Issue number 130 February 2014
IDM - Monthly newsletter reporting international development matters and issues affecting trade unionists around the world. Including reports, statements, interviews and events.
The TUC has protested to the Cambodian Ambassador about the violent repression of garment worker strikes for a living wage in Cambodia.
Read about Global unions who are mobilizing workers around the world to protest at Cambodian embassies on Monday 10 February, to demand the release of 23 activists seized during demonstrations in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh in January.
The TUC General Secretary has written to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to immediately release all the union members arrested under unproven connections to illegal organisations, to lift all bans on meetings and demonstrations and also calls Turkey to abide by its European and international obligations to secure the human and trade union rights and freedoms of its workers.
Take action on http://act.equaltimes.org/turkeytrials and tell Turkey to stop judicial harassment against trade unionists
To coincide with the publication of "The Global Development Crisis" by Ben Selwyn of Sussex University, in which he makes the case for 'labour-centred development', the TUC sponsored a debate on the evening of Thursday 23 January 2014.
Read a blog about the evening and listen to the RadioLabour interview with Ben Selwyn here
The Bolivian government has been backing a move to lower the legal working age to 12 or even less, contrary to the International Labour Organisation’s child labour conventions, and has met with opposition from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Anti-Slavery International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the Global March against Child Labour.
Read more here
The ITUC has firmly condemned the killing of Marlon Dagoberto Vásquez López, aged just 19. Marlon played an active role in the young trade unionists’ network in Quetzaltenango and was a member of the construction and service workers’ union SINCSG (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y Servicios de Guatemala).
IndustriALL Global Union have called upon its affiliates to join the campaign launched by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), demanding to establish an ILO Commission of Inquiry to investigate the systematic violation of trade union rights in Fiji. In other news, read about the successful global action that called on the Fiji government to drop charges against leaders of the hotel workers union – they are now free from bail conditions.
Illovo Sugar, which is owned by Associated British Foods (Ryvita, Patak’s, Primark) is the biggest sugar producer in Africa and of the six southern Africa countries in which Illovo operates, Malawi generates the biggest profits.
However, gains from increased sugar exports to Europe and other African markets have reaped few benefits for low-grade workers at Illovo Malawi. Read more here
The recent revelations that in 2013 at least 185 Nepalese workers were killed in the service of Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup confirmed that manslaughter in addition to slavery is already a fundamental feature of those preparations.
Read more here
The ITUC have produced a survey detailing the violations of trade union rights across the world. Click here to view
Read the ITUC’s first Economic briefing for January 2014 here. Also, read about unions calling for leaders to reshape the world economy with jobs and decent wages at Davos 2014.
The ILO have released its annual Global Employment Trends (GET) report which takes stock of the situation concerning the labour markets around the world.
The International Monetary Fund expects global growth to pick up this year, though deflation is a "rising risk" as long as economic growth stays below what policy-makers believe is optimal, the head of the Fund said recently.
Act now to support the Cambodian garment workers and unions against the attacks and repression.
Trade unionists in Colombia are consistently subjected to violence and persecution. The latest victim at a peaceful demonstration is the president of CUT and SINTRAELECOL-Caldas, Arturo Oscar Orozco, who was brutally attacked by the anti-riot police and remains in hospital in a very serious condition.
Read more and take action here
The General-Secretary of the African regional organization of the International Trade Union Confederation says that what is needed to assist people in the global south to escape economic poverty is more and stronger unions. Kwasi Adu-Amankwah spoke to a seminar about poverty in the global south organized by the Trades Union Congress of the United Kingdom. RadioLabour interviewed Mr Adu-Amankwah before the seminar.
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has started a global campaign to fight for justice and safety for women transport workers. A RadioLabour report featuring Diana Holland, Chair of the ITF's Women's Committee and Assistant General Secretary of Unite. The report also features Alison McGarry, the ITF's Women Transport Workers Co-ordinator and Sharan Burrow, the General Secretary of the ITUC.
Thursday 20 February, 7.00pm (Doors 6.30pm)
VSC will be holding the Inaugural Hugo Chávez Memorial Lecture, which will be given by Tariq Ali on Thursday 20 February. This event is by pre-registration only so please RSVP by registering via Eventbrite as soon as possible here You can also invite your friends & share the event on Facebook here
More details here
Thursday 20 February, 18.30pm, TUC, Congress House Great Russell Street, London
With the LabourStart Global Solidarity Conference less than four months away, registration is underway. If you plan to attend the conference (being held in Berlin 23-25 May 2014) or are just thinking about coming, you are invited to attend a special pre-conference meeting at TUC offices in London on 20 February. You can learn more about the conference here -- http://www.labourstart.org/2014/
If you plan to attend this meeting in London, please indicate that on the Facebook event page or email the organisers here at ericlee@labourstart.org
Dates & Duration: 6, 7 March & 25 April 2014 (09:30 - 16:30)
Venue: South Thames College, Tooting
The course provides an opportunity to explore how to strengthen solidarity efforts and links between women worldwide. Participants can use the knowledge and skills gained on this course to develop union work in this area. The training is open to trade union reps, tutors or officers who have a basic interest in international development. Full details here
Friday 7 March, 7.30pm, Barbican Centre, Silk Street London, EC2Y 8DS
Buena Vista Social Club stars Eliades Ochoa and Omara Portuondo will perform a special full live set in support of Voices for the Five, an international coalition of campaigners fighting for justice for the Miami Five. The Cuban stars will be joined by guests from the Caribbean island and beyond including the acclaimed author of The Color Purple, Alice Walker, and René González, the first of the Miami five prisoners to have been released. Full details and tickets here
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