Airlines, airports, ground handlers urged to meet unions over poor staff welfare

Chris Najomo, Acting Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) says aviation growth and sustainability will be threatened by chronic working conditions of workers if left unaddressed.

To avert this, ITF has urged airlines, airports, Air Navigation Service Providers, ground handlers, Original Equipment Manufacturers and other stakeholders globally to engage with unions to address this as quickly as possible.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) made the call on January 2.

“We have seen IATA’s projections for civil aviation in 2025 for an estimated 5.2 billion passengers and over $1 trillion in revenue – both industry firsts. While those numbers are promising on the surface, they presume the industry will be able to find and keep the workers needed to power that growth,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the ITF.

“But staff recruitment and retention ultimately rely on the industry’s ability to ensure improved working conditions, fair and living wages, career pathways that attract more young workers, the highest standards of health and safety, worker rights and equality. Today the industry falls woefully short of achieving those goals.” 

ITF’s Congress held in Marrakesh, Morocco, last October confirmed six strategic platforms that will be fundamental to the creation of a sustainable industry that values its workers and secures their future:

Rights for aviation workers 
Equality for aviation workers 
Safety and health for aviation workers
Shaping the future of work for aviation workers 
Accountability for the aviation supply chain 
Environmental sustainability (e.g. Sustainable Aviation Fuels)

Sara Nelson, International President of the AFA-CWA and Chair of the ITF’s Civil Aviation Section said: “Let’s be frank, our industry continues to be plagued by precarious employment, long hours and declining pay all of which make it a less attractive and rewarding place to work. That has clearly affected recruitment and retention. 

“In December, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chicago Convention, the ITF joined 10 leading aviation and transport organisations in pledging its commitment to making the industry safer, more secure and sustainable for all. As we start the New Year, all signatories should have a shared resolution to live up to that commitment. The ITF and its affiliates fully intend to do so.”

Cotton added “Aviation could learn from ITF’s Maritime Just Transition Workforce which is a great example of how unions, industry and government can work together effectively. We have a methodology that has been tried, tested and proven. We have a signed commitment to move forward. It’s time to turn talk into action and make 2025 a year of meaningful change.”