A delegation from the group of workers and union leaders also attended the AGM to demand a meeting to discuss workers’ concerns, having received no response to their request to meet Bradley Jacobs, XPO largest shareholder, chairman and chief executive officer, ahead of the AGM.
The ITF representatives – from CGT Transports (France), CFDT Transports (France), ACV-CSC Transcom (Belgium) and Unite the Union (UK) – participated in a press conference after the AGM and also signed the XPO unions’ pledge to continue to work together in solidarity to fight the company’s mistreatment of its workers.
CFDT Transports road transport officer Fred Rouaux said: "Something very important happened today. Despite the desire of XPO CEO Bradley Jacobs to try to divide us, it was said that when it comes to the workers at XPO, there's only one union family. We are indivisible today and forever."
ITF general secretary Steve Cotton commented that this was the first time that a new network of concerned workers had taken action on XPO. He added that the company had to listen and had to talk to the unions.
US and European unions agreed a joint strategic approach between XPO workers and union representatives in April to protect working standards and respect workers’ rights, in the face of what the Teamsters call the company’s ‘global greed’. Unions fear that XPO’s aggressive merger and acquisitions plans are in pursuit of dramatic, short-term profits at the expense of jobs, working conditions and labour rights.
Read the article by Teamsters’ general president James Hoffa about the XPO protests.
Read the Teamsters’ report of the XPO protest (English only).
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