In order to protect passengers from illegal transport operators and to safeguard the employment of thousands of taxi drivers, the municipality of Rio de Janeiro on 15 August approved a bill banning Uber from operating in the city.

Urban transport unions from the Arab World gathered in Cairo to discuss climate change for the first time and develop action plans, in the face of rising temperatures, more frequent dust storms and increased risk of rises in sea level in the region.

A global campaign is being launched in support of Maciek Konopka and his colleagues at Deepwater Container Terminal (DCT) Gdansk as union-busting activity by management reaches new heights.

The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) is celebrating the first victory for staff rights at Qatar Airways (QR) after the airline admitted that it has removed its contractual pregnancy and marriage prohibitions. These demanded that anyone becoming pregnant had to notify management, at which point she would be likely to lose her job, and forbade marriage for five years (even after that time permission had to be sought to marry).

Members of the press are invited to attend the public launch of a survey of the health and wellbeing needs of women seafarers worldwide.

A hunger strike at Gateway Terminals India (GTI) Mumbai that lasted for 17 days has come to an end after management of port operator APM Terminals (APMT) agreed to address union demands over a group of operations and maintenance staff.

On August 26 and 27 dockworkers’ unions in the ‘Hamburg-Le Havre Range’ (comprising all major seaports in Germany, Netherlands, France, United Kingdom and Belgium) will meet in Rotterdam to discuss the threats of overcapacity and on-going automation of terminals. They will also examine the expansion of global terminal operator DP World in Europe.

The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) and its Nigerien member unions have secured an unprecedented whole-nation collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for Niger’s road transport workers.

ITF Australia coordinator has swum the English Channel to raise funds for services to seafarers. His feat – on the 140th anniversary of the first cross-channel swim by seafarer Captain Webb – has so far raised AUSD 13,000 (USD10,800), to which the ITF today added a further AUSD 10,922 (USD 7,869).

ITF affiliated union, the Labour Committee for Aden Container Terminal, has announced the reopening of Aden port.

The (ITF) International Transport Workers Federation and its affiliated unions in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) today hand-delivered letters to the heads of state of those countries asking them to act to protect truck drivers whose lives are at risk.

“We will not accept our port becoming the capital’s dumping ground.”