The ITF has applauded the decision on 2 September by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to refuse Norwegian Air International (NAI) – a key offender in attempting to introduce flags of convenience (FOCs) in aviation – an exemption for a foreign air carrier permit. The exemption would have allowed the carrier to launch an […]
In a bid to ramp up the pressure on LOT Polish Airlines (LOT) over its unlawful sacking of Andrzej Jeżewski, vice-president of the ITF and ETF affiliated cabin crew union ZZPP, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) has urged the voice of the European airline industry and Polish members of the European Parliament to use […]
Swaziland’s continuing workers’ rights abuses saw the country stripped of a special trade agreement with the USA last week. President Obama withdrew the country’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) last Thursday. Michael Froman, the US trade representative, explained that the decision was taken in light of Swaziland’s continuing labour rights abuses. […]
The ITF-affiliated Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (STAWU) has saved over half the jobs at risk of redundancy at Swaziland Airlink.
The employer had been seeking to move its operations from Matsapha International Airport to KM3 International Airport, formerly known as Sikhuphe. STAWU feared that ground handlers would be made redundant following the relocation, as there are already ground handling services in place at KM3 International.
STAWU approached the ITF civil aviation section for assistance, and received a copy of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) report Profitability and the air transport value chain. STAWU discovered that ground handling is, according to IATA, one of the more profitable arms of the aviation business – making it in Swaziland Airlink’s interest to keep that section of the business in-house.
STAWU industrial relations officer Sticks Nkambule who facilitated the discussions said: “We are pleased with an achievement of this magnitude. We commend all stakeholders in the process and the ITF, which provided apt technical know-how in this respect. Airlink’s forthcoming relocation from MTS to KM3 airport has not only brought job insecurities but also critical profitability questions for the airline. To this end we further implore key players to tread with due care in that regard.”
ITF civil aviation section secretary Gabriel Mocho Rodriguez commended STAWU on their swift action, and described the protection of over fifty percent of jobs at stake as a massive victory. He reiterated the union’s concern that the government must pay careful attention to concerned raised in IATA’s report when reinvesting in the Swazi aviation sector.
Commenting on this week’s warning actions by workers of the LATAM airline across Latin America, ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) civil aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho said: “A World Cup warning has been well and truly sounded. This week’s actions are a push for fairness across the airline and a taste of what could happen in […]
The ITF shared the lessons of the DHL campaign at the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) congress in Berlin, Germany this week – and took away lessons from the world’s trade unions.
Acting general secretary Steve Cotton told the 1,500 delegates: “I want to pay tribute to TUMTIS, a union with a flair for organising, true grit and determination. Its vision was to unionise Turkey’s logistics sector, and it went on to win that battle.
“This win was due to TUMTIS’s unstinting resolve over nearly 500 days on the picket line, backed by your international solidarity. But it was not just a win in Turkey, it was a win that opened the door for other DHL workers worldwide. Deutsche Post DHL is now tied into an agreement, via the German government, to talk to the ITF and to UNI Global Union. This is a win for all of us and a big opportunity to build union strength.”
The hard-fought campaign illustrated the importance of organising the supply chain, and also the strength of global unions working together, he continued: “We worked closely with UNI throughout and with other global unions – the IUF and IndustriALL, whose members were producing goods that were going through DHL warehouses. We worked with the ITUC, and of course we worked with DHL’s home union, ver.di, and with the DGB. Thank you for your support!”
The ITF’s message was strongly supported by Goknur Mars of TUMTIS, who powerfully conveyed the workers’ experience of nearly 500 days on the picket line. She movingly told the audience how at DHL Supply Chain Turkey the other workers were working for low pay for long hours – often sleeping at the warehouse. When they decided to join TUMTIS they were sacked, and workers were intimidated and pushed towards a different union.
But, she explained, the international support from trade unionists worldwide helped them put pressure on the company until TUMTIS triumphed.
The ITUC congress runs from 18 to 23 May, and has brought together trade unionists from around the world to share their experiences, build links and plan for the future. To see photos from the ITUC congress visit.
One of the lead topics at the congress was realising rights, with a special focus on the labour abuses in Qatar that make it such an unfitting host nation for the World Cup. The ITF’s campaign on exposing the conditions at Qatar Airways was highlighted, and the airline’s CEO Akbar Al-Bakr was only cheated of being voted the world’s worst boss by 2.2 percentage points. Out of nine possible candiates in the contest, he finishing a whisker behind Amazon’s CEO in the vote. Al-Bakr garnered 20.5 per cent of all votes cast, to the “winner’s” 22.7, and pushed Rupert Murdoch into third place.
During a debate on sustainable jobs, ITF president Paddy Crumlin spoke on workers’ capital, and making pension funds work for workers. Austerity doesn’t work, he told the meeting – consumption drives the world and can deliver jobs. The ITF is already connecting worker supply chain power, he explained, linking transport with retail, manufacturing and mining. By combining resources, he said, the ITF, global union federations and the ITUC can deliver not-for-profit pensions that benefit workers.
The ITF’s Jodi Evans joined Mick Doleman of the MUA (Maritime Union of Australia) in a debate on how unions can tackle violence against women. The ITF’s Action guide on violence against women was shared as a campaign tool all unions can use.
As with the ITUC event, the ITF’s forthcoming congress will also be paper-free and use digital technology to make it the most inclusive ITF congress ever – including for those who can’t make it to the event itself.
Civil aviation union leaders have warned that World Cup flights could be delayed or cancelled unless LATAM Group employers agree to restart pay negotiations urgently with Peruvian unions. With less than a month to go before the World Cup starts, representatives of LATAM network trade unions met at the ITF office in Rio, Brazil last […]
The fight for better conditions continues, as the ITF-affiliated Icelandic Airline Pilots Association (FIA) carried out the first of five planned strikes last Friday 9 May.
The agreement between employers Icelandair and its pilots expired in November last year. Since then, negotiations around pilots’ pay and conditions have been ongoing. The company has had tremendous success over the last four years, resulting in substantial executive bonuses and an excellent return on investment for shareholders. FIA say it is time the workers saw some financial benefit – but Icelandair management is declining to share.
After Friday’s twelve-hour strike, further actions are planned for 16, 20 and 30 May, with this final action lasting four days. From Friday, pilots at the airline have refused to work overtime until the dispute is settled. 98 percent of Icelandair pilots voted in favor of taking industrial action when the FIA balloted its members on 29 April.
The ITF has offered support, with acting general secretary Steve Cotton this week urging the Icelandic government to intervene.
ITF civil aviation section secretary Gabriel Mocho said: “The FIA has adopted a cooperative stance, and despite having a very strong mandate to carry out industrial action, has still been attempting to reach an agreed settlement with the airline…the pilots’ claims are fair and legitimate, and it would be in the airline’s as well as Iceland’s best interests to open negotiations with the FIA”.