New pact to protect truckers on South America’s Bi-Oceanic route

Groundbreaking recommendations to make road transport operations sustainable along South America’s Bi-Oceanic Corridor have been finalised and published by the International Labour Organization (ILO).  

The recommendations – which map out a concrete plan to for improving working conditions, health, and safety for truck drivers operating along the corridor – are the product of an agreement reached by ITF-affiliated unions, employer associations, and governments in the region. 

Crossing Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, the Bi-Oceanic Corridor is expected to contribute to sustainable development in South America’s Southern Cone by reducing transport costs and increasing employment opportunities.  

But in reality, this potential has been undermined by high levels of informal work, exploitative competition, poor infrastructure, lack of health services and welfare facilities, and weak enforcement – all of which make the corridor a dangerous and deadly place for truck drivers to work.  

Meeting at an ILO workshop in Santiago, Chile on 25-27 March, unions, employers and governments committed to ongoing social dialogue, tripartite consultation and cooperation at the national, regional and international level to promote decent work and road safety along the corridor.  

The recommendations they adopted call for:  

• National legislation to ensure fundamental labour rights in line with ILO conventions 
• Investment in skills development through vocational training, certification and qualification frameworks adapted to the specific conditions of the Bi-Oceanic Corridor  
• Specific efforts to support the entry of women and young people into the road transport sector, including by combating violence and harassment and involving women in the development of policies to promote equal employment opportunities, working conditions, and health and safety protections  
• The establishment of minimum pay standards for owner drivers tied to the regulation of working hours and improved monitoring and enforcement targeting all companies in road transport supply chains 
• Accelerated efforts to transition from the informal to the formal economy through collective bargaining  
• The provision of communications infrastructure, decent welfare, rest and parking areas, and adequate medical and emergency services along the corridor 

“Unscrupulous employers are exploiting differences in pay and conditions between countries and the high level of informality, leading to a dangerous race to the bottom,” said Jose Sandoval, President of the Chilean truck drivers’ union, SITRACH.  

“Together with the lack of safe and secure rest areas and decent services, this means truck drivers are going for hours without breaks and risking their lives on the corridor. In Chile, however, we recently managed to improve working conditions by adding six additional days to the current leave period, seeking to achieve a best practice that others can replicate.”  

Victor Roa, President of the Paraguayan Road Transport Workers Federation (FEPATRAT) said: “These recommendations mean workers from lower income countries like Paraguay have a pathway out of exploitation and all countries along the corridor can prosper.”  

“We look forward to working with our counterparts among employer and governments and ITF affiliates in the region to ensure that they are implemented.”  

“In Argentina, drivers’ conditions and rights are protected by a national collective agreement, which is a model for the region. This agreement is under attack by the current national government, but we will fight to defend it. We see these recommendations as a first step towards extending this model to the entire corridor, so good standards are not undercut,” said Karina Moyano, board member of FNTCOTAC and Women’s Representative on the ITF Road Transport Steering Committee.  

“The recommendations will also help create equal opportunities and protections for women drivers, improving the diversity of our sector.”  

“We now have a plan for practical implementation of ILO guidelines on decent work and road safety in the transport sector along the Bi-Oceanic Corridor,” said Edgar Diaz, ITF Latin America Regional Secretary.  

“These recommendations will not only improve conditions for drivers working along the corridor, they will also serve as a blueprint for achieving similar results in other regions around the world.”