International Development Matters - Issue 155 July 2016
| International Development Matters |
| Issue number 155 July 2016 |
| IDM - Monthly newsletter reporting international development matters and issues affecting trade unionists around the world. Including reports, statements, interviews and events. |
TUC Aid: Building support for just transition in Bangladesh
TUC Aid project update: Supporting employment rights of disabled people in Ethiopia
TUC Aid and ETI improving the conditions of women textile workers in South India
UK trade union delegations to Palestine and Israel
IndustriALL condemns assassination of union leader in Guatemala
Sri Lanka: thousands protest against anti-union discrimination at FTZs
Justice at last for Tazreen fire victims
HIV/AIDS information for seafarers in new ITF wellbeing app
Jobs and wage concerns top G20 Labour Ministers’ agenda, G20 leaders must drive action
World Bank should uphold ILO standards in new labour safeguard
World Bank and AIIB sign joint co-financing agreement
The Bretton Woods Project publishes new briefing - The IMF and Gender Equality: A Critical Analysis
ACT NOW: Malaysia: SFI must stop stalling and recognise the union now
ACT NOW! Peruvian agro-export company TALSA dismisses whole union committee
The realization of decent work in Global supply chains: ILO’s role is recognized
Radio Labour news update: Further hardship for Turkish unions after coup attempt?
World Teachers' Day: Teachers will not be silenced
Want to run a half marathon for Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign?
TUC NEWS
TUC Aid: Building support for just transition in Bangladesh
TUC Aid has agreed to fund a project run by the Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (BOSHE) Foundation to raise awareness of ‘just transition’, the idea that the transition to a low or no carbon economy must be based on principles of social justice and involvement of trade unions.
Read more here
TUC Aid project update: Supporting employment rights of disabled people in Ethiopia
Following the launch of the employment support programme for disabled people in Ethiopia, the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) is developing a draft programme of activities including training workshops in close collaboration with Disability Aid Abroad (DAA).
Read more here
TUC Aid and ETI improving the conditions of women textile workers in South India
TUC Aid funds granted to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) are being used to fund a trade union coordinator for the ETI programme to improve the condition of women in the textile sector in Tamil Nadu, South India.
Read more here
UK trade union delegations to Palestine and Israel
A TUC General Council delegation to Palestine and Israel took place from 31 January to 3 February 2016. The findings of the delegation support existing TUC policy. In April 2016 UNISON sent a delegation to Palestine and Israel. This report highlights some of the key issues that were raised by the organisations UNISON met with, and focuses on the occupation, workers’ rights and some of the projects UNISON supports.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
IndustriALL condemns assassination of union leader in Guatemala
The Guatemalan trade union leader, Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambiento, died after being hit by five bullets. IndustriALL condemns the killing and calls on the government to intervene to stop the persecution of trade unions and social movements in the country.
Sri Lanka: thousands protest against anti-union discrimination at FTZs
More than 3,000 members of independent trade unions in Sri Lanka demonstrated against severe anti-union discrimination in Free Trade Zones (FTZs) in the country.
Read more here
Justice at last for Tazreen fire victims
Compensation payments to the victims of the Tazreen Fashions fire in Bangladesh have finally been completed. More than a hundred people were killed and around 200 injured in the garment factory disaster in Ashulia on 24 November 2012.
Read more here
HIV/AIDS information for seafarers in new ITF wellbeing app
ITF have recently produced a free app to provide the basic facts on HIV/AIDS – how it is transmitted, what the symptoms are, how people can prevent being infected and what treatment is available. It also gives examples of workers who have challenged the stigma around the disease, and sets out what international and national rights a HIV-positive worker has.
The free app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
IFI NEWS
Jobs and wage concerns top G20 Labour Ministers’ agenda, G20 leaders must drive action
G20 Labour Ministers meeting in Beijing earlier in July committed to better align wages with productivity and reduce the wage gap – which has been widening across G20 economies. Ministers also committed to strengthen compliance with and coverage of minimum wages and promote collective bargaining. They reiterated past commitments to reduce gender and youth employment gaps.
Read more here
World Bank should uphold ILO standards in new labour safeguard
The World Bank's updated Environmental and Social Framework, a draft of which will be considered by the Bank's executive board on 4 August, introduces a new labour standard that would, for the first time, require borrowing countries to comply with some basic workers' rights and labour conditions in Bank-funded projects.
Read more here
World Bank and AIIB sign joint co-financing agreement
The World Bank has signed a co-financing agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, while former Bank staff join the new institution.
Read more here
The Bretton Woods Project publishes new briefing - The IMF and Gender Equality: A Critical Analysis
The briefing provides a critical perspective of the IMF's latest work on gender equality, in particular its recent focus on female labour force participation. It argues the sustainability of Fund's new approach to gender equality is in question and reveals that the Fund's analysis so far is limited and inconsistent with the full achievement of women's economic empowerment.
CALLS TO ACTION
ACT NOW! Malaysia: SFI must stop stalling and recognise the union now
Members of the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU) working at one of Malaysia's largest timber companies, Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), continue to struggle to have their union recognised. On 3 March 2015 the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources demanded SFI recognise the union, a decision that the Sabah High Court affirmed on 27th June 2016 by dismissing a recent judicial review of that decision. However the SFI is gearing up to appeal the Review. Take action and put pressure on SFI, telling them not to appeal the judicial review and demanding they #RecogniseSTIEU now!
ACT NOW! Peruvian agro-export company TALSA dismisses whole union committee
All nine members of the executive committee of the SITETSA (Sindicato De Trabajadores Empresa Talsa) union were sacked in February this year by their employers, the agribusiness company TALSA in Peru. Two former union members were also dismissed. Please sign Banana Link’s online action to the General Manager of TALSA calling on them to reinstate the sacked workers and begin renegotiation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTS
The realization of decent work in Global supply chains: ILO’s role is recognized
The President of the Workers’ Group, Luc Cortebeeck, looks back over the results of the 105th Session of the International Labour Conference, and reflects in particular on ILO’s role in the realization of decent work in global supply chains. Mr Cortebeeck also sets out the position of the Workers’ Group on the cases of violations of international labour standards, the subject of decent work for peace and resilience and the impact of the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization.
Read the interview here
Radio Labour news update: Further hardship for Turkish unions after coup attempt?
Concerns are growing that the Turkish government which has just recently survived a coup attempt by elements of the military will use the crisis to crack down even harder on labour unions.
Read the Script or Download the broadcast directly
EVENTS
World Teachers' Day: Teachers will not be silenced
Wednesday 5 October from 6-9pm
NUT HQ Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD
The NUT and Amnesty International UK (AIUK) are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of refugees, students and teachers in the South East of Turkey where since October 2015, serious violations of human and trade union rights have been taking place. Therefore, they are holding an event for World Teachers’ Day based on the theme Teachers will not be silenced. The event will be followed by an informal reception with refreshments and cultural activities.
For more information and to register, click here
Want to run a half marathon for Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign?
Sunday 9 October, Hyde Park
The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon is one of the most scenic city runs in the world and takes place on Sunday 9th October. Starting and finishing in Hyde Park, the beautiful 13.1 mile route races through Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James's Park and offers runners magnificent views of some of the capital's most iconic landmarks. You would need to pay half the entry fee (you'd pay £65 - tbc) and aim to raise £350 in sponsorship. Last year the average raised was well over this.
Full details and to register are here
Tanya Warlock
Tel 0207 467 1307
E: twarlock@tuc.org.uk
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