International Development Matters - Issue 141 May 2015

TUC News

• Nepal earthquake appeal
• TUC Aid update- Bangladesh: Training Women to Take Leadership Roles in Garment Unions
• TUC Aid supporting trade union women's leadership in Tunisia
• TUC AID update: Peru project sets up potential for progress
• TUC condemns constant interferences in the affairs of the FESTU by the Minister of Labour in Somalia

Other International News

• Inaction Replay: Qatar Reannounces Unkept Promise
• Rana Plaza two years on: progress but no hiding from massive task ahead
• Education awards go to Iraqi and Filipino leaders

IFI News

• World Bank Report “Progress toward sustainable energy”
• IMF researchers find no evidence that deregulation works

Call to action

• ACT NOW! Iranian regime persecutes trade unionists … again!
• ACT NOW! Trade unionists in Swaziland under attack
• Trade Union leaders in Burma have been jailed for asking for a $1 pay rise

Focus on trade unionists

• Radio Labour Interview with Sharan Burrow - General-Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
• Labour Migration: What are the experiences from Nepal?

Events

• Global Labour University course ‘Workers Right in a Global Economy’ international course
• ETUI/DGB ‘Online campaigning for trade unions’ international course
• ENGAGE Programme: GLU and FES training course

TUC News

Nepal earthquake appeal

The TUC is requesting affiliates, union members and the general public to make donations to the appeals set up by the Nepal Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Global Unions (UNI, PSI, BWI and EI), GEFONT, the Disasters Emergency Committee and the British Red Cross to help victims of the Earthquake in Nepal.

Read the ITUC statement calling for Gulf States to allow Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to return home to Nepal.

TUC Aid update- Bangladesh: Training Women to Take Leadership Roles in Garment Unions

Since December, TUC Aid has been supporting the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh to run a women’s leadership development programme. Read about the programme here . Watch the UDITA (ARISE) documentary about the struggles that women trade unionists in the NGWF have faced in Bangladesh over the last five years.

TUC Aid supporting trade union women's leadership in Tunisia

TUC Aid is helping to finance a training programme for women trade unionists in Tunisia through their trade union centre the UGTT. Aware of the lack of women representatives higher up in the UGTT, the organisation is taking affirmative action.

Read the full report here

TUC AID update: Peru project sets up potential for progress

TUC Aid’s project to develop trade union strength in Peru’s thriving agricultural exports industry, where the harsh realities of supply chains and squeezed profit margins leave workers vulnerable to poor wages and inadequate health & safety, has finished with challenges remaining but positive progress in place. 

Read more here

TUC condemns constant interferences in the affairs of the FESTU by the Minister of Labour in Somalia

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady, has written to the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia to express growing concern over the recurrent problem of constant interferences by the Minister of Labour in the affairs of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU).

Other International News

Inaction Replay: Qatar Reannounces Unkept Promise

The re-announcement one year on, of the Qatari government’s intention to abolish its kafala migrant worker system, comes with all the same flaws as last year. Read the TUC’s StrongerUnions blog here. See photos of Qatar's ambassador to the UK refusal to accept a letter from campaigners asking to protect lives of World Cup workers, as part of a protest outside the Qatar embassy in London on Workers' Memorial Day on 28 April.

Rana Plaza two years on: progress but no hiding from massive task ahead

24 April would be two years since the Rana Plaza collapse, killing more than 1,100 workers and injuring thousands more. The labour movement and its NGO partners are calling on the garment industry to show that it has the leadership to stay the course and change the global supply chain permanently. Read more here

Read the StrongerUnions blog emphasising union rights and compensation as the immediate priorities for the factory workers in Bangladesh.

Education awards go to Iraqi and Filipino leaders

Education International has named two teacher union leaders from Iraq and the Philippines to be awarded human rights and education prizes for their outstanding commitment, engagement and courage in promoting education for all. The awards will be presented at EI's 7th World Congress this July in Ottawa, Canada.

Read more here

IFI News

IMF researchers find no evidence that deregulation works

Researchers of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not find evidence that deregulatory labour market reforms have a positive impact in increasing economies’ growth potential. This conclusion was drawn in the preparations for the April 2015 edition of its World Economic Output (WEO) report

Read more here

World Bank Report “Progress toward sustainable energy”

This is the second report in a series that tracks the world’s progress toward the goal of achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030 and looks specifically at the period 2010 to 2012.

Call to action

ACT NOW! Iranian regime persecutes trade unionists … again!

Labour activists in Iran have once again found themselves the target of persecution for exercising their legal and rightful trade union activities. Act now and join the global e-protest calling on the Iranian government to release Davood Razavi and Ebrahim Madadi from the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company in Iran.

ACT NOW! Trade unionists in Swaziland under attack

Take action and call on the Swazi government to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners in Swaziland including; the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement Mario Masuku and the party’s youth leader, Maxwell Dlamini who are subjected to arbitrary detention. Swazi human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and journalist Bheki Makhubu received a two year sentence for writing articles critical of the lack of independence in the judiciary.

Listen to the RadioLabour interview with Vincent Ncongwane the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA).

Trade Union leaders in Burma have been jailed for asking for a $1 pay rise

Naing Htay Lwin and Myo Min Min are two union leaders who were arrested for organising protests calling for a pay rise of $1 a day. They were arrested under a repressive law which bans protest without government permission. Please take action by writing to U Win Mra, the chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Council, to call for their immediate release and all remaining political prisoners in Burma.

Focus on trade unionists

Radio Labour Interview with Sharan Burrow - General-Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

In her May Day interview with RadioLabour the General-Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Sharan Burrow, says the world needs a new business model. She looks back at the struggles of the past year and sets the agenda for the year ahead.

Labour Migration: What are the experiences from Nepal?

One of the ILO’s predominant concerns since its inception has been with the protection of migrant workers. In this interview, Binda Pandey, Member of governing council of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT)) explains the challenges related to the implementation of the ILO Fair Migration Agenda. Ms. Pandey also highlights the experiences from Nepal about the protection of migrant workers. (This interview took place a month before the devastating Earthquake in April).

Events

Global Labour University course ‘Workers Right in a Global Economy’ international course

1 June 2015

The Global Labour University is launching a free Massive Open Online Course on "Workers Rights in a Global Economy".  Starting on 1 June 2015, the six weeks online course open to trade unionists, will discuss what Global Workers' Rights are and which instruments and strategies can be used to implement them. Course details here

ETUI/DGB ‘Online campaigning for trade unions’ international course

Hattingen, Germany, 

24-26 June

LabourStart, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in partnership with the German national trade union centre (DGB) have a course entitled "Online campaigning for trade unions" to be held in Hattingen, Germany from 24-26 June and is open to European trade unionists.

Details of how to enrol and details of the course are here (page 53)

ENGAGE Programme: GLU and FES training course

Johannesburg, South Africa

October – November

The Global Labour University (GLU) offers a training programme for labour activists and trade unionists from Africa, Asia, South and North America and Europe from the beginning of October to the end of November, 2015 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon successful completion of the training programme, participants will receive a short-course certificate of competence.

Further course information is here