to eliminate financial administration support for union-provided services is an attack on the health and wellbeing of millions.

We reject the policies of the Milei government and repression aimed at destroying the trade unions, destroying the solidarity health care system of the Trade Union Social Works, which are a key pillar for the welfare and health of the workers.

The ITF stands with our Argentine affiliates, fully supporting their actions against ongoing attacks on labour and social policies in the country.

ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton reaffirmed the ITF’s commitment to help Argentine unions in their fight against the government's erosion of workers’ rights: "Our Argentine affiliates are not alone. We are joining forces to combat policies aimed to eliminate unions, the ITF will not allow this chaotic and destructive agenda to succeed."

ITF Latin America Regional Secretary Edgar Diaz said: "The advance of such regressive policies against workers is deeply worrying for our entire region. Our Argentine affiliates have a proud tradition of struggle, and they have the support of the international trade union movement to confront Milei's policies that care only about the profits of big capital."

Media contact: media@itf.org.uk

etheridge_renn… 09 Apr 2025

strike

Latin America

National strike in Brazil as dockers defend working conditions

Mark_D — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:27:35 +0000

National strike in Brazil as dockers defend working conditions

Dockers across Brazil’s main ports protest threat to rights in proposed amendment to national law.

Dock workers from International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) affiliate CONTTMAF (Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Transportes Aquaviários e Aéreos, na Pesca e nos Portos) are carrying out a 12-hour stoppage of all activities today across the country's 32 main ports.

The dockers are protesting against the proposed amendment to the 2013 Ports Law which will enable the outsourcing of jobs, increased precarity and the wholesale undermining of long-established dockers’ rights.

At the recent ITF Congress in Marrakech, dockers from around the world showed solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Brazil.

ITF President, and Chair of the ITF Dockers’ Section, Paddy Crumlin, said: “Dockworkers all over the world are standing behind them with one message: respect Brazilian dockers, give them the right to work, give them the right to recognition, give them the jurisdiction, or otherwise Brazil won’t be able to move forward in any meaningful way.”

"This protest by Brazil’s dockers is completely legitimate because the employers' initiatives seek to make the workforce in the port precarious,” said José Adilson, Vice President of CONTTMAF and Chair of the ITF Dockers’ Section Latin America Regional Committee.

“Dockworkers are not willing to accept the amendment to this law because it also means a serious risk to the safety of port operations. All sections of transport workers represented by CONTTMAF are in solidarity with the struggle of our dockers."

The Brazil Ports Law regulates contracts managed via the non-profit Labour Management Body (OGMO), which oversees dockers’ remuneration and terms and conditions. The OGMO also guarantees professional training, qualifications and the organisation of occupational safety and health at work, and it establishes the exclusive hiring of workers in the categories of foremen, block workers, stevedoring, cargo inspection, cargo repair and ship surveillance.

The proposal to amend the law, which is under discussion before a committee in the Chamber of Deputies, aims to eliminate the exclusive hiring of self-employed workers registered in the OGMO. This would represent an opportunity for employers to outsource the jobs, creating a real risk in the operations in the port and eliminating rights in ports.

Edgar Díaz, ITF Regional Secretary for Latin America, added: "Dockers, represented by unions affiliated to CONTTMAF, have been excluded from the debates on this amendment. This goes against the spirit of the social dialogue established by conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

“The ITF and its affiliates stand by CONTMAFF in wanting to stop the amendment of this law and for the vital need for the trade union movement to be included in the social dialogue.”

The action in Brazil comes after a series of dock strikes around the world in defence of rights under attack, including the International Longshoremen Association’s (ILA) strike action against USMX on the US East Coast, the Maritime Union of Australia’s (MUA) industrial action across Australia against Qube Ports, the battle for respecting the basic right of freedom of association being fought by Turkish union Liman-İş against Borusan port employer, Borusan Lojistik AS, and the strike by the Karachi Dock Labour Board Democratic Workers Union (KDLBDWU) in Pakistan to defend the Karachi Dock Labour Board and its role in guaranteeing decent wages and conditions.

“Dockers’ basic rights are under attack all over the world right now – but as they always have, dockers are uniting and fighting back to secure their rights. The ITF is right behind them,” said ITF Dockers’ Section Coordinator, Enrico Tortolano.

“Corporate profiteering and politicians seeking to sell out their own workers will not go unanswered. As it always has, the ITF will do whatever it can to build the global unity and solidarity that will ensure dockers win their struggles and retain their rights.”

Mark_D 22 Oct 2024

German union urges Lufthansa to avoid Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels where workers are on strike in the US

Rosalyn Smith — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:41:49 +0000

German union urges Lufthansa to avoid Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels where workers are on strike in the US

ver.di, the German union, is calling for Lufthansa Group to stop using Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott hotels to provide layover accommodation for their crew, during the current strikes that have seen 4,700 hotel workers walk off the job in bicoastal cities across the United States.

Further strikes were announced on Sunday in Boston, when 600 people walked off the job. Hotel workers are currently on strike at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in Boston, Honolulu, San Diego, and San Francisco. Workers in all four cities say they will strike until they win new contracts, and more strikes could begin at any time.

Lufthansa Group operates over 40 flights to San Francisco, five flights to San Diego and 25 flights to Boston weekly, and has agreements with the hotels where workers are on strike to accommodate its staff in all three cities.

Christine Behle, Deputy Chairwoman of ver.di, will be speaking with leadership from the Lufthansa Group in October and urging them to find alternative hotels for their employees until the dispute is settled.

Behle said: “Flight crew rely on the important services that striking workers provide at these hotels. Proper rest after long-haul flights is crucial for airline staff to be able to do their jobs properly – and safely.”

“In the past, we’ve managed to resolve our concerns respectfully with Lufthansa. We hope they will see how important using alternative hotels during these strikes is for their crew’s health and wellbeing.”

Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), of which UNITE HERE and ver.di are affiliates, said: “Workers are breaking their backs to keep these hotels in business, and for what reward? Despite skyrocketing living costs including housing, wages have not kept pace.”

“These hotels have been put on notice. ver.di is not the first union to recommend crew be moved away from hotels on strike, and it won’t be the last. International flight crew are watching this dispute closely and their unions will be calling for airlines to do what is right and safe for their staff.”

The hotel workers, ranging from front desk clerks to back of house laundry staff, are demanding higher wages, better healthcare, fairer workloads and a return to pre-pandemic staffing.

“Our union members will undoubtedly be concerned about the working conditions of the staff at the hotels they’re staying in. The impact of picket lines and reduced services will undermine the rest that crew need to safely operate flights that carry thousands of passengers between San Francisco and Germany.

“We call on these hotels to swiftly resolve the disputes that have seen workers go out on strike, so our members can continue to use these hotels.” Behle added.

Notes

About ver.di: With about 2 million members, ver.di protects conditions for workers across over 1,000 professions in Germany.

About UNITE HERE: UNITE HERE is a union of people committed to changing lives in the hospitality industry by making sure jobs are safe, respected, and provide enough to live on. UNITE HERE is currently running an international “Respect Our Work” bargaining campaign for hotel staff, urging the public not to use struck hotels in any affected city: https://unitehere.org/campaign/time-for-hotels-to-respect-our-work-in-2024/

About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve working lives; connecting trade unions from over 150 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for their members. We are the voice for nearly 16.5 million working women and men in the transport industry across the world.

Rosalyn Smith 07 Oct 2024

strike

tourism

NORTH AMERICA

ILA shuts down US East Coast in fight for fair contract

Mark_D — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:29:44 +0000

ILA shuts down US East Coast in fight for fair contract

Ports all along the East Coast hit as International Longshoremen’s Association strikes for first time since 1977.

Dockers from the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) are on strike as of midnight today (Tuesday), shutting down ports all along the US East Coast as they seek a fair deal from on pay and automation from the employer association, United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).

The dockers’ action, which is the first ILA strike since 1977, is hitting 36 ports along the length of the East Coast and will cause significant disruption – with major economic impacts predicted if the strike lasts longer than a week.

“USMX brought on this strike when they decided to hold firm to foreign-owned Ocean Carriers earning billion-dollar profits at United States ports, but not compensate the ILA longshore workers who perform the labour that brings them their wealth,” said ILA President Harold Daggett.

“We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ILA members deserve.”

The ILA action is targeted at securing a fair deal for its members on pay and conditions, alongside commitments on automation, for the duration of a new, six-year deal.

On Monday night, USMX made a last-minute offer to the 85,000-member ILA. The offer of a 50% pay rise over the six years was rejected by the ILA which said it falls “far short of the demands of its members to ratify a new contract”.

Paddy Crumlin, ITF President and Dockers’ Section Chair, said: “The ILA’s fight is our fight.

“The same companies that make up the employer association USMX are named as members of bogus industry associations across the globe, including in Australia where they pass themselves off as ‘Shipping Australia Limited’.  

“Just as we have seen off the attacks by SAL on Australian maritime workers, the ILA will see this mob off too and continue to deliver fulfilling, rewarding and safe jobs for American dockworkers for generations to come.”  

As the strike action began at 00:01, workers in Philadelphia chanted, “No work without a fair contract”, as they joined picket lines. Dockers taking action wore t-shirts and held banners with messages including “Automation Hurts Our Future” and “Machines Don’t Feed Families” – the latter taking inspiration from Harold Daggett saying of the workers: “Who’s going to support their families – machines? Machines don’t have families.”

In June this year, the ILA stopped ongoing talks with USMX after it discovered that APM Terminals and Maersk Line were using an ‘auto gate system’ to process trucks without ILA workers. The ILA also pointed out that for two contract periods it has been waiting for the results of an audit on jobs created from new technology.

The ILA’s fears build on the experiences of dockers’ unions around the world in seeing automation and digitalisation being framed as ‘progress’ but leading to dockers’ jobs and safety being put at risk.

“Our commitment to the ILA is absolute – and that will never change,” said ITF General Secretary, Stephen Cotton. “Dockers worldwide face the same struggle: they want to be paid well for their hard work, they want to be safe at work, and they want to go home at the end of their shifts to the people who love them and know that there’s a secure job for them and the next generation doing this vital waterfront work.  

“That is what the ILA is fighting for, and the ITF and its affiliated dockers’ unions all around the world back them in that fight the whole way.”  

Shipping industry and finance analysts have been quick to place blame for any economic disruption on union action – with estimates that the strike will cost the US economy USD$5 billion a day.

However, the ILA is simply calling for a new pay award to be in line with USMX revenues: ILA research shows that USMX companies, which includes major shipping companies, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Maersk, Cosco Shipping, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Evergreen and Zim, record annual profits in the billions of dollars.

The US Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Biden administration to enact the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which would enable the suspension of the strike for an 80-day “cooling off period” due to risks to “national health or safety”.

The Biden administration has repeatedly ruled out this measure, with Biden himself saying: “I don’t believe in Taft-Hartley.”

“USMX owns this strike now,” said Daggett. “They must now meet our demands for this strike to end.”

ITF Dockers Section Coordinator, Enrico Tortolano, said: “As ILA President Harold Daggett says, ‘USMX owns this strike now’ – so let’s remember that before we hear the inevitable hypocrisy from industry that will put the blame on the ILA.

“The USMX can settle this right now. And if it doesn’t, any economic fallout from this strike is on the USMX.”

Mark_D 01 Oct 2024

Dockers around the world stand in steadfast solidarity with International Longshoremen’s Association

Mark_D — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:32:36 +0000

Dockers around the world stand in steadfast solidarity with International Longshoremen’s Association

As the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) begins strike action on the USA’s East Coast, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) joins the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) in redoubling its commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with the ILA dockers in their fight for a fair, just and safe master contract with ocean carriers.

In what is the first ILA strike since 1977, 36 ports on the East Coast will be hit by industrial action as the ILA seeks wage justice through a pay deal that keeps pace with inflation, and protections against the automation of cargo handling, particularly concerning the use of automated cranes.

“The ILA’s fight is our fight,” said Paddy Crumlin, ITF President and Dockers’ Section Chair, and MUA National Secretary, at the commencement of the MUA’s week-long National Council meetings in Sydney, Australia.

“The same companies that make up the employer association United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) are named as members of bogus industry associations across the globe, including in Australia where they pass themselves off as ‘Shipping Australia Limited’.

On Monday night, USMX made a last-minute offer to the 85,000-member ILA. The offer was rejected.

As the ILA strike action began in the Port of Philadelphia shortly after midnight on Tuesday, workers chanted, “No work without a fair contract”, while ILA messages on the sides of trucks carried the message, “Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands for Job Protection.”

“That is what the ILA is fighting for, and the ITF and its affiliated dockers’ unions all around the world back them in that fight the whole way.”

ITF Seafarers Section Chair, and President of the Seafarers International Union of North America, David Heindel, said: “Our brothers and sisters at the ILA have long stood side by side with American seafarers whenever we have faced our own struggles. So, we’re happy to stand in solidarity with them now in securing the deal they deserve, in honouring the action they are taking and refusing to cross any ILA picket lines.

“Whether it’s dockers, seafarers or any other transport workers – we keep the world moving and our economies ticking over, and we deserve our fair share.”

If strike action lasts for weeks, it is expected to significantly hit supply chains in the run-up to the holiday season and impact prices for US consumers. Immediate impacts are expected in the supply of imported perishable goods. The strike also has the potential to coincide with the US presidential election on November 5.

ITF Dockers Section Coordinator, Enrico Tortolano, said: “The ILA is crystal clear that it will go the distance in this struggle for wage justice, and the ITF will be right there with our ILA comrades.

“The USMX’s anti-worker tactics fool no one, and the ILA is serving dockers and workers everywhere by drawing a line in the sand and refusing to accept anything less than they deserve.

“As ILA President Harold Daggett says, ‘USMX owns this strike now’ – so let’s remember that before we hear the inevitable hypocrisy from industry that will put the blame on the ILA.

“The USMX can settle this right now. And if it doesn’t, any economic fallout from this strike is on the USMX.”

END

Mark_D 01 Oct 2024

India dockers win fight for new pay deal

Mark_D — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:18:34 +0000

India dockers win fight for new pay deal

Major strike called off after last minute pay offer – which should have come nearly three years ago.

Dockers working across India’s 12 major state-run ports have called off an indefinite strike scheduled to start today – Wednesday – after accepting an 8.5% pay rise, improved conditions and pensions.

The pay offer, backdated to January 2022, came the day before 20,000 workers were due to take strike action which would have coincided with congestion at ports in Europe and Asia, and had a major impact on regional and global trade.

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) affiliate, the All-India Port and Dockworkers’ Federation (AIPDWF), was one of six federations due to take indefinite strike action to secure a new deal on pay and conditions.

The five federations involved in the strike planning, in addition to AIPDWF, were: All-India Port and Dockworkers Federation (Workers); Water Transport Workers Federation of India; India National Port and Dockworkers Federation; The Port, Dock and Water Front Workers Federation of India; Bharatiya Port and Dock Mazdoor Mahasangh.

ITF President and Dockers’ Section Chair, Paddy Crumlin, said: “We’re delighted that our brothers, sisters and comrades in India have finally won the pay offer they waited for nearly three years to receive.

“They shouldn’t have had to wait this long and fight against such unfair and unjust practices to get what was theirs by right.

“India’s port system and whole economy depends on its dockers. And the dockers have been proven to be right in securing their fair and just demands.”

Dockers’ demands for a new settlement were first submitted in September 2021– three months before negotiations were due to take place via the Bipartite Wage Negotiation Committee (BWNC). But up to Tuesday this week, after 32 months and seven meetings of the BWNC, the demands had still not been met.

The system of bipartite wage negotiation was introduced to the Indian port sector in 1993, specifically to create a fairer process for addressing revisions of wages and conditions, alongside pensions. The BWNC itself was established in March 2021.

The leaders of the coordinating committee of the union federations said that interference from the Ministry of Shipping was key to the delays: while the bipartite system is specifically designed to comprise port management and class three and four workers – as opposed to class one and two officers – the Ministry of Shipping has aligned with an officers’ federation demand to ensure inclusion of officers’ representatives in negotiations.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Indian Ports Association (IPA), the unions said they were “shocked” and called the officers’ federation request “embarrassing” and “unheard of” in negotiations for class three and hour workers.

The strike was averted after a meeting on Tuesday between the six federations, the IPA and the Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, with a commitment made by government to finalise the settlement within 15 days.

A joint statement released after the meeting said: “The nationwide indefinite strike called by six federations of port and dock workers from August 28 is deferred consequent on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chairman of the IPA, the MD [managing director] of IPA, and representatives of the six federations.”

Picture source: Reuters.

Mark_D 30 Aug 2024

Striketober: Railway unions are fighting for Safe and Sustainable Rail

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 15:48:52 +0000

Striketober: Railway unions are fighting for Safe and Sustainable Rail

Newspapers described it as the biggest strike in decades. On Saturday October 1, more than 50,000 workers on the UK’s rails were on strike. Members from the RMT, ASLEF, TSSA, and Unite the Union shut down almost the entire rail service in the country.

The strikes, with more days of action planned, are part of action that has been ongoing for months. The unions are standing up for the safety and sustainability of the UK’s railways in the face of brutal, short-sighted attacks on the service by operators.

Network Rail, the company in charge of UK railway infrastructure, are planning to slash thousands of safety-critical roles, but unions are fighting to defend these jobs, as well as the pay and conditions of their members.

In a classic demonstration of corporate greed, rail operators are proposing these cuts at the same time as paying out hundreds of millions to shareholders and millions in executive pay.

And Britain’s railway workers are not alone. Around the world, unions are engaged in the same struggles for safe and sustainable rail.

In Belgium, where the railways are publicly owned, unions are planning strike action demanding urgent measures to stop and reverse the deterioration of services and conditions after years of underfunding. Their struggle underlines the fact that public ownership alone is not enough, without proper public investment and democratic control.

France’s CGT are also planning strike action this month, demanding increases and protections to the minimum wage and pensions. Again, while corporate bosses and the richest individuals in France see their profits soar, workers are being asked to pay the price: a price that CGT members simply refuse to cough up.

In the US, the threat of unprecedented strike action across freight rail services secured workers a 24% wage increase over the coming years, as well as an $11,000 payout pending ratification. This strike, had it gone ahead, would have been the first in the industry in 30 years, and analysts warned that it would’ve cost the US economy more than $2 billion a day - underlining the concrete power that transport workers hold when they are organised.

In Korea and India, ITF affiliates are fighting privatisation and demanding greater supply chain accountability.

In Pakistan, the tragic and devastating impact of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of transport workers has been made clear. Due to the flooding, railway operations have come to an almost complete halt, costing the economy Rs90m a day. This has led to railway companies refusing to pay their staff, despite the fact that these workers are busy day and night working to restore services and infrastructure. Many of these workers are doing this despite having been personally devastated by the flooding.

David Gobe, chair of the ITF Railway Section, said: “All around the world, it is the same story. Railway workers are on one side having faced decades of declining standards and conditions whilst keeping their countries moving, and enduring the brunt of privatisation, austerity and climate change. And on the other side, profits continue to break records and shareholders continue to reap rewards, while the services and infrastructure that passengers and the public need are driven into the ground.”

“This is why unions refuse to stand by, because their members are seeing the disparity in wealth grow irrespective whether they live in the UK, Belgium, Korea, India or in my home country France.”

“Workers are saying enough is enough and are taking a stand for their fair share, and for cities and countries to be equipped with the safe and sustainable railways we need to move our people,” said Gobe.

Across the world, ITF affiliates are fighting for Safe and Sustainable Rail for all workers. The campaign demands:

Safety – ensuring railways are properly staffed and that staff have decent pay and conditions, as well as proper training on occupational health and safety
Sustainability – ensuring investment and expansion of railways, lobbying for a modal shift as part of reducing carbon emissions from transport
Public Ownership – demanding railways be in public hands, accountable and democratic and receive proper investment
Social Justice – ridding railway supply chains of exploitation and ending the race to the bottom created by the competitive tendering model.

Anonymous (not verified) 04 Oct 2022

International solidarity for Liverpool’s striking dockers

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:19:20 +0000

International solidarity for Liverpool’s striking dockers

Global transport unions will be joining 560 Liverpool striking dockers on the picket line at the Port of Liverpool, as port operator Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited (MDHC) fails to honour promises on pay despite its profiteering.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) fully support the struggle of the Unite the Union dockers and other port workers in Liverpool taking industrial action for a decent pay deal.

“In the face of soaring inflation in the United Kingdom, with some economists predicting that the rate of inflation will rise to 20 percent by January, the Liverpool dockers’ pay demands are measured and reasonable,” said Paddy Crumlin, ITF President and Dockers’ Section Chair.

“As the cost of essentials like food, energy and petrol continue to rise to astronomical levels, we are seeing employer after employer gouge profits at the expense of workers’ livelihoods and living standards. Working people have had enough – and that why 560 Liverpool dockers have walked out the gate on strike,” said Crumlin.

MDHC, which made more than £30 million in profits in 2021, is owned by Peel Ports Group, the UK’s second largest port group. The company’s latest offer of 7 percent, plus a one-off payment of £750, was rejected by the workers. With the real rate of inflation (RPI) currently at 12.3 percent the offer represents a real-terms pay cut.

“Senior management should be offering a deal that reflects the dangerous and vital work dockers do, an offer that doesn’t financially hammer them during a cost of living crisis,” said Crumlin. “Fair pay for a fair day’s work is all that’s being asked, and MDHC can afford to show they appreciate their workforce at the pay packet.”

Crumlin said that international dockers unions will be standing shoulder to shoulder with workers until the dispute reaches a settlement, with leaders joining the picket line in Liverpool from tomorrow.

In addition to current wage dispute, the port operations staff are also striking over MDHC’s failure to honour its promise last year to undertake a pay review, which last happened in 1995, and agreement to improved shift rotas.

“No one wants a strike, but it’s been forced on workers unnecessarily,” said Marc Loridan, ETF Dockers’ Section Chair. “With over 99 percent of dockers voting for strike action, the workforce is united, and the global dockers community is equally united behind them.

“Should the European dockers unions receive any additional request of solidarity according to the known routes, full support and mobilisation will be ensured for the success of the strike,” said Loridan.

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.

About the ETF: The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) is a pan-European trade union organisation which embraces transport trade unions from the European Union, the European Economic Area and Central and Eastern European countries. We represent more than 5 million transport workers from more than 200 transport unions and 38 European countries.

Media contacts: ITF - media[at]itf.org.uk • ETF - d.berinde[at]etf-europe.org

Anonymous (not verified) 20 Sep 2022