International Development Matters - Issue 167 August 2017
| International Development Matters |
| Issue number 167 August 2017 |
| IDM - Monthly newsletter reporting international development matters and issues affecting trade unionists around the world. Including reports, statements, interviews and events. |
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TUC Aid & TUUT: Human and trade union rights in Somalia TUC General Secretary writes to Korean Ambassador to call for release of imprisoned KCTU President Brazil Passes Extreme Anti-Worker Labour Law 1,600 Teachers Demand Iran’s Judiciary Free Imprisoned Rights Activist Sri Lanka arrests oil workers as troops restore supplies Migrant Workers in Southeast Asia Struggle for Justice Ghana teacher trade union leader calls for end to IMF programme Robots are set to take Africa’s manufacturing jobs even before it has enough Mozambique debt crisis tests IFIs' trust in private development finance ACT NOW! Haft Tapeh sugar workers in Iran are fighting for their wages, pensions and rights! Cambodia: Support abandoned workers in their struggle for lost wages and benefits ACT NOW! Indonesia: 4,220 striking miners fired ACT NOW! Yemen: DNO must pay its workers Fundamental principles and rights at work: ILO interview with Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary Labour Migration: ILO interview with Toni Moore, BWU General Secretary AFL-CIO Interview: National trade unions in a globalised world CSC Fringe meeting at TUC Congress 2017 TUC NEWSTUC denounces violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 at garment factories within the Haiti’s export processing zonesTUC General Secretary, Frances O'Grady has written to the owner of Sewing International SA (SISA) and the manager of Interamerican Wovens (IW) to denounce the violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 at the companies, which are both within the export processing zones of Haiti. Garment worker unions in Haiti have been striking since May for better wages and working conditions. TUC Aid & TUUT: Human and trade union rights in SomaliaTUC Aid and the Trade Union Unit Trust (TUUT) have been supporting the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) to produce a second annual review of human and trade union rights in Somalia covering developments in 2016. The report will record and analyse information of trade union rights violations to raise awareness of trade union rights abuses nationally and internationally and lobby for measures to address such abuses. Read more here TUC General Secretary writes to Korean Ambassador to call for release of imprisoned KCTU PresidentThe TUC General Secretary has written to the Korean Ambassador to call for the immediate release of KCTU President Han Sung-gyun who is serving a three year prison term for peacefully demonstrating for workers' rights. OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWSBrazil Passes Extreme Anti-Worker Labour LawBrazil workers and their unions are outraged and are vowing further protests over a draconian labour law reform the Senate passed recently that will weaken labor regulations as well as restrict financing for unions. Read more here 1,600 Teachers Demand Iran’s Judiciary Free Imprisoned Rights ActivistMore than one thousand Iranian teachers have issued a statement calling for the release of Mohsen Omrani, a teacher imprisoned for peacefully advocating for teachers’ rights in the southern port city of Bushehr. Read more here Sri Lanka arrests oil workers as troops restore suppliesPolice in Sri Lanka recently arrested dozens of striking oil workers as the military moved in to restore supplies and end fuel shortages, officials said. CPC trade unions have said they will not return to work until the government abandons plans to sell stakes in oil storage tank facilities in the northeast and south of the island. Read more here Migrant Workers in Southeast Asia Struggle for JusticeMigrant workers continue to face major obstacles to lodging and resolving complaints, finds the ILO’s new study on migrant workers in Southeast Asia. IFI NEWSGhana teacher trade union leader calls for end to IMF programmeGeneral Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), David Ofori Acheampong, has said if the Akufo-Addo-led government will be able to deal with the labour unrest in the country, then it will have to end Ghana’s three-year programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Read more here Trade unions and other civil society organisations worldwide call investors to cease support to Bridge International Academies174 civil society organisations from around the world have released a statement calling on investors to cease support for Bridge International Academies (BIA) a company running over 500 commercial private schools in the Global South with the support of international donors and investors. Unions have previously reported on the poor quality of the education offered within schools in Kenya. Robots are set to take Africa’s manufacturing jobs even before it has enoughConcerns have been expresses by unions in the retail and manufacturing sector across Africa about the impact of robots on the shop floor. Read more here Mozambique debt crisis tests IFIs' trust in private development financeMozambique’s default on commercial loans worth US$2bn loans has triggered the latest - and arguably most shocking - African debt crisis in recent times. While nearly all African countries suffer from low commodity prices and rising credit costs, the Mozambican case is unusual in that it reveals how easily the new development finance paradigm, centred on private capital, can go wrong. Read more here CALLS TO ACTIONACT NOW! Haft Tapeh sugar workers in Iran are fighting for their wages, pensions and rights!Workers at the Haft Tapeh sugar cane plantation and mill complex in the southern Iranian city of Shush and their union are demanding full payment of wage and benefit arrears; recognition of the union as the workers' legal representative; and the company's return to government ownership. Click here to show your support and send a message to the Iranian authorities. Cambodia: Support abandoned workers in their struggle for lost wages and benefitsThe sudden closure of a garment factory has left 208 workers in Cambodia without jobs, salaries, or their legally owed compensation. One year later these workers, mainly women, are still fighting for justice. The factory – Chung Fai Knitwear – was making clothing for Marks & Spencer (UK), Nygård (Canada) and Bonmarché (UK). Please take a moment to support their struggle here ACT NOW! Indonesia: 4,220 striking miners firedOver 4,220 Indonesian workers have been fired for striking, and the Indonesian government must ensure the workers are reinstated. US company Freeport-McMoRan has fired 3,000 workers over the last month at the massive Grasberg copper and gold mine in West Papua. The firing violates the workers fundamental rights, the collective bargaining agreement and Indonesian law. Demand the government of Indonesia intervene to reverse the unjust dismissal of workers and ensure workers rights are respected. ACT NOW! Yemen: DNO must pay its workersThe Norwegian based oil company DNO has not paid its 175 workers in Yemen for 18 months. The company stopped its operations after the war broke out in Yemen in summer 2015 and terminated its employees via a simple SMS or email, showing neither respect to its workers who toiled for the company for over 10 years, nor to the local legislation obliging the company to follow a handover process and redundancy procedures upon its withdrawal. Give your support to 175 Yemeni workers and their families by signing and sending the letter to DNO Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTSFundamental principles and rights at work: ILO interview with Sharan Burrow, ITUC General SecretarySharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), explains in this video how unions are addressing the challenges of the violations of the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at work. Labour Migration: ILO interview with Toni Moore, BWU General SecretaryToni Moore, General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU), explains in this video how unions are addressing the challenges of fair recruitment, protection of migrant workers and labour market integration. Equal Times Interview: “We must prevent Kenyan migrants from being slaves rather than workers” in the Gulf StatesThe kafala sponsorship system practiced throughout the Gulf is at the heart of the problem of the abuse and exploitation faced by migrant domestic workers. There have been reports of abuse and even deaths of Kenyan domestic workers at the hands of their employers in the Gulf. Read the experiences of Kenyan migrant domestic workers in the Middle East here AFL-CIO Interview: National trade unions in a globalised worldRead the interview with Cathy Feingold, director, AFL-CIO International Department talking about the challenges facing unions as they seek to address exploitation in global supply chains including transnational bargaining, corporate accountability, and a full revamp of the global labour architecture. EVENTSCSC Fringe meeting at TUC Congress 2017Monday, 11 September 2017, 5:30pm Meeting Room 1A, Brighton Centre Cuba Solidarity Campaign TUC Congress 2017 Fringe Meeting in Brighton. Trump, US intervention and blockade: Solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela! TUC Congress credentials are needed to attend this fringe meeting. H. E. Teresita Vicente, Cuban Ambassador Full details here |
The person responsible for the e-bulletin is:
Tanya Warlock
Tel 0207 467 1357
E: twarlock@tuc.org.uk
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