At the world’s international border crossings, time is increasingly becoming money. Poor infrastructure, inefficient organization of official procedures and unprofessional border officials not only negatively affect the living and working conditions of international drivers at border crossings worldwide but also have negative economic impacts, says a report prepared for a tripartite meeting held in Geneva on 23-26 October 2006.
“On the roads and border crossings of Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia, issues such as current visa policies are creating the primary stumbling block for drivers, including restrictions on their right to work,” says ILO transport expert Marios Meletiou. “In many cases, increasing transportation costs also involve interruptions in manufacturing and delivery cycles.”
The report examines the economic, labour and social issues arising from problems of cross-border mobility of international drivers in the road transport sector. One example based on a recent study shows how inadequate infrastructure capacity reportedly cost billions in estimated lost gross output and tens of thousands of jobs.
While the official time period to obtain a Schengen visa valid in the European Union (EU) was on average four days in 2005, for example, actual time for professional drivers of buses and trucks from non-Schengen countries such as Kazakhstan, Morocco, Ukraine and Turkey ranged from 1.5 days for a Turkish driver to 31.5 days for a Kazakh driver during the same period.
What’s more, unofficial payments and harassment represent a major issue for drivers, employers, governments and even consumers, the report says. Drivers and road transport companies absorb the main expenditure, but governments lose duties on goods, and costs are often passed on throughout the supply chain to other businesses and ultimately the consumer.
The report also stresses the vulnerability of the workers in international road transport to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, which has an impact on many more people throughout the areas where drivers live and work.
According to the report, governments bear the primary responsibility to address the majority of problems outlined, while employers and workers can also make essential contributions to improve the situation. The report also refers to the ILO’s Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (No.185) that could provide useful ideas for a similar approach in the case of international drivers.
For more information, please see /public/english/dialogue/sector/techmeet/tmrts06/index.htm
Note 1 – Labour and social issues arising from problems of cross-border mobility of international drivers in the road transport sector, Report for discussion, International Labour Office, Geneva, 2006. ISBN 978-92-2-118477-5.