ITF backs workers in Europe
11 April 2014
ITF an d
ETF representatives an d affiliates
demonstrated alongside thousan ds of
workers in Brussels to deman d decent
jobs for Europe last week. The demonstration was part of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) campaign, A new
path for Europe.
The ETUC says that workers across
Europe continue to experience economic an d
social uncertainty five years after the recession hit the continent. The
campaign seeks to raise issues around employment an d
socially progressive policies, so these will be at the front of voters’ minds
in the run up to May’s European
Parliament elections.
Key ETUC deman ds
include quality employment, an end
to austerity, an d social justice as
importan t areas for members of the
European Parliament to tackle.
ITF an d
ETF-affiliated unions from countries including Belgium, Denmark, Fran ce, German y,
Norway, Spain an d the UK took part
in the demonstration.
ETF general secretary, Eduardo
Chagas, said: “The massive mobilisation of workers at the ETUC
demonstration shows that people are, rightfully, concerned about the choices
the European institutions have made
in their attempt to tackle the crisis an d
its consequences. Together with the ETF, thousan ds
of workers from all over Europe have come to Brussels to deman d a new path for Europe, one that takes workers’
concerns into account an d focuses on
investment in sustainable growth an d
quality jobs. In the run-up to the
European elections in May, this is an importan t
message for the future European
Parliament an d European Commission. In its fight for a better, social an d cohesive Europe, the ETF will continue to
promote this message over the coming months.”
Read more about the ETUC campaign, A
new path for Europe
ITF tells Chevron to ‘get head out
of the san d’ over Australian project delays
7 April 2014
A global campaign to build awareness
over the real reasons for delays an d
cost overruns at Chevron’s Gorgon LNG project in Australia has been launched by
the International Tran sport Workers’
Federation an d the Maritime Union of
Australia (MUA).
The
campaign launched with an online
video, as well as the unveiling of a five metre high installation of a Chevron
executive with their head in the san d:
The Western
Australian bran ch
of the MUA has been unfairly blamed by the Australian
Mines an d Metals Association (AMMA)
for problems on the Gorgon project, the mass development of gas fields off the
northwest coast of Western Australia (see: www.chevronaustralia.com/our-businesses/gorgon
for more on the project).
The union
has been trying to negotiate a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for maritime
workers working in the offshore oil an d
gas sector an d is being used as a
scapegoat by Chevron for escalating costs an d
delays attached to the project.
ITF
president an d MUA national secretary
Paddy Crumlin said: “Gorgon is an importan t
project for Chevron an d the Australian national interest in the development of our
nationally-owned resources.
“The
MUA, the ITF an d myself have
consistently committed to a functional an d
long term commitment to productivity within the reach of labour relations since
the initial Finan cial Investment
Decision years ago. Each approach has been firmly rebuffed by the compan y.”
Mr Crumlin
questioned why Chevron wouldn’t sit down with the unions to develop a
sustainable an d functional
relationship with its workforce: “Gorgon is one of the largest LNG projects in
the world, where Australian national
assets are being developed in an
Australian National park. It’s
imperative that Chevron develops a good industrial relationship with those
working on the project.
“Really, the compan y needs to get a grip, cop their stuff-ups on the
chin an d return to a mature an d balan ced
industrial relations model more suited to Australian
values underpinning economic an d
commercial success.
“If they do that, Chevron will have
the support an d encouragement of
both the maritime union an d the
ITF.”
Solidarity rally in Norway as port
strike enters sixth month
2 April 2014
ITF an d
ETF affiliates are being asked to show their support for Norwegian dockers who will hold a rally this weekend as
strikes continue in ports across the country.
A call has
gone out to unions to attend, or send letters to the Norwegian Tran sport
Workers' Union (NTF), to demonstrate their solidarity with workers who are
fighting to maintain the protected status of dockers’ work. The rally will be
held on Saturday 5 April in YoungsTorget Square, Oslo with hundreds of people
expected to attend.
Under International Labour Organ ization (ILO) convention 137, an d the ITF dockers' clause, no worker other than a trained, professional docker can carry out loading an d
unloading work. In contravention of this, some employers in Norway have
declared intentions to make use of seafarers to carry out cargo han dling duties.
Chair of
the ETF dockers’ section Terje Samuelsen
said: “The only deman d of the NTF
is that the employer stick to the conditions of the national agreement.
Basically, our only requirement is that dockers should have the preferential
right to unload an d load work an d seafarers should not han dle
cargo. Employers have decided to take away this right from the dockers.
“This is
an attack on our rights. In other
words, this is the introduction of Ports package 3! Losing this dispute would
mean giving up the national
agreement, the rights of dockers to han dle
cargo in accordan ce with ILO 137, to
which Norway is a signatory, an d
ripping up the ITF dockers’ clause.”
View the
rally invite here >> http://www.itfglobal.org/files/seealsodocs/42389/Invitasjon%205%20%20april%20youngstorget%20engelsk%5B2%5D.pdf
Send your
letters of support to: terje.samuelsen@transportarbeider.no
Visit the
solidarity page >> http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/Norwegian-dockers.cfm
ITF unions in HIV/AIDS agreement
victory
1 April 2014
ITF docker affiliates in central
America have used ITF materials to help win protection from HIV/AIDS
discrimination at work.
Guatemala’s Sindicato de
Trabajadores Unidos de Empornac (SITRUEMPORNAC) an d
Costa Rica’s Sindicatode Trabajadores de la Junta Administrativa Portuaria
JAPDEVA y Afines Portuarios (SINTRAJAP) used the HIV/AIDS dockers’ resource
pack to negotiate an ti-discriminatory
HIV/AIDS clauses in their agreements. A further three unions in the region are
about to sign agreements with HIV/AIDS clauses.
Their
successes were highlighted during the Central America HIV seminar for dockers’
unions in Pan ama city, which took
place from March 24-28. Twenty-one participan ts
from 10 unions learned more about negotiating HIV/AIDS related clauses, an d how they could use HIV/AIDS related activities
to organ ise unorgan ised workers.
Participan ts
also joined ITF Pan aman ian
affiliates in a demonstration in support of embattled Honduran dockers’ union leader Victor Crespo at the Honduran embassy.
Lidia Amarilis Morales Garcia from SITRUEMPORNAC was one of the
participan ts. She said: “We took
part in ITF’s HIV for ports an d port
workers survey in 2011, an d since
then we’ve been doing HIV/AIDS activities with our members. The resource pack
for port workers has really helped us to build our capacity, an d helped us to negotiate a clause in our agreement
that no worker can be discriminated
against because of their HIV status. We’ll continue to work to fight HIV/AIDS
stigma in the workplace, with the support of the ITF!”
Paula Hamilton, ITF dockers’ section assistan t secretary, also attended the meeting. She
remarked that the resource pack is a valuable tool for affiliates, particularly
in organ ising. She congratulated
those unions who have already secured HIV/AIDS clauses, an d
praised the three unions currently in negotiations.
Download
the ITF HIV/AIDS toolkit for port workers from the ITF website (Eng/Spa)
http://www.itfglobal.org/infocentre/pubs.cfm/detail/39833
Find out more
about the Victor Crespo campaign on our website http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/Victor-Crespo.cfm
“If they do that, Chevron will have
the support an d encouragement of
both the maritime union an d the
ITF.”
