Call centres workers in the transport industry

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Call centres workers in the transport industry

• Gabriel Craciun
• Senior Researcher
• International Transport Workers Federation (ITF)

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The ITF is

• A global organisation of 621 transport trade
  unions in 137 countries, representing around 5
  million workers.
• A member of Global Union Federations, an
  alliance of international trade union
  organisations affiliated to the International
  Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

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ITF membership

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ITF affiliates organising in call centres

• ASU, Australia organising PO, Qantas, Global
  Telesales (Lufthansa), TNT
• TSSA, UK organising SERCO, Transport for
  London, Virgin (Thetrainline)
• Ver.di, Germany Lufthansa Global TeleSales
• Federations CGT call centres in SNCF and Air
  France
• International Association of Machinists
  Aerospace Workers, IAM (USA) organising in
  United Airlines
• HK and NJF (Norway) railway call centres

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Case studies

• British Airways WNS Global services with call
  centres in Bombay, Nashik and Pune
• Lufthansa (Global TeleSales) call centres in
  South Africa and Australia
• Thetrainline moving call centres to India

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Co-operation between UNI and ITF

• 2001, UNI-Postal and the ETF agreed to work more
  closely together
• May 2003, ITF Road Transport Section meeting
  Joint actions and activities were agreed upon.
• November 2004, Call centre meeting Working
  together with UNI

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Conclusions of the latest ITF meeting

• Outsourcing and offshoring new challenges for
  transport unions
• Low-grade working conditions
• Large numbers of young women employed in call
  centres
• Difficult to organise (physical location, access
  restricted)
• Positive experiences through campaigning and
  solidarity

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Follow up Working at the ITF level

• Mapping potential unions organising workers in
  call centres
• Identify strategic responses, organising
  campaigns
• Support for organisation education activities
• International solidarity

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Follow up Working with UNI

• Best practice work
• Call centre charters and minimum standards code
• UNI Call Centres Campaign Month
• Identify multinationals for joint activities
• Health and safety initiative

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Future cooperation

• Strengthening links between UNI and ITF workers
  to increase trade unions profile in transport
  call centres
• Sharing industrial information
• Producing joint materials and website areas