Presentation on ITF

26th IFATCA Africa & Middle East Regional Conference - Accra (Ghana)

28th - 30th October 2015By Bayla Sow

ITF Representative for Francophone Africa and Ecowas

What do you ITF ?

• ITF is an International federation of transport worker’s trade unions founded in London in 1896 (118 years).

• Our goals: 1. To promote respect for trade union and

human rights worlwide. 2. To work for peace based on social justice and

economic progress

3. To help its our affiliated unions to defend the interests of their members. 4. To provide research and information services to our affiliates. 5.To provide general assistance to transport workers in difficulty . Our main activities : Representing the interests of transport workers (ICAO), sharing informations and educating leaders and giving pratical solidarity to unions transport worker’s who need it.

• Some figures : 4,724,175 declared members of 673 affiliated unions present in 151 countries.

• 8 sections : road, railways, civil aviation, tourism, fisheries, inland navigation, seafares, and dockers.

• ITF have offices in London , Sao-Paulo (Central and South America and Cararribean countries), New-Delhi (Asia and Pacific), Amman (Arab World including Northen Africa), Nairobi (Africa South Sahara – Ouagadougou for Francophone Africa and Ecowas).

What about ITF Civil Aviation Section ?

• The CA section is linking all the unions of Pilots, Cabin Crew, AirTrafic Controlers and Ground Staff.

• Main priorities : 1. To respect the workers rights (Qatar Airways

campaign)2. To fight against social dumping (Low costs

companies and flag of convenience)3. To create better working conditions for all the

civil aviation workers.

4. To promote and to developp social dialogue in the CA sector. 5. To build strong unions capable to face the main challenges in the CA sector and to influence the decisions of the governments and the employers. Main activities : campaign, lobbying , research, training, industry collaboration and global alliances.

What ITF and IFATCA can do ? • Our relationship is based on memorandum signed in March 2007 and

refreshed in 2013 focusing IFATCA on the professional issues and ITF on industrial issues.

• In the past in Africa, ITF and IFATCA worked closely to save the existence of Asecna (2007) and to revitalize FESTA ( Federation des syndicats des travailleurs de l’Asecna). At thd international level, we are collaborating well.

• Actually, we need to do more because we are facing serious attacks in different corners of the world.

• Air trafic control is no longer immune from the influenc of commercialisation, deregulation and liberalisation or from various of privatisation.

• Fkr the next years, We hope we are going to work regulary and strongly to face the main professional and industrial challenges for better working conditions, security, safety, quality and trafic increasing .

• Aviation authorities are also looking at outsourcing some of their safety functions as mdans of cutting costs. Gouvernments are increasingly ready to put certain air trafic service functions or projects out to private tender.

• Operators, under competitive pressures to cut the costs, have been challenging air trafic on route charges, forcing a downward spiral in revenues, frequently based on an unfair comparison of ATC charges wihin different jurisdictions.

• In other words, the price war between airlines is being fought not only on the backs of the pilots, cabin crew and ground staff but on the backs of the air trafic controlers as well. Their workloads are increasing such that they sometimes can behardly in position to fulfill their work , which entails great responsibilities.

• The volume of air trafic is set to increase at an astounding rate over the three decades . This is creating major problems for air trafic control centers. While technical developments in airtrafic control are proceeding very rapidly, insufficidnt attention has been paid to the human factors which are equally crucial to safety.

• The increased volume of work in air trafic control centers is leading to an uncceptable burden of stress and fatigue for air trafic service staff. Very few countries in the developing world have proper regulations limiting duty hours for air trafic controllers.

• In many countries, aif trafic controllers don’t have the right to strike or their right to take industrial action is severely limited. Even worse, there are many coungries where air trafic controllers are specifically banned from gaining trade union protection. More recently some countries, even some democratic ones, attempted to take steps towards militarisation of their national airspace.

• As a result, the number of industrial disputdw that air traffic controllers are involved has been increasing significantly tbrough out the whole world.

• In the ILO jurisdiction air trafic control is considered as one of the essential services in the strict sense, where the right to strike may be subject to major restrictions or even prohibitions.

ITF and social dialogue

• ITF believe very well in social dialogue to prevent and resolve the conflicts in particulary in this strategic sector .

• Actually , in many countries, the basic conditions of social dialogue are not existing : freedom association, collective bargaining right, restrictions on the right to strike etc

• Conditions for a sucessful social dialogue 1. Strong political voluntee from each part. 2. Strong , independant and democratic

organisations 3. Strong capacities on social dialogue and

communication 4. Democratic national context with the respect

of human rights and trade unions rights.

• Thank you for your kind attention.