Rail unions focus on organising and promoting ILO conventions
Around 40 leaders from railway unions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia met with ILO experts and senior ITF representatives in Baku, Azerbaijan from 30 September to 1 October to discuss organising and the promotion of ILO conventions throughout the rail industry.
7 October 2015
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The railway unions from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine were joined by representatives from Azerbaijan’s maritime and road transport and metro sectors. The ITF was represented by general secretary Stephen Cotton, railway section chair Oysten Aslaksen, legal adviser Ruwan Subasinghe and assistant secretary for inland transport workers sections Janina Malinovska.
The discussion focused on topics related to the impact of organisational and legal changes in the railway industry on the trade union movement; the problems of implementing fundamental ILO conventions in the CIS region; the promotion of ILO conventions; and other issues facing ITF affiliates.
The ILO-Moscow senior workers’ activities specialist, Sergeyus Glovackas, spoke about the importance of promoting and implementing ILO conventions No. 87 and No. 98, with a special focus on supply chains and multinationals in the railway sector. John Bliek, ILO Moscow specialist on enterprise development, addressed the ILO Declaration on Multinational Enterprises.
The participants also debated how to improve co-operation and communication with the ITF, and integration with the ITF.
Oysten Aslaksen said: “Restructuring of the world’s railway systems is taking place. This means privatisation and a split between infrastructure, operations and maintenance that causes great challenges to railway trade unions. Sooner or later this will come to the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region, and we have to be prepared.”
The meeting was organised in co-operation with the ILO (ACTRAV) and ILO office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, in close co-operation with the ICTURWTB, the regional railway union body for CIS countries and Baltic states.
Source: International Transport Workers' Federation
The discussion focused on topics related to the impact of organisational and legal changes in the railway industry on the trade union movement; the problems of implementing fundamental ILO conventions in the CIS region; the promotion of ILO conventions; and other issues facing ITF affiliates.
The ILO-Moscow senior workers’ activities specialist, Sergeyus Glovackas, spoke about the importance of promoting and implementing ILO conventions No. 87 and No. 98, with a special focus on supply chains and multinationals in the railway sector. John Bliek, ILO Moscow specialist on enterprise development, addressed the ILO Declaration on Multinational Enterprises.
The participants also debated how to improve co-operation and communication with the ITF, and integration with the ITF.
Oysten Aslaksen said: “Restructuring of the world’s railway systems is taking place. This means privatisation and a split between infrastructure, operations and maintenance that causes great challenges to railway trade unions. Sooner or later this will come to the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region, and we have to be prepared.”
The meeting was organised in co-operation with the ILO (ACTRAV) and ILO office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, in close co-operation with the ICTURWTB, the regional railway union body for CIS countries and Baltic states.
Source: International Transport Workers' Federation