Speaking today at the ETF Logistics Conference! It’s a privilege to stand alongside fellow union leaders and experts as we discuss the future of logistics and the challenges we face in this crucial sector.
You can read my speech below.
Welcome to this logistics conference organised by the European Transport-workers’ Federation.
In fact, this is our second logistics conference! 3 years ago, we kicked off the ETF work in logistics at this same place, here in this very room.
At that first conference, we already emphasised on the importance of the logistic sector for transport workers! It was a very important day for the ETF, very energising for all of us. Finally, after years of discussions, we decided that we had to look at what unites us, rather than at what divides us, in the interest of the workers we represent.
Logistics is the part of transport where all our unions are growing in terms of membership. My own union BTB is growing in membership constantly, and we realised this mostly by our growth in the logistics sector. <cijfer invoegen> cijfers opgevraagd bij Koen. No less than 16,5% over the last 5 years.
As we will have a chance to discuss later today, it is also the sector where more concentration of power is happening. We are facing giant companies, managing the whole supply chain and beyond. Yesterday I investigated how much staff Amazon employs worldwide. It is over 1,5 million! And chat GPT also told me that the business turnover is 575 billion dollars! Important enough to unions to work on that kind of companies, isn’t it?
The same company Amazon uses an anti union surveillance system, called SPOC (geoSPacial Operating Console) that tracks organising efforts by unions, and uses this system to organise reactions by the line managers.
And there is very little governance from the national governments and from the EU. EU is failing to developing legislation on logistics, to stopping unethical subcontracting, to stopping social dumping, to stop ping the race to the bottom in our logistics sector.
So non-respect of labour rights and working conditions, abusive subcontracting, exploitation are very common. And this has to change!
And as ETF President I can tell you that I am very proud of the work that we have been doing since our first conference! Over the last three years, we have got more and more relevance in our work. When I talk about relevance, I mean that we are doing things that are meaningful for the workers we represent.
Since then: at ETF we have a person in charge, a full plan, new ideas, a logistics manifesto.
We had a European action day on 4th of October 2023 with actions in Sweden, the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, …
ETF participated to a subcontracting action day 2 weeks ago in Straatsburg. T, together with two other European federations with 750 participants demonstrated before the European Parliament.
And this weekoday my uinion BTB is organizing leafletting actions in 70 … companies, in support of this conference!.
ETF organized trainings, coordination, research projects, concrete support to members,
We developed company networks, with strong links with EWCs, in companies like CEVA, FEDEX, UPS, Amazon, …
By doing so, we are occupying space and finally are being the voice of workers in logistics.
And the other good news is that we managed to do all of this in full cooperation with ITF. So we are happy to have our General Secretary General of ITF, Stephenve Cotton, with us today!
As we need knowledge and expertise, we are also building a network of experts around us: labour lawyers, experts in new technologies, trainers, sociologists, researchers… Some of them will take the floor today.
To do all this, we need collective intelligence and brains, and we need the power and determination that we use on our most important battles.
So I am very happy to be here today, and I am sure you’ll all be very active and make today a moment to exchange and build ideas and synergies.
And do not forget, b Brothers and sisters,
USWE, the transport workers do have the leverage to organise the logistic sector.
USWE, and only USWE, the transport unions have the power.
The muscles and the guts to kick open the doors of the logistic companies open.
So to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and other big shots in the industry
I promise: watch out, ETF and ITF are coming!
to stand up and to fight back!
