Appeal to Rail workers of the World

Rail workers from Germany, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, the Ukraine, and France, met on April 26th and 27th in Paris during the World Conference against privatisations of Rail Transporation. They send herewith an appeal to all their colleagues across the globe.

The Conference was supported by rail workers from Brazil, Switzerland, England and the Philippines.

Whether in Europe, in Asia, in Africa or in the Americas, we can observe the same phenomenon. Railways were built to develop the economy; developing industry and trade required the development of railways, which enabled workers to travel.

Very often, the railways were built in a random way to suit the interests of various private companies.

It was states which, through nationalisation, brought some coherence to their railway networks (that was the case in France in 1937). Along with nationalisation came statuses for rail workers in some countries such as France, along also came equal opportunity to travel for citizens. Š However, we can observe that the railways have much evolved on some continents since privatisation has been started.

In the USA, in Mexico, in Brazil, in Argentina, railways are practically reduced to freight transport. Passenger transport has almost disappeared except for commuter transport in cities.

In Great Britain, privatisation has sent passenger fares rocketing, it has also worsened safety conditions (railway catastrophes such as at Paddington and so on,) Today all the networks are to be privatised.

According to the directives of the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank, governments are massively privatising. Wherever railways have been privatised, workers have experienced an unprecedented setback concerning their living and working conditions.

For instance in Europe, directive 91-440 decreed by the European Union that demands the separation of infrastructure management from the rest of the network launched privatisation. Other directives have been added so that since March 15th 2003, international freight transport has effectively been open to competitors.

A Russian delegate explained the consequences of deregulation in his country: "a rail worker (she checked tickets) Podmarkova Sveta, member of the union of the October railways, was compelled to work for eleven days on end without any break. She had an accident and was suspended from work without pay for three months."

A German delegate informed us that out of the country's 18 repair workshops, 8 were to be closed down, which h would lay off 6,000 workers.

A delegate from the Ukraine told us that there are still 500,000 rail workers left in the Ukraine but that during these years, 100,000 were laid off. Those that were hit were the workers of rail workers' hospitals and kindergartens; the railway company is carved into pieces to prepare it for privatisation.

A delegate from Pakistan said that in 1999, union leaders were indicted for impeding the Pakistani railways from running. As the army controls rail transport, it tries to halt union activity by laying off shop stewards; thus a shop steward rail worker was banned from participating in the conference.

The discussion showed that in every country, workers are faced with threats on the prerogatives of trade unions either through repression or attempts to co-opt them to end the rights and guarantees.

A French delegate showed that when launching an attack on the retirement pensions schemes of public sector workers, the French government actually targets all the retirement pension schemes. Through privatisation, it is statuses, collective bargaining agreements and retirement pension schemes that are targeted for rail workers.

However and fortunately, workers really and truly resist those threats (France, Germany, Italy, Algeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine.)

An Algerian delegate explained that faced with workers' mobilisation, the Algerian government had to back pedal on its prospect of privatising oil production and the general management of railways rescinded on its decision to handing out the Hamma railway maintenance workshops to subsidiaries. (Algiers)

A delegate from Pakistan explained that after industrial actions and strikes, the government there too had had to step back from proposed privatisation.

A delegate from Bangladesh explained: "You know that the Jamuna river cuts our country into two parts. The population has long cherished the idea of having a bridge built over the Jamuna with a road and a railway track. After years of negotiation, the plan was agreed on. Just then, the World Bank and the IMF refused to finance the project because it comprised a railway track! Then the committee of common action of the nine rail workers' unions launched an action to obtain the bridge with a railway track over the Jamuna. Alongside, the action against privatisation was launched.

The peak was reached with an agreement with the government authorities. According to the agreement privatisation and handing out to private interests were interrupted. A railway track was built on the Jamuna bridge. A new 91km track was built."

This resistance movement of rail workers converges with the resistance of all workers who in air transport, health, power (electricity and gas), education as well as in industry, are fighting to retain their statuses, their collective bargaining agreements, the right to strike where it exists, their pension schemes, their jobs.

So today, we think there is no other prospect than to unite across the world and demand:

- re-nationalisation of railways,

- renationalisations of those branches and services that have already been nationalised

- keeping our status and collective bargaining agreements

- keeping our retirement pension schemes.

- union rights must be respected

In this framework and as a first initiative, we appointed a delegation that will go to the Conference due to be held under the sponsorship of the International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples during the June ILO session in order to give M. Somavia, ILO manager, a memorandum on the situation in the railways.

First endorsers of the appeal:

Mishin Andrey (Ukraine) Arbuzov Alersandr (Ukraine); Schüller Klaus Germany); Frey Henning (Germany); Stamm Klaus (Germany); Esser Peter (Germany); Bilski Gisela (Germany); Jamil Rubina (Pakistan); Chauldry gulzar (Pakistan); Hussain Tafazzul (Bangladesh); Gavrilov Andrei (Russia); Petrov Leonid (Russia); Ellstratov Yuri (Russia); Saïdi Mohamed (Algeria); Catrix Patrick (France); Aminon André (France); Chatel Stéphane (France); Berrier Franck (France); Soleihavoup Thomas (France); Mairion Paul (France); Thorange Jean-Paul (France); Rober Thierry (France); Gilian Jean Marie (France); Alzan Yves (France); Desmamret Cédric (France); Caldéron Christophe (France); Méraud Philippe (France);Besse Pierre (France); Collin Daniel (France); Vilpasteur Vincent (France); Ikonomov (France); Jacqot Nicolas (France); Melloul Jean-Jacques (France); Tribout Jean Marie (France); Rouvière Jacky (France); Deshayes Michel (France); Beaucheron Guillaume (France); Sparfel Jean Pierre (France); Jauriberry Christian (Franc e); Briffaud Jacky (France); Dézelée Jedan Charles (France); Calippe Gabriel (France); Lemasle Arnaud (France); Carpentier Jean Michel (France); Hetru Bruno (France); Grasa François (France); Auféril Alain (France); Renard Gilbert (France).

Support motions voted by the signatories during the International Conference of Rail workers.

We, rail workers from Russia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Germany, Algeria, France, convened during the world conference of rail workers against privatisation of railways in Paris on April 26th and 27th, have been acquainted with the fact that Glen Watson, an English colleague (driver in the London Tube) has been discriminated against and has received a penalty; he has lost £ 1000 on his wages and has been demoted by one grade.

The participants to this conference unanimously support and declare their solidarity with their colleague Glen Watson; they ask the London Tube management to go back on that unfair penalty.

We, rail workers from Russia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Germany, Algeria, France, convened during the world conference of rail workers against privatisation of railways in Paris on April 26th and 27th, have been acquainted with the fact that a Russian colleague, conductor was compelled to work eleven days on end without any break. She had an accident and was suspended from work without pay for three months.

The participants to this conference unanimously support and declare their solidarity with their colleague Podmarkova Sveta; they ask the October railway management to go back on that unfair penalty.

We, rail workers from Russia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Germany, Algeria, France, convened during the world conference of rail workers against privatisation of railways in Paris on April 26th and 27th, have been acquainted with the fact that the Opladen rail repair workshops -Leverkusen (near Köln) are under threat of closing down by December 31st 2003 support and declare our solidarity with the struggle of our German colleague against this programmed closure.