More than 50 unions representing transportation workers, including Belgium's UBT-FGTB, have launched an international campaign to improve their rights and increase safety on the roads.
Concretely, they are calling for pay rates that "guarantee safety". A 10% pay rise can reduce accidents by 30%, they claimed in a press release on Thursday.
According to the campaign, backed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), working conditions for lorry drivers with low wages and long days force them into dangerous behaviour.
"All over the world, multinationals need road transport workers but are cutting back on expenses by driving wages down in the quest for ever greater profits," denounces Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the ITF. "These liberties taken with safety in the name of greed not only complicate the daily lives of road hauliers, they also cause tragedies on our roads."
Better work conditions
The unions are therefore calling on governments and those involved in the road transport sector, particularly in Belgium, to support a new system that would improve working conditions and increase safety on the roads.
A safety-guaranteeing rate of pay, based on previously fixed standards, would enable road hauliers to be fairly remunerated for all his working time, the organisations explain. It would also cover the purchase price and costs of a vehicle.
A similar mechanism has already been implemented in Australia, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, where it has achieved "excellent results" with better working conditions and improved safety as well as the viability of the sector, the unions stress.
They state their readiness to work with governments, employers and client companies to define these standards and ensure that they are respected in the sector.
