ITF heralds successful road, rail action week

A snapshot of activities during the week, including on Climate Justice Day on 5 October, is below but you can read about all the events here. 

The railway section of the ETF (ITF’s European arm) brought together 200 union activists to picket the EU transport ministers meeting in Luxembourg over the 4th railway package proposals. In Norway, Yrkestrafikkforbundet (YTF) representatives were out on the road and active online to inform drivers about new minimum wage rights.

Barbados Workers’ Union shop stewards and the ITF road transport workers' section women's representative talked to workers, management and passengers at the island's five bus terminals, as a precursor to a campaign against increasing physical violence against bus drivers. 
 
Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union of Uganda activists held an organising drive with airport taxi drivers at Entebbe International Airport and bus and taxi workers in and around Kampala, while 80 workers attended the Swaziland Transport & Allied Workers' Union workplace health and safety event, which included awareness raising on breast and prostate cancer, fatigue and cholesterol and HIV/AIDS testing.

In Thailand, the State Railway Workers’ Union (SRUT) and Airport Rail Link Union SEETU jointly held a workshop to discuss railway privatisation plans. Later, unions reached out to rail passengers to highlight the importance of the industry, handing out leaflets and bottled water.

Affiliated unions sent solidarity messages to the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU) over its demands that major Australian retailers support safe rates in their supply chains, and the TWU held actions at Coles stores in Sydney and Brisbane.

Thirty unions from countries including Mozambique, Austria and Nepal signed up to the Climate Justice Day on 5 October to raise awareness of how public transport reduces emissions, creates jobs and saves costs.

In Belgium, the BTB-ABVV focused on precarious work by supporting the ABVV week of temporary agency workers from 12-16 October.

Mac Urata, ITF inland transport section secretary, commented: “Many workers and their unions embraced this opportunity to raise globally their main concerns around deregulation and privatisation, and to unite their voices in saying NO to cuts and further liberalisation and to promote better public services for all – workers and passengers alike.”