ITF civil aviation workers reaffirm the importance of international unity and solidarity for the recovery of the industry
June 25, 2022
Workers from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) gathered in Mexico City for their Regional Civil Aviation Conference, to discuss the post-pandemic recovery; health, safety, and hygiene; and digitalization and its impact on the future of work.
Edgardo Llano, ITF civil aviation acting chair, said that regional and international unity is necessary to fight against precarious work and to recover lost jobs: “We won’t allow the pandemic to continue to be used as an excuse to make working conditions precarious; we have a great challenge ahead of us. We have to recover the number and capacity of the region’s aviation workers, who are among the most qualified in the world.”
Gabriel Mocho Rodríguez, the ITF’s civil aviation secretary, spoke about the importance of the strategy for the recovery of the industry: “We cannot return to the previous conception of normality regarding our working conditions, we must reformulate what did not work and the systematic issues that made our crisis bigger. We need to reach a new agreement for aviation, an aviation industry for workers and employers. An aviation industry for everyone.”
The opening of the conference was sponsored by our affiliate, ASPA -Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México-, and was attended by many important personalities such as Jeremy Corbyn, the ex-leader of the United Kingdom’s Labor Party and member of Parliament for Islington North, who commented on the importance of young workers for the future of the trade union movement; Leonar David McCluskey, former General Secretary of Unite the Union; Jon Herrera, the secretary of civil aviation of the Comisiones Obrera of Spain (CCOO); Carlos Alfonso Tomada, the Argentinian Ambassador in Mexico; Luisa María Alcalde Luján, The Mexico’s Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare; José Humberto Gual Ángeles, ASPA’s general secretary; as well as other trade union and government representatives.
During the conference, the Regional Civil Aviation Committee was elected:
Chair: Francisco Lemos – SINA (Brazil)
Vice Chair: Wendy Vanessa Nicholas – ABWU (Antigua & Barbuda)
Vice Chair: Ruben Fernandez – UPSA (Argentina)
Vice Chair: Fernando Parfait – SIELAS (Panama)
Global Civil Aviation Committee:
Jesus Ortiz – ASPA (Mexico)
Regional Cabin Crew Committee:
Chair: Juan Pablo Brey – AAA (Argentina)
Vice Chair: Luz Carmenza Limas – ACAV (Colombia)
Vice Chair: Ricardo del Valle – ASSA (Mexico)
Vice Chair: Clauver Castilho – FENTAC (Brazil)
Edgar Diaz, the ITF’s Regional Secretary stated: “The ITF proposal on the global discussion strategy is being strengthened, the results of this conference are important to encourage us to move forward with our working plans and recovery projects for the Civil Aviation industry. The ITF’s regional offices in Rio and Panama are closer than ever to all our affiliates and we will continue our commitment to fight for the improvement of the working conditions of all transport workers in the region and around the world.”
Tags: Carlos Alfonso Tomada, Jeremy Corbyn, Jon Herrera, José Humberto Gual Ángeles, Latin America, Leonar David McCluskey, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, regional conference, solidarity