GENEVA (ILO News) – A Joint Task Force created in December 2021 by four UN agencies together with employers’ and workers’ organizations in the international transport sector to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transport workers transportation in the world and the global supply chain, has adopted recommendations to better protect these workers – including seafarers, truckers, aircrew – from the impact of future health crises.
The recommendations were adopted during a hybrid meeting held at the International Labor Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva on January 24, 2023. They set out measures to protect transport workers, including better cooperation between bodies and United Nations agencies and industry organizations to share information and coordinate actions quickly and effectively during Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC).
The recommendations of the Joint Action Group include actions to be taken by all members of the Group, the United Nations system as a whole, specifically the affected United Nations agencies, through resident coordinators and country teams of the United Nations, and the organizations of the international transport sector themselves. They also call on governments to take concrete measures to protect the rights of transport workers during future public health emergencies of international concern, as well as with the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the transport sector with considerable and sometimes unbearable challenges, threatening the sustainability of the sector, as well as the lives and livelihoods of its workers. We must ensure that we are better prepared for future emergencies,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General.
The Joint Action Group was created following a meeting between the Director-General of the ILO, his counterpart at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and heads of sectoral organizations and federations. This was followed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The group has addressed the serious and urgent challenges transport workers are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and future health crises. Their aim has been to minimize adverse effects on workers, their families and global supply chains, while ensuring that public health needs are fully safeguarded and local communities are protected.
The Group brought together officials from the ILO, WHO, ICAO, IMO, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF). The International Organization of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Union of Railways (UIC) participated as observers.