International Development Matters - Issue 162 March 2017
| International Development Matters |
| Issue number 162 March 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: Disability Aid Abroad - 2016 report TUC Aid: Human and trade union rights in Somalia Get ready for International Women’s Day Turkey: dismissed teachers receive international support Global union and Qatar World Cup committee group hold first joint inspection in Qatar The World Bank and the IMF in 2016: year in review The UK’s PPPs Disaster: Lessons on private finance for the rest of the world Do values still matter in the Europe-Africa partnership? ACT NOW! Tell Fresh fruit giant Fyffes to stop bashing workers’ rights ACT NOW! Nicaragua: Stop criminalizing labour protest, drop the charges ACT NOW! Philippines: Stop victimising union leaders at luxury Peninsula Manila hotel RadioLabour World Report 13-17 February 2017 Cuba Solidarity campaign events Trump’s US, Venezuela & the New Latin America – ‘Regime Change’ up the agenda? TUC NEWSTUC Aid: Disability Aid Abroad - 2016 reportOne of TUC Aid's longest standing partners is the Northern Ireland based Disability Aid Abroad, which also works closely with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The Disability Champions International Programme continued in 2016 in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. The programme was delivered by African trade union disability champions previously trained by ICTU/TUC affiliates. Read the annual project report for 2016 here TUC Aid: Human and trade union rights in SomaliaTUC Aid and the Trade Union Unit Trust (TUUT) are 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 the report here OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWSGet ready for International Women’s DayWith 8 March less than a week away, IndustriALL Global Union affiliates are getting ready to celebrate International Women’s Day. See what is being planned internationally here Breakthrough in Bangladesh as unionists and garment workers are freed following international pressureAn international campaign to support Bangladesh’s trade unions in the face of a government crackdown has won key concessions. The majority of the 35 Bangladeshi unionists and garment workers arrested since December last year have been released, and the remaining should be released shortly. This follows a global campaign led by IndustriALL and UNI Global Union against the Bangladesh government’s crackdown on the labour movement. Read more here and watch a short video by IndustriALL showing how successful the campaign was. Turkey: dismissed teachers receive international supportA 15-strong delegation led and organised by Education International (EI) and its European regional office (ETUCE) has travelled to Turkey to show support to its members on the ground and condemn the political repression and unruly dismissals of thousands of teachers by the government. Read more here Global union and Qatar World Cup committee group hold first joint inspection in QatarThe first joint inspections on 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar projects have been carried out by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), the global trade union for construction workers. A number of BWI representatives travelled to Doha in February to undertake the first of several joint inspections planned for 2017. The agreement is initially in effect for one year. For more information, click here IFI NEWSThe World Bank and the IMF in 2016: year in reviewThe Bretton Woods Project has released their latest review of the most important developments at the World Bank and IMF in 2016. Read the review here The UK’s PPPs Disaster: Lessons on private finance for the rest of the worldOne of the sources of burgeoning debt of developing countries are the particularly worrying Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). PPPs are being pushed on developing countries by northern governments (including the UK) and IFIs as the new preferred method for funding public services and infrastructure. Jubilee Debt Campaign has launched a briefing for international civil society audiences and decision makers about the hugely unpopular record of PPPs in the UK. Do values still matter in the Europe-Africa partnership?On paper, Europe has always set the bar high with dazzling declarations and strategies in relation to Africa that strongly stress the importance of democracy, governance and human rights agendas. More than ever before in these insecure and volatile times, the EU seems to have increasing difficulties to practice what it preaches. Read more here CALLS TO ACTIONACT NOW! Tell Fresh fruit giant Fyffes to stop bashing workers’ rightsThe Freedom and Fairness for Fyffes Workers campaign is supported by a global alliance of civil society organisations and trade unions, and is calling on Fyffes to establish and implement a global company wide policy to ensure the respect of workers’ rights throughout its supply chains, including the freedom of workers to join an independent trade union and for Fyffes to recognise and engage in collective bargaining with unions. Over 6000 people have already signed an email to Fyffes chairman, David McCann, in support of the campaign. Please continue to take action and call on Fyffes to end the discrimination now. ACT NOW! Nicaragua: Stop criminalizing labour protest, drop the chargesThe 12 workers at the Korean-owned SAE-A TEcnotex factory in Nicaragua that were awaiting sentencing for protesting against the dismissal of union representatives, received their sentences on 16 December. The union leaders to two years, the others to one-year house arrest. All of them have their political rights suspended and cannot leave the country. They cannot work and lose their current employment. Continued support is vitally important! Please take time to sign the action now. ACT NOW! Philippines: Stop victimising union leaders at luxury Peninsula Manila hotelManagement of the luxury Peninsula Manila Hotel continues its retaliatory attacks on IUF member unions for their involvement in the IUF's Global Housekeepers Campaign and for effectively representing their members at the hotel. Tell management of the Manila Peninsula to reinstate Jenny Marcos, stop harassing Cesar Pagaling and Francisco Aliansas and negotiate in good faith with the NUWHRAIN unions at the hotel. FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTSEqual Times report: Teachers’ unions call controversial for-profit education firm to account in KenyaMany countries in the Global South have education systems in crisis. School places are oversubscribed, teachers are overworked and underpaid, while school infrastructures and facilities are inadequate and under-resourced. Read the efforts made by teacher unions shining a light on the increasing commercialisation and privatisation of education in Kenya and other countries by private sector funders, IFIs and governments. RadioLabour World Report 13-17 February 2017The RadioLabour World Report for the week 13-17 February 2017 is available online and features these stories:
Listen to the report here (10 minutes) EVENTSCuba Solidarity campaign eventsDates throughout March 2017 See a selection of events and public meetings being organised by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign group. Click here for the listings of what’s happening around the country in the month of March. VSC Event: Trump’s US, Venezuela & the New Latin America – ‘Regime Change’ up the agenda?Saturday 11 March, 11.00am-5.00pm ITF Building, 49-60 Borough Road, London, SE1 1DR The current situation regarding Venezuela and progress in Latin America more widely is very serious, especially with the election of Donald Trump as US President and the resurgence of the Right in the region. This event hosted by the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign will take an in-depth look at the current situation in different countries, the regional context and the threats facing progressive change. For more information and Registration click here - Invite Friends on Facebook here |
The person responsible for the e-bulletin is:
Tanya Warlock
Tel 0207 467 1307
E: twarlock@tuc.org.uk
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