This edition of the TUC’s Global Solidarity Update bulletin contains the latest international solidarity news and issues affecting trade unionists around the world, including reports, statements, blogs, interviews and events from a wide range of reputable sources. 

In this issue:

TUC NEWS

Labour 7 launch priorities ahead of G7

TUC and UK unions stand in solidarity with Myanmar workers

The UK labour movement stands in solidarity with farmers in India

TUC joint statement with unions in Turkey calling for UK-Turkey trade deal to be suspended

OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS

International trade unions condemn brutal raids on unions in Belarus

Colombia human rights update February 2021

Morocco: Supply chain pressure behind factory disaster

Hong Kong: arrest of activists seriously violates fundamental human rights

Amazon investors tell company not to interfere in union efforts

IFI NEWS

The IMF upgrades its growth projections as ILO estimates over 225 million jobs lost in 2020

The IMF must walk the talk on the SDGs

CALLS TO ACTION

ACT NOW! Danone workers need our support today

ACT NOW! Israel: 10bis must stop union-busting now

ACT NOW! Fedex-TNT: Stop the job cuts

ACT NOW! Kazakhstan: Threat against fuel and energy workers union

ACT NOW! Algeria: Release women prisoners of conscience

ACT NOW! Jordan: New government crackdown on teachers’ rights

FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTS

Solidarity Center video: ”I have a dream of safe transportation”

Domestic violence and the role of trade unions explained

We want decent jobs in Sub Saharan Africa

EVENTS

TUC Women’s Conference 2021

Nicaragua: Fairtrade, Hurricanes and Climate Justice Online Event

TUC Disabled Workers Conference 2021

TUC LESE Women's Rights Committee: A celebration of 60 years of the Cuban Federation of Women - London, East & South East

TUC Black Workers Conference

Putting workers at the heart of a recovery : what can we learn from Spain?

Mental Health Matters - Mental Health and Covid-19

TUC Young Workers' Conference 2021

TUC NEWS

Labour 7 launch priorities ahead of G7

The UK holds the G7 Presidency for this year (2021) and on 2 March 2021 Labour unions, led by the TUC along with TUAC to  the OECD and the ITUC, launched the Labour 7 (L7) priorities for this year’s G7 summit here and heard directly from the UK’s Cabinet Office G7 Sherpa Jonathan Black at a joint meeting.

TUC and UK unions stand in solidarity with Myanmar workers

TUC colleagues took part in the global action of solidarity with Myanmar’s workers and with the people of Myanmar and paid tribute to all brave workers taking action to reject the Burma coup. UNISON also took part in the global action here

Read this ETUC statement on the Myanmar’s coup; this union/NGO joint statement calling on western brands to condemn the coup and support workers in Myanmar; and this statement by global unions ramping up pressure on governments and corporations to isolate Myanmar military junta.

The UK labour movement stands in solidarity with farmers in India

The UK trade union movement and War on Want have become increasingly alarmed at the repression faced by Indian famers and workers.

Read this joint statement which shows our solidarity with all those in India who are standing up to protect their livelihoods and their rights to organise.

TUC joint statement with unions in Turkey calling for UK-Turkey trade deal to be suspended

On 28 January, the TUC released a joint statement with KESK and DISK Turkish union centres calling for the UK-Turkey trade deal (which was signed on 29 December) to be suspended until Turkey showed respect for labour and human rights. The statement highlights the widespread repression and dismissal of workers in Turkey, as well as other rights violations. The statement makes clear that any trade deal involving the UK and Turkey must contain enforceable commitments to labour standards, protections for migrants’ and refugee rights, public services and personal data.

Read more here
 

OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS

International trade unions condemn brutal raids on unions in Belarus

On 16 February, police in Belarus launched raids on the offices and homes of trade union activists, human rights defenders and journalists across the country, including ransacking the offices of the REP radio and electronics union and targeted the BAJ journalists’ union. Earlier this year, three workers in Belarus were imprisoned for taking strike action, as anti-union activity was stepped up by the Lukashenko regime.

Colombia human rights update February 2021

Colombia’s human rights crisis impacted many communities in February, with indigenous leaders, environmental activists, trade unionists and former combatants among those violently targeted.

Read an update by JFC here
 

Morocco: Supply chain pressure behind factory disaster

A 14-year-old girl was among the 28 garment workers killed in a factory disaster in Tangier, Morocco, on 8 February. Her mother reported the child had worked at the factory, an illegal sweatshop, for three years. The workers were drowned or electrocuted after a flood caused a short circuit. Seventeen others were injured. The facility operated in an underground garage in a residential area with 130 workers, most of them women.

Read the global labour movement’s call for accountability in supply chains.

2021 is the international year for the elimination of child labour. The ITUC is calling for a new social contract, which is crucial to end exploitation of children.
 

Hong Kong: arrest of activists seriously violates fundamental human rights

The ITUC condemned the arrest of 53 of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, including the chair of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) Carol Ng (who was later released on bail). The detentions were made by local police, under the controversial National Security Law, for trying to 'overthrow' the government by holding primary elections for pro-democracy candidates in last year’s postponed elections.

Read the Byline Times interview with veteran activist Lee-Cheuk Yan, who “Sees a Bleak Future Ahead for Hong Kong”.

Amazon investors tell company not to interfere in union efforts

A group of about 70 Amazon investors are telling the company to stop interfering in efforts by workers to join a union in Bessemer, Alabama.

Read more here
 

IFI NEWS

The IMF upgrades its growth projections as ILO estimates over 225 million jobs lost in 2020

In its January World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded growth projections. The global economy is forecast to grow by 5.5 percent in 2021, after shrinking by 3.5 per cent in 2020. This 2021 growth estimate is 0.3 per cent higher than the last numbers released in October, with the Fund citing positive news on vaccines and strong policy responses by governments. Updates were also published for the IMF Fiscal Monitor and the Global Financial Stability Report, an unusual move. This announcement comes only a few days after the ILO Monitor announced that in 2020 the equivalent of over 225 million jobs were lost, and employment levels in 2021 – even if there is a recovery in terms of GDP – will remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels.

The IMF must walk the talk on the SDGs

The IMF has endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); thus, the Fund needs to put forward a policy agenda and operational guidelines that brings the world closer towards realising these goals.

Find out more
 

CALLS TO ACTION

ACT NOW! Danone workers need our support today

In response to the attacks from activist shareholders, Danone employees have launched an online petition calling for workplace and public support for Danone’s business model. The petition is in line with the IUF’s letter to the Danone Board.

Please support the petition here and spread the word!
 

ACT NOW! Israel: 10bis must stop union-busting now

10bis, the Israeli branch of the Dutch global food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway.com, is denying its workers their right to unionise. Join LabourStart and tell Just Eat Takeaway.com to stop the 10bis union-busting attempt, recognize the workers' council, begin good-faith negotiations and cancel the efforts to dismiss worker representatives.

Sign the LabourStart petition here
 

ACT NOW! Fedex-TNT: stop the job cuts

Sign this LabourStart petition to tell FedEx-TNT to respect their frontline workers instead of massacring them to their unbridled corporate greed. FedEx-TNT – stop the job cuts immediately and respect the proper process with unions and the European Works Council.

ACT NOW! Kazakhstan: threat against fuel and energy workers union

Kazakh authorities continue to put pressure on independent trade unions. In 2017, Kazakhstan dissolved the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan and a number of its affiliates, and trade union leaders were prosecuted and imprisoned. Now the Trade Union of the Fuel and Energy Industry Workers is under threat.

Send a message to the Kazakh authorities, urging them to stop pressuring unions and to respect workers' rights.
 

ACT NOW! Algeria: Release women prisoners of conscience

On 3 January 2021, teacher Dalila Touat was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her opposition to the enforced presidential election in Algeria. She has been on hunger strike since then. Namia Abdelkader, also a teacher, has been incarcerated since 2 December 2020, also detained for speaking up, facing injustice, and fighting corruption.

The women of the independent national trade union of civil servants in Algeria, Femmes SNAPAP, are calling for the immediate release of Dalila Touat and Namia Abdelkader, both teachers and prisoners of conscience.

Show your solidarity and sign LabourStart’s petition now!

ACT NOW! Jordan: New government crackdown on teachers’ rights

The Jordanian authorities must refrain from harassing the leaders of the Jordanian Teacher Association. Education International condemns the dissolution of teachers’ union and detention of leaders.

Take action here to request the full exercise of fundamental rights of teachers and education workers in Jordan now!
 

FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTS

Solidarity Center video: “I have a dream of safe transportation.”

More than 500,000 women work in Tunisia's agricultural sector and almost none of them benefit from health coverage or labour protections. Every year, they suffer numerous traffic accidents leading to injury or death as they travel in risky transport to their jobs in the agricultural fields.

Watch the video from the Solidarity Center
 

Domestic violence and the role of trade unions explained

Read IndustriALL’s three-part toolkit on domestic violence awareness. PART 1: "Domestic violence and the role of trade unions explained". Gaining a better understanding of what domestic violence is. PART 2: "Domestic violence and the role of trade unions explained". We cannot fight domestic violence if we are not able to recognize it. PART 3: "Domestic violence and the role of trade unions explained". As unions we need a game plan to tackle domestic violence; here is how we can do it.

We want decent jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Read the research report The auto sector in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investment, sustainability and decent jobs, commissioned by IndustriALL Global Union and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, which confirms unions in Sub-Saharan Africa want sustainable investments in the auto industry that create decent jobs, reduce unemployment and inequality, and contribute towards ending poverty.

Read more here
 

EVENTS

Nicaragua: Fairtrade, hurricanes and climate justice online event

4 March 2021, 19:00–20:15
Join Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign and Bristol Link with Nicaragua for a co-hosted webinar and find out more about the impact of the hurricanes on the lives and livelihoods of Fairtrade coffee, and organic fruit and vegetable producers in Nicaragua, how trade justice through Fairtrade helped to mitigate the impact, and why trade justice and climate justice are inseparable.

Tickets here. This event is part of Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February – 7 March).
 

TUC Disabled Workers Conference 2021

10–11 March 2021
This year's TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference is online. All disabled trade unionists are welcome to join our most accessible, interactive conference to date.

More information here
 

TUC LESE Women's Rights Committee: a celebration of 60 years of the Cuban Federation of Women

18 March 2021, 18:00–19:30
Online celebration of 60 years of the Cuban Federation of Women, hosted by the LESE Women’s Rights Committee

Click here for more information
 

TUC Black Workers Conference

19–21 Mar 2021
Hear about the TUC Anti-Racism Taskforce's plans, attend workshops, participate in international events and more. Come and join us.

Register in advance here
 

Putting workers at the heart of a recovery: what can we learn from Spain? 

22 March 2021
The Covid-19 crisis has shown the vital role that trade unions play in protecting workers' jobs and safety around the world. In Spain, the labour ministry has worked closely with unions during the crisis and building the recovery. Join us for this webinar to discuss how progressive forces can work together to create a fairer future for working people. 

Register in advance here
 

Mental Health Matters – mental health and Covid-19

24 March 2021
Join us on Wednesday 24 March 2021 for the latest session in our Mental Health Matters series of online events.

Click here for more information
 

TUC Young Workers Conference 2021

27–28 Mar 2021
Join us online for debates on the impact of Covid-19 on young workers, tackling mass unemployment, mental health and more.

Register here