ITF renews the accusations to terminalista group Philippine ICTSI



The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has renewed the accusation turned to the terminalista group Philippine International Container Services Terminal, Inc. (ICTSI) of having in existence a plan of fast widening of own presence on the world-wide scene that is got ahead neglecting the industrial relations and the local norms, above all in Africa, region - it has remembered the labor organization - where the Philippine company is newly target of demonstrations, as is happening to Durban, in South Africa.

Today in the South African harbour city it is in program a conference on the marine industry to which Tim Vancampen will take part, in charge of the ICTSI for the activities of the group in the Republic Democratic of the Congo, participation against which will protest the unions South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). "We are here - it has preannounced the regional secretary of the SATAWU, Edgar Mbina - in order to send a message to the ICTSI on the fact that their model of activity, based on insufficient safety and deterioration of the conditions, is not welcome in Africa. We - he has specified Mbina - are beside the workers of Madagascar, of the workers of the Papua New Guinea and the workers of all the world who are fighting for the job and decent conditions. Everywhere ICTSI decides to expand itself, we will be there, with those workers, fighting for a fair and decent treatment".

Last October the protest had reached its apex when the unions had sped up the government of Madagascar to re-integrate in their place of work 43 workers of the port of Toamasina, that it is managed by the ICTSI, being recognized their right to join to the unions in order to ask better conditions than job, right - they had evidenced the unions - that is recognized by a pronunciamento of the court. The workers were fired in 2012, but I re-integrate still has not happened.

Last October the ITF had introduced an own relationship on the development plan of the activities of the Philippine, second terminalista group which it would be in existence a practical increasing of violations of the rights of the workers near the terminals of the ICTSI, between which wage levels extremely reduced, insufficient standards of safety and the illegal outsourcing of working activities to interim societies. "the ICTSI - the president of international the labor organization of the workers of the transports has denounced, Paddy Crumlin - has a problem. The their fast expansion is not accompanied by a sufficient supervision directive that guarantee productive industrial relations and the respect of the local norms. We have seen port after port, nation after nation".

The ITF has remembered that the Philippine group has been object of demonstrations all over the world and that the unions affiliated to the ITF have organized actions of protest in 14 resorts in Africa, directed Europe and Asia against the activities of ICTSI in the ports where the group is trying to expand itself. "These last demonstrations - it has emphasized Crumlin - send a message to the governments and to the investor who think to collaborate with this company. The ICTSI must sit down to the table with the ITF and work on as resolving these problems in all their Network. The ITF and our unions - it has concluded Crumlin - are engaged to support those harbour operators who offer to bonds places of work and that they practice you run industrial relations in their ports".