Partnership aims to enhance worker welfare, rights, safety, and decent work standards in global ground and cargo handling operations.

Aviation Services Association World (ASA World) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) today announced the signing of an agreement to collaborate on advancing worker welfare, rights, safety standards, and decent work practices across the global aviation ground and cargo handling industry.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) marks a significant milestone in bringing together employers’ and workers’ perspectives to address shared priorities affecting ground handling workers at airports worldwide. ASA World represents ground and cargo handling organisations operating at more than 1,000 unique airports in 85 countries while ITF represents 16.5 million transport workers, including over a million aviation workers through its affiliated unions in 150 countries.

“Ground handling workers are essential to safe and efficient aviation operations, yet they often face challenging working conditions. This MoU establishes a framework for constructive dialogue between industry and labor to address critical issues affecting these workers and reflects our commitment to elevating industry standards while ensuring the wellbeing of the workforce that keeps global aviation operations running,” said Dr. Waleed Youssef, Director General of ASA World. “By working together with the ITF, we can develop practical solutions that benefit workers, improve safety outcomes, and strengthen the sustainability of ground handling operations worldwide.”

Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the ITF, said: “This agreement recognises a simple truth: aviation workers move the world – and the industry’s safety and operational resilience and sustainability depend on workers whose rights are respected, whose jobs are secure, and whose voices are heard. The ground handling sector and its workforce have long been overlooked by the wider aviation industry and its regulators. Together with ASA World, we are going to raise standards for the millions of ground handling workers across the world, and build an socially, economically and environmentally sustainable industry.”

The agreement establishes cooperation in several key areas:

• Worker welfare, rights, health and safety
• Equalities and equity of treatment in employment
• Fair employment and good industrial practices
• Sustainability and the future of work in aviation
• Social responsibility and decent work standards
• Enhanced career paths

Both organisations will exchange expertise, share best practices, and develop joint positions on issues affecting the ground handling workforce. The partnership will also involve coordinated engagement with regulatory authorities and aviation industry stakeholders to advance shared objectives.

The collaboration comes at a critical time for the aviation sector as it addresses workforce challenges, technological changes, and evolving safety and regulatory requirements. Through this MoU, ASA World and ITF aim to ensure that industry development and worker welfare and rights advance together.

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