“Even in the
eye of the storm, amid this invasion with a big target on their back, transport
workers have kept Ukraine moving,” said ITF’s Paddy Crumlin.
In the last year railway workers have evacuated four million Ukrainians
by rail, including getting over a million children to safety. Ukraine’s dockers have shipped vital grain
supplies to feed the world and support Ukraine’s economy. Ukrainian
seafarers, critical to the operation of global supply chains, have sent home
much-needed funds to families and communities disrupted by war.
Ukraine’s ports, railway lines, and road supply routes: effectively the
workplaces of transport workers, have been a consistent target of military
forces.
“Transport workers have been under particular threat during this
conflict,” said Crumlin. “With confirmed and unconfirmed reports of civilian
transport infrastructure being targeted by military intending to shut down or
seizing control of these assets,” he said.
Some docks have reopened, primarily in the south, and almost exclusively
to handle grain. They do so under the protection of the United Nations’ Black
Sea Grain Initiative. Russia’s shaky adherence to the trilateral agreement with
Ukraine and neighbour Türkiye leaves dockers and crew aboard visiting ships
mindful that their workplace could be a warzone at any moment.
Unions renewed calls for everything possible to be done to end the war
in Ukraine. “The world is in chaos,
but it’s not because of transport workers. We have kept our end of the social
contract – it’s now for national leaders need to do their job and secure
lasting peace,” said ITF’s Cotton.
Cotton said: “All parties, including Russia and Ukraine, as well as
across Europe and the NATO States, must do all in their power to de-escalate
tensions and seek a peaceful, diplomatic end to this crisis. The UN must play
its part to brokering talks. There can be no peace without dialogue.”