Global delivery unionists talk tactics at UK event
May 18, 2012
Asserting union strength at global delivery companies worldwide was among the key topics discussed by activists attending a meeting in the UK this week.
More than 100 unionists from around the globe attended the ITF/UNI global delivery meeting in London from 15-16 May, where they homed in on ways of bolstering union activities. ITF general secretary David Cockroft opened the conference and presented a video celebrating the growth of the network. A new campaign leaflet was also launched.
DHL unionists reported violence, intimidation and human rights abuses. Global actions and better communication could help unionists to deal with these issues, they said. The recently published Corporate irresponsibility white paper was also discussed and the next steps of the campaign developed. The pilots’ group analysed organising successes and outlined plans to identify what rules could be applied across the company.
Meanwhile, UPS and TNT unionists discussed the merger of the two companies. Despite obligations to consult employees, for example, in countries such as Australia and parts of Europe, this was not happening. Delegates agreed on an approach to target both central and regional levels of the companies.
Activists representing Fedex workers had also developed an action plan, which would aim to ensure greater sharing of information and increase organising.
At the Geopost group, inaugurated at the meeting, participants described how, although the company’s “corporate behaviour” was positive where there was a high volume of activity, it was less clear what was happening in other core areas. They planned to investigate the situation.
Ingo Marowsky, ITF organising globally coordinator, commented: “This conference was the biggest ever under this network umbrella. Activists from around the globe, felt the power of international solidarity. Taking this home with them will further strengthen this work, keep global delivery companies under close scrutiny, and enable our unions to be ready to fight whenever necessary.”
Watch the global delivery video here.