GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) today called for a series of operational measures to rebuild the devastated aviation sector, saying it would take "years" for the industry to return to its pre-September 11 th levels.
In a statement issued after two days of talks by a think tank grouping independent and industry experts, as well as representatives of airlines and unions, the ILO said "the events of 11 September were unlike any other shock experienced by the industry to date."
"They have had a unique, unprecedented, devastating and immediate impact on all segments of the industry with unpredictable economic and social consequences," said Jean-Jacques Elmiger, a top official at Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs who chaired the two-day meeting. "It is expected to take years for the industry to reach the same levels as before 11 September 2001."
The air transport industry employs some four million persons worldwide, of which more than 200,000 have lost their jobs or will in the immediate future. However, the ILO also said the post-September 11 crisis is expected to have a disruptive impact on all segments of the industry, from employment to incomes, technology to investment as well as restructuring including partnerships and global alliances.
Despite the bleak outlook, the participants at the meeting agreed to push ahead with the following operational measures to combat the crisis:
- A review of the economic and regulatory framework for all segments of the industry - civil aviation is still one of the most highly regulated industries - that might prevent flexible solutions to overcome the crisis. The crisis also calls for renewed reflection on the "public interest" function and the regulation of air transport, irrespective of the ownership model;
- Focusing on safety culture and the role of human factors to address safety and security issues, because highly trained and well-motivated staff leading to the professionalization of airport security can help to restore passenger confidence; recurrent training and retraining will play a very important role in this respect, including consideration of questions related to competencies, licensing and certification;
- Technology and investment, notably in safety, can contribute to the improvement of safety and security and create new work opportunities;
- Immediate action by governments, employers and workers is needed to mitigate the job and income losses and retain skills. The employment impact disproportionately affects women and ethnic minorities. The parties can share best practices on innovative responses to the crisis;
- Closer collaboration between international organizations to deal in a coherent manner with the mid-and long-term effects of the crisis, respecting the mandates of the various organizations.
The ILO will discuss the issues further at a Tripartite Meeting on Civil Aviation: Social and Safety Consequences of the Crisis Subsequent to the 11 September Events, to be held in Geneva from 21-25 January 2002.