A three-year struggle by an ITF-affiliated union in India, backed by an ITF campaign, has secured a victory for trailer truck drivers at a port terminal in India; they all now have a collective bargaining agreement.
The Transport and Dockworkers’ Union (TDWU) won collective bargaining agreements for workers in the Gateway Terminals India (GTI), owned by APMT Terminals. They are employed by two contractors. The agreements come a year after one settled in June 2010 between the TDWU and another GTI contractor and will help protect members, who had previously been violently attacked after opting to join the union.
Mahendra Sharma, ITF Asia Pacific regional secretary, explained: “The drivers’ determination – backed by a well-coordinated international campaign – has forced APMT to impress upon its contractors their responsibility to respect the union and bargain with it for better wages, social security and decent working conditions. It has been a long struggle to get here – over three years of frustration, and at times violence and intimidation. But slowly and steadily TDWU has won the battle.”
He continued: “A benchmark has been set. This is a victory for the principle that, irrespective of who they may be using as a contractor, it is ultimately the real, main employer who is responsible for setting the statutory wages and decent working conditions for those working in the terminal." Full details here.
A three-year struggle by an ITF-affiliated union in India, backed by an ITF campaign, has secured a victory for trailer truck drivers at a port terminal in India; they all now have a collective bargaining agreement.
The Transport and Dockworkers’ Union (TDWU) won collective bargaining agreements for workers in the Gateway Terminals India (GTI), owned by APMT Terminals. They are employed by two contractors. The agreements come a year after one settled in June 2010 between the TDWU and another GTI contractor and will help protect members, who had previously been violently attacked after opting to join the union.
Mahendra Sharma, ITF Asia Pacific regional secretary, explained: “The drivers’ determination – backed by a well-coordinated international campaign – has forced APMT to impress upon its contractors their responsibility to respect the union and bargain with it for better wages, social security and decent working conditions. It has been a long struggle to get here – over three years of frustration, and at times violence and intimidation. But slowly and steadily TDWU has won the battle.”
He continued: “A benchmark has been set. This is a victory for the principle that, irrespective of who they may be using as a contractor, it is ultimately the real, main employer who is responsible for setting the statutory wages and decent working conditions for those working in the terminal." Full details here.
