Forum On The  Effects Of The Global Economic Crisis On The Civil Aviation Industry Discussed How To Promote Sustainability

An International Labour Organization (ILO) tripartite meeting on civil aviation held last week concluded with a call for a “sustainable civil aviation industry” as a “common goal for governments, employers and workers.” In its conclusions, the meeting noted that, “to achieve that goal, the industry needs a sustainable workforce, sustainable enterprises and a balanced value chain.”

Some 150 delegates representing governments, the aviation industry and labour unions, agreed on the need to continue to promote decent work in the civil aviation industry through the effective implementation and use of all relevant ILO standards and instruments.

Governments, employers and workers agreed that the ILO has a key role to play in facilitating social dialogue in the civil aviation industry, while governments are required as regulators of the industry. “Civil aviation is a sector characterized by a high level of social dialogue and governed by strict safety regulations. The continuous change, especially technological and evolving market demand, will require continuous active policies and a level playing field that will motivate workers and especially young people, to join the various sectors that compose the industry,” said Mr Manfred Merz, Executive Vice-President of the Airline Personnel Directors’ Council (APDC).

"The aviation industry has gone through a series of crises and changes which have seriously impacted its ability to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce, something which is crucial to the safety of passengers and workers alike. One key decision of this meeting was to convene employers, unions and governments on a regular basis to promote social dialogue in the industry and to monitor the implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Forum. In this respect, we look forward to the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization, (ICAO), Air Transport Conference to be held in Montreal in March," said David Cockroft, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, (ITF).

The meeting made the following recommendations:

• The ILO should address the needs of the industry for agility and decent and productive work by creating a level playing field for all actors, and further strengthen social dialogue and workplace cooperation in the sector;
• Ways of strengthening cooperation between the ICAO and the ILO on matters of common interest should be discussed;
• The ILO should promote within the ICAO and other safety regulators, a “human factors approach” in the security domain;
• The ILO should convey the Points of Consensus from the Global Dialogue Forum to the Sixth Worldwide Air Transport Conference of the ICAO.

“We see a very complex, innovative and technology-driven sector,” the chair of the meeting, H.E. Mr Roderick van Schreven, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said, as the forum concluded. “Social dialogue is essential for the sustainability of the sector and that is something that everybody agrees on.”

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