ITF Arab World conference further builds Pathway to Congress success

That’s the verdict on the ITF Arab World regional conference in Tunisia that came to a close on Friday.

255 participants represented 33 unions from 12 countries.

Online engagement saw more than half a million people interacting and leaving their own comments on reports, pictures and filmed interviews from the event, many of which were posted by participants themselves.

Key outcomes of the conference included a motion on support for workers in Palestine. A second phase of the Unifor funded truck drivers’ border assistance project was recommended as well as a new ITF Palestinian solidarity fund.

Meanwhile a commitment was made to ensuring young workers from the region are represented at ITF congress in Singapore in 2018 and in all ITF activities. The need for unions to adjust their structures to integrate young workers was also highlighted. Under 35s made up more than 40% of participants at the regional conference. One of them, Meryam Abassi from the Fédération Nationale des Transports in Tunisia said: “This event has done so much to help me understand the support my union has at an international level. We have a strong regional identity in the Arab World but we are also part of a global family with the capacity to influence decision makers and bring about real change for workers.”

Other key undertakings from the conference were to push for ratification of an ILO convention to protect women transport workers from violence in the workplace and raise awareness among union members of workplace violence.

A regional stand was made against global terrorism and delegates agreed on the need for pressure to be put on governments to stop discrimination against transport workers from the Arab World with regards shore leave and visas.

The next stage of the ITF Pathway to Congress series is the Civil Aviation conference starting in London on 9 March. This is closely followed by the Young Workers conference kicking off in Argentina on 28 March. Follow the latest news from each of the events via the ITF hashtag #WeAreITF