43c/RtConf/Report 6. Key note speakers were invited to address the conference on each of the priorities for the Section:


• Tony Sheldon (TWU, Australia) spoke on the Safe Rates campaign in Australia to improve the working conditions of workers in the trucking industry. The campaign seeks to hold those at the top of the transport chain, who set rates and conditions, accountable for safety along the entire transport supply chain.


• Frank Moreels (BTB, Belgium) informed the meeting of two organising projects that his union was supporting; one in Kenya which incorporates cross-­‐sectional cooperation with the dockers’ union and one for non-­‐resident truck drivers in Europe. He also highlighted the campaign by BTB and FNV Bondgenoten (Netherlands) on IKEA, which is utilising cheap labour to transport their products.


• Martin Mayer (Unite, UK) gave an overview of the ITF work on health and safety. He referenced different aspects of this work, including cooperation with academics and highlighted several topics, including ergonomics, stress, fatigue, violence at work, and container safety.


7.


Twenty three delegates from Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, India, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, UK and USA participated in the discussion. Issues raised included:


• Attacks on trade unions by employers and governments are increasing through legislation which restricts union activities. The right to strike is a fundamental right for workers. ITF support is needed in lobbying international bodies, including the ILO, to ensure that the right to strike is guaranteed and that the core ILO conventions are ratified.


• The organising projects in West Africa and East Africa are examples of proactive solidarity for road transport unions through the use of international road transport workers’ cards. These models of trade union cooperation along the major corridors should be promoted to other sub-­‐ regions. Steps are also being taken to establish dialogue with the regional economic groups, such as ECOWAS and EAC, with the objective of establishing sub-­‐regional standards.


• In Latin America, bi-­‐lateral cooperation between unions has assisted cross-­‐border organising and initiated social dialogue on the national level. Unions are also fighting back against legal attacks on workers.


• The need to organise informal road transport and contract workers is a high priority, but there are challenges. The ITF informal workers’ project is building union capacity to organise informal workers, in particular to reach out to women and young workers in the sector.


• The ITF Action Week is a mega tool to assist union organising, by giving visibility to national union campaigns at the global level and providing a strong united voice to transport workers. Achievements arising from the campaign include changes in legislation, organising wins and negotiations with employers.


• Fatigue remains a serious issue for road transport workers. Unions are highlighting fatigue in their health and safety campaigns. The ITF ‘fatigue kills’ campaign should be reinforced.


• Unions are seeking to utilise the Safe Rates model outside Australia in order to ensure decent wages and rest time that guarantees safety on the roads, as well as to build power and leverage along the supply chain. Unions in Korea, UK and USA indicated their support for the concept.


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