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Inland Waterways Section calls on ETF Congress to establish Tug Committee

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The ETF IWT Section introduces a motion to the ETF 5th Ordinary Congress meeting in Barcelona from 24-26 May 2017.

In view of the strategic levers of the ITF Congress as well as the ITF decision to allocate the coordination of the tug sector to the IWT sector, affiliates of the ETF IWT Section introduce a motion to Congress.

Global Tug operators are playing hard ball in the sector and continue to deploy an aggressive competition pressuring terms and working conditions downwards. Major shipping companies play a decisive role behind the scenes in pushing forward their agenda by imposing large discounts to in-house-tug-operators and thus in turn put additional pressure on the narrow profit margins of most of the tug companies which affect negatively the sustainability of the entire tug operation.

The various national legal situations as well as the trade union traditions in Europe result in different levels of collective bargaining. Tugs are a key-link in the overall transport chain and thus compose a strategic leverage when it comes to industrial strength.

ETF Congress
Inland Waterways

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