The IRU and sustainable mobility

FIOST WORLD SEMINAR 2007

Speech by Paul Laeremans
President of the International Road Transport Union (IRU)

THE IRU AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Bangkok, 29 January 2007

SLIDE 1

Ladies and Gentlemen. Some of you who are historically minded will have observed that 2007 is going to be a year of anniversaries. Some anniversaries in 2007 will mark events that have fundamentally reshaped our world.

Europeans will not be able to forget that 50 years have passed since the birth of the European Union. it was the 1957 Treaty of Rome that first put Europe on the path towards peaceful economic and political integration. Others will recall that 50 years ago the Soviets launched sputnik into space and that 60 years ago India won independence.

2007 also marks 200 hundred years since slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. Meanwhile the road transport industry will remember that exactly 121 years ago - on this very day - Karl Friedrich Benz patented the first petrol driven automobile.

Ten years later Benz repeated the same revolutionary feat with the first truck patent.

If I might be allowed to push this preoccupation with dates one step further I might add that next year - 2008 - will mark the 60th anniversary of the IRU.

Today road transport is not just another mode of transport but an essential means of economic production. Within a globalised economy it is a production tool as important as the manufacturing process itself.

The contribution that Benz's first automobile patent has made in terms of driving trade, tourism, prosperity and social development is well worth remembering.

But it is the job of the IRU to look forward and not just back. That is why it gives me the greatest pleasure to be invited here today. The IRU's motto 'working together for a better future' is no empty slogan and there are no more important partners for us than the drivers who make our industry possible.

Social dialogue is vital to enable our industry to face up to the challenges of globalisation and the demands of an occupation for which the technological, legal and commercial basis is constantly changing. in all of this the importance of training and maximising the skills of our drivers can not be underestimated.

In my presentation I propose to return to all of these themes. I would also like to explain the role of the IRU academy in training and finally to recall some of the successes that have already emerged from our experience of social dialogue.

But first I would like to give you a little background to the IRU.

SLIDE 2

The IRU was formed in 1948 by 8 countries in Western Europe. The rationale was simple. Removing international barriers and facilitating international road transport would be essential for the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War. Sixty years later the IRU has successfully become a global organisation with 180 Members in 70 countries, spanning five continents.

The IRU's strength is its global network of national Member associations through which the IRU represents operators of buses, coaches, taxis and trucks, from large fleets to owner-operators.

SLIDE 3

The IRU's statutory objectives are clear. The IRU's mission is to facilitate road transport worldwide and to strengthen the role of the sector in driving trade and stabilising regions by generating and distributing wealth. We have translated this mission statement into distinct working priorities.

Facilitation involves everything that helps to make the transportation of people and goods across borders more efficient.

Secondly as you can see from the slide, a commitment to sustainable development lies at the heart of the IRU's work programme. And on this point i shall return later in detail.

SLIDE 4

Over the years the IRU secretariat has changed to reflect the geographical spread of its Members and international developments.

The IRU's head office in Geneva maintains ties with the many UN bodies based there. These include the UNECE, the world trade organisation, the world health organisation, and of course the ILO.

The IRU is also responsible - under UN mandate - for ensuring the proper functioning of the TIR Customs transit system.

In the 1970's as the European Union emerged as a significant player in transport policy, our delegation to the EU was established in Brussels. Our role there is to influence EU legislation which now accounts for the overwhelming majority of transport law in its Member states.

With the break up of the USSR, the IRU set up a delegation to the commonwealth of independent states. Based in Moscow, the delegation's objectives are to help integrate the region with EU transport systems and to encourage the harmonisation of transport legislation.

Most recently, in 2005 the IRU opened an Istanbul office to take account of the growing trade and transport potential of the Middle East and its neighboring regions.

SLIDE 5

The IRU is far more than its secretariat. it is an organisation built on the collective strength and unity of its Membership. IRU Members contribute the technical expertise and political weight on which the organisation relies. Members directly decide IRU policy through the general assembly which meets twice a year, but also through its main supporting bodies the goods and passenger transport councils and regional liaison committees.

SLIDE 6

Now I should return to the question of sustainable development. road transport is a net contributor to society. But we must try to minimise any negative impact through better transport.

The IRU's policy here is best summed up through the 3 i's strategy: innovation, incentives and infrastructure.

Our innovation policy recognises that 'at source technical measures' and operating practices are the best means for the road transport industry to improve its safety and environmental performance.

Unfortunately access to the newest technologies is unevenly spread throughout the world.

Moreover, globally the road transport industry consists of small or micro-sized companies and low profit margins mean that governments have a role to play in providing assistance and incentives to encourage the faster introduction by transport operators of new innovative technologies and practices.

This could mean offering reduced toll charges for vehicles with cleaner emissions or supporting industry training initiatives and rewarding best practice.

There can be no move to sustainability without profitability. Both companies and workers benefit from a healthy sector which can invest in its future.

Together social partners should press governments to provide the incentives and assistance necessary to reach this goal.

SLIDE 7

Now we come to infrastructure.

Filling in the missing links in the road network can help can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to a third. The problem is that initiatives taken by the road transport industry will be for nothing if vehicles are left to crawl along congested roads.

The slide here compares the emissions performance of vehicles on free flowing infrastructure to the additional emissions caused when the traffic is interrupted.

Road transport can only do so much on its own. Its partners, particularly in government need to fulfil their part of the bargain as well through adequate spending on roads.

SLIDE 8

Congested routes are also the most dangerous routes, so removing bottlenecks through infrastructure investment should be a priority of any road safety conscious government.

Nevertheless much can be done to make existing infrastructure safer. Providing safe and affordable motorway rest facilities so drivers can take proper rest is just one example.

While I have the opportunity I would like to mention another major initiative that the IRU has pioneered in relation to road safety. The absence of reliable data on the main causes of accidents led the IRU and the European commission to launch a joint scientific study known as ETAC.

Under the ETAC study expert teams investigated more that 600 accidents in several countries. The draft results have shown that 75% of accidents involving trucks were caused by other road users. To reduce accidents in the future everyone should develop a better understanding of how to share the road safely with trucks.

SLIDE 9

So far I have spoken about sustainable development in the context of the environment and road safety. but there is another vital element, perhaps the most relevant to today's audience, namely the need to maintain a sustainable workforce.

The industry must retain its ability to get the job done by using its human resources efficiently and flexibly. at the same time a job in road transport must remain an attractive career choice if it is to continue to recruit the professionals it needs. These goals should not be in any way mutually exclusive.

SLIDE 10

A systematic framework for social rules in the sector is necessary to create equal conditions of competition and of course to guarantee minimum safeguards for the protection of workers. The EU provides the regulatory framework with which I am most familiar.

EU rules deal with everything from driving and rest times, to their recording and enforcement, general working time limits, driver training and driver licence requirements. It is indeed necessary that these issues are dealt with thoroughly

The problem is that the number of major changes to the EU legislative framework in social affairs - over a period of three years - has been phenomenal.

The whole industry in Europe is in something of a state of shock from all these new rules - acute legislation fatigue if you like. Moreover, EU social legislation could benefit from a somewhat lighter touch.

In particular EU Members are worried about the impact of the new regulation on driving and rest times. The main objective of this new regulation was to simplify and clarify the rules. Here the IRU was fully supportive. This would equalise competition and improve road safety through better enforcement.

Nothing is more damaging to the image of road transport than cowboy operators who break the rules and are a danger to other road users. but the final regulation meant that simplification came at the cost of flexibilities that were in the old rules for a good reason.

SLIDE 11

While - in general - workers in the developed world benefit from a strong regulatory framework of social rules, elsewhere they do not always have the same protection. Beyond the cosy world of the EU the IRU fully recognises that the picture can be quite different. However, it should be noted that the EU's influence in transport policy does not stop at the borders of the 27 Member states.

Accession agreements with EU candidate countries like turkey or through other diplomatic channels such as the AETR agreement mean that policy making in Brussels is as relevant for your average trucker in Moscow or Ankara as it is for drivers in Manchester and Amsterdam.

Indeed the AETR agreement covering driving and rest time rules for international journeys extends the coverage and protection of EU rules as far afield as Armenia Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Globally there is a need for setting some basic standards. The 1979 ILO convention number c153 on hours of work and rest periods was supposed to set this global framework. However, it has only been ratified by 8 countries.

There has been some mention recently of revising the AETR agreement, again in line with EU rules. While I would generally speak in favour of establishing some basic guidelines world wide I would think many times before imposing an agreement designed specifically for the EU on the rest of the world.

In balancing the legislative burden with the need for proper standards to protect drivers, the IRU and its partners within the trade unions movement must be pragmatic and sensitive to each others needs.

We should neither call for laws which can only be implemented at great cost nor disregard the industry gold reserve that drivers represent.

Today the demand for road transport has never been greater but the industry is facing up to another issue that in some parts of the world challenges its sustainability: driver shortages. The problem is that not enough young drivers are entering the profession.

Factors like: congestion, changing technology the demands of modern logistics and the overall poor image of the sector - particularly when portrayed in the media - need to be dealt with.

Another issue is the worrying growth of attacks on drivers.

SLIDE 12

The IRU and the European conference of transport ministers - or ECMT - have been jointly researching this trend.

The ECMT includes Members in 50 countries both in Europe and beyond. Preliminary results of the IRU-ECMT survey show that one in six drivers has suffered an attack over the past five years causing physical and psychological injuries.

The final results of the analysis will be jointly published with the ECMT in the first quarter of 2007 but already we can see that this growing problem is insupportable.

Moreover, the slide shows the frightening number of gas attacks that are carried out. They suggest that drivers are most vulnerable to serious criminals targeting their cargoes.

The number of cab break-ins and direct physical assaults were also high. Where the graph shows the type of attack as unknown, drivers had declined to disclose any more information about the nature of an attack.

SLIDE 13

The research also shows the locations where attacks took place. Of 532 attacks reported over 180 attacks had taken place at truck parking sites and another 100 at motorway service stations.

The IRU has been pressing governments to fulfill their responsibility to do more to provide safe and secure rest facilities for drivers. We believe very strongly that the priority of improving road safety should not just include the safety of drivers on the road but that it should also extend to those taking their rest alongside it too.

Meanwhile to help drivers across the ECMT region the IRU has updated its IRU-ECMT list of secure parking areas which will be available online during the first half of this year.

SLIDE 14

The freedom for drivers to carry out their work without fear of attack is fundamental. But it is my desire as president of the IRU that road transport becomes a career of choice for many more young workers.

In a global economy it does not matter if a company is large or small it is the quality of service that counts. The skills of the workforce need to be raised to a new and higher level.

Raising the quality of service offered by the industry and ensuring proper professional development through training are synonymous. Training is key.

The IRU academy's objective is to give international recognition to IRU accredited institutes and their graduates in the road transport sector.

The IRU academy is uniquely placed to drive the harmonisation of training standards, incorporate international best practices and verify - in an independent capacity - that these training standards are in compliance with EU rules and other international instruments.

The IRU academy provides training syllabuses through its network of 34 accredited training institutes based in 30 different countries. These centres award graduates an internationally recognised IRU diploma to certify their professional competence.

The IRU academy offers certificates of professional competence for transport managers and CPCS for dangerous goods transport and professional drivers are now being piloted.

The IRU academy is also about to embark on the development of a training module for hivaids prevention in cooperation with the ILO and the ITF.

The IRU academy has also concluded an agreement with the Belgian training institute - the official partner of my own organisation - to establish an IRU academy tachograph programme. It will teach drivers the proper use of both analogue and digital tachographs. By necessity it will therefore provide graduates with a first class knowledge of driving and rest time rules.

In a further development, which reflects the needs of drivers to demonstrate their professional development and competences in a competitive job market, the IRU academy has gone online.

IRU academy graduates through their private and secure individual website have online viewing of their IRU academy certificates and or diplomas in PDF format. Their website allows them to update their personal information, update their CV and allow viewing of their IRU academy qualification and CV by potential employers online.

In organising the work of the academy we are fortunate to have the support of a high level advisory committee composed of representatives from the World Bank, the UNECE the European conference of transport ministers, the European commission, the European transport workers federation and the European training foundation.

The IRU academy is also proud to be supported by the international labour organisation.

I am convinced that in the long term a strong future for the academy will go hand in hand with raising the quality and skills of the road transport industry to the level that we all want to see.

SLIDE 15

Naturally there is a lot that the IRU can achieve under its own initiative and with the support of our Members and institutions like those involved in the IRU academy.

However, there is no doubt that an active and constructive relationship with trades union and labour representatives will strengthen our potential for improving standards in road transport.

That's in part the purpose of our being here today to show our resolve to intensify our relationship with transport trades unions at a global level.

However, the IRU is not a stranger to effective social dialogue.

At EU level we are involved in numerous projects with the European transport workers federation. A recent success was to draw up an agreement on joint criteria for safe, secure and civilised motorway rest facilities. Together we succesfully supported an action in the European parliament to earmark some of the EU budget to improve the safety and security of rest facilities.

A second recent example has been to hold joint seminars in new EU Member states to brief them on changes to driving and rest time rules and the new driver training directive. These were a real success, drawing together operators, trades unions, government officials and road transport enforcement officers.

However the IRU has also been busy during 2006 with social dialogue at the global level. In October last year the ILO held a tripartite meeting on road transport.

More than 30 governments attended along with trades unions and more than 20 IRU Members from Europe, Africa, South America and Asia to discuss social and employment problems arising from delays at international border crossings. here was an excellent example of where the interests of employers and drivers are in perfect alignment and the conclusions of the meeting reflected that fact.

At some borders around the world, waiting times sometimes amount to days or even weeks. Instead of acting as a conduit for trade, regional integration and development they can become magnets for corruption, organised crime, substandard working conditions and health hazards including sexually transmitted diseases.

For responsible employers it is of course vital that something is done to improve the welfare and working conditions of their drivers, but it is also economically important to remove barriers to facilitate the international flow of passengers and goods.

The IRU together with the ILO and ITF are now undertaking follow up activities to convert conference conclusions into practical action.

We propose to initiate border crossing monitoring committees composed of employers, workers and local authorities to implement international best practice at problematic frontier points.

We also intend to work on visa facilitation and as already mentioned the IRU academy will be working with the ILO and ITF to establish a driver training module on HIV aids awareness and prevention.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me try to draw my presentation to a close with a few conclusions.

I am committed to the IRU's ongoing dialogue and cooperation and with our partners in the trades unions to strengthen the sustainability of the road transport industry.

We should note from our successes to date that when labour and employers speak with one voice it is very difficult for governments to ignore. We should try wherever possible to capitalise on areas where we can see mutual interests.

In the past this has not always been easy. Issues of common concern have sometimes been obscured by a dialogue of mistrust and confrontation.

In the future this sort of unproductive dialogue must be replaced by sensitivity to each others needs and a willingness to confront problems pragmatically.

In my mind there are 3 main global priorities for us in the future.

First we must work together to find a better balance in social legislation. This must balance workers rights with industry's operational needs.

Secondly, we should push together to force governments to play their part in making road transport both greener and safer. Urging governments to commit adequate spending on the missing links in transport infrastructure should also be a common goal. Ensuring that drivers can exercise their right to work without fear of attack is yet another priority.

Finally taking training seriously and aiming to maximise the skills of the workforce should be a central pillar of making the profession more attractive. the IRU academy has a key role in this endeavour

SLIDES 16 & 17

Please allow me to highlight two forthcomming IRU events which should be highlighted in everyone's diary.

First we have the 4th Euro-Asia conference in Warsaw to look forward to, taking place on the 14 and 15 June 2007.

Secondly may I draw your attention to the 2008 IRU world congress in Istanbul, which as you now know is our 60th anniversary year.

You are all welcome to participate and I can assure you these are two events in the road transport world not to be missed.

SLIDE 18

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I conclude by saying it has been a pleasure to have been invited here.

I hope you will share my view that we can only achieve our common economic, social and environmental goals by implementing the IRU slogan, 'working together for a better future'.

Thank-you for your attention

Mr Laeremans Powerpoint presentation

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