International Development Matters - Issue number 156 August 2016
| International Development Matters |
| Issue number 156 August 2016 |
| IDM - Monthly newsletter reporting international development matters and issues affecting trade unionists around the world. Including reports, statements, interviews and events. |
TUC Aid Supports Women Trade Unionists in Nicaragua
TUC backs Brazilian trade unions’ struggle for justice
Trade Unions & NGOs Empowering workers and unions in Africa
IndustriAll condemns death threats to Colombian trade unionist
Rio Olympics safety record under spotlight
Mass dismissal of fast food workers in the fight for health care in Indonesia
Women trade union leaders in South East Asia develop gender equality and advocacy skills
Trade unions call on G20 leaders to boost the wage share of national income
World Bank adopts new social-environmental safeguards policy
ACT NOW! Ecuador government threatens to shut down teachers' union
TAKE ACTION! Avon must stop union-busting in Turkey
TAKE ACTION - Ask LIDL to play fair!
ILO interview - Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Bahrain
ILO interview - Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Indonesia
London Labour Film Festival 2016
NLCSC Cine Cuba film screenings
NUT and AIUK World Teachers’ Day: Teachers will not be silenced
TUC NEWS
TUC Aid Supports Women Trade Unionists in Nicaragua
TUC Aid continues to support the CTCP union, which organises self-employed workers in Nicaragua, in their work to recruit more women to the union and to encourage woman members to take up leadership positions.
Read more here
TUC backs Brazilian trade unions’ struggle for justice
The TUC is backing trade unions in Brazil in their struggle for justice and against the right-wing government’s huge programme of privatisations and cuts in education, health and other social programmes.
Read more here
Trade Unions & NGOs Empowering workers and unions in Africa
Between 2013 and 2016, Banana Link worked with General Agricultural Workers Union of Ghana (GAWU), the Fako Agricultural Workers Union (FAWU) in Cameroon and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) to educate workers about their rights and to empower union representatives to secure decent working conditions on banana and pineapple plantations in Cameroon and Ghana.
Watch the video capturing project impact and download a copy of the education manual produced as part of the project.
OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS
IndustriAll condemns death threats to Colombian trade unionist
Global union federation, IndustriAll, condemns the latest murder threat to trade union leader Rodolfo Vecino Acevedo of Colombia’s oil workers’ union, USO. The death threat, from paramilitary group Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, comes at a time when the country has signed a historic peace agreement between the Government and paramilitary group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) after years of negotiations.
Read more here
Rio Olympics safety record under spotlight
Although there has been much media attention to the possible dangers to athletes posed by Zika and the high levels of pollution in some of the swimming arenas, less has been said about the appalling legacy that had led to the deaths and injuries of workers during construction of the Rio Olympic facilities between January 2013 and March 2016.
Read more here
Mass dismissal of fast food workers in the fight for health care in Indonesia
Last month the national hotel and restaurant workers' federation, FSPM, held a mass action in Jakarta to demand the reinstatement of 83 union members who were terminated by one of the country's leading fast food chains, PT Champ Resto Indonesia, for protesting against the lack of health coverage that contributed to the death of a new-born baby.
Read more here
Women trade union leaders in South East Asia develop gender equality and advocacy skills
Training in gender equality and advocacy was held for women trade union leaders in Indonesia and the Philippines. Training is also scheduled for Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.
Read more here
IFI NEWS
Trade unions call on G20 leaders to boost the wage share of national income
World leaders will meet for the September G20 Summit in Hangzhou China as growth in the global economy contracts and the wage share of national income continues to fall. Read the Labour 20 Statement to the G20 Summit setting out six steps for world leaders to build the global economy for all workers and their families.
Read more here
World Bank adopts new social-environmental safeguards policy
The World Bank’s executive board has adopted a new safeguards policy after nearly four years of preparation and consultations. The new policy will include, for the first time, a comprehensive labour safeguard specifying workers’ rights and working conditions that must be respected in Bank-financed projects, but it does not include references to ILO standards, a weakness that the ITUC criticised in this statement and in this blog.
CALLS TO ACTION
ACT NOW! Ecuador government threatens to shut down teachers' union
The teachers' union UNE of Ecuador (Unión Nacional de Educadores) is facing the threat of being shut down as the Ministry of Education has initiated proceedings for the union's legal dissolution. According to UNE, the Ecuadorean government is seeking to dissolve the union in retaliation for the public statements made at the ILO Conference and the UN Human Rights Committee this year.
Take action and share the action here
TAKE ACTION! Avon must stop union-busting in Turkey
The union busting antics experienced by workers at the Avon warehouse in Gebze industrial zone in Turkey had led to serious complaints from workers about the unfavourable working conditions. AVON’s recent official subcontractor at the warehouse, urged workers to sign new contracts which would further deteriorate their working conditions and personal rights. With repercussions for those refusing to sign the new contracts.
Read more and in solidarity sign the action here
TAKE ACTION - Ask LIDL to play fair!
Lidl is one out of nine supermarket giants in the UK. But when it comes to responsibility on banana and pineapple plantations, Lidl has to play fair. Take the Banana Link action and call on LIDL to play fair throughout the supply chain – from the field to the supermarket shelf, asking them to pay fair prices and respect human and labour rights!
FOCUS ON TRADE UNIONISTS
ILO interview - Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Bahrain
Hasan Alhalwachi, General Secretary of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) explains the challenges of Global Supply Chains in Bahrain and how Trade Unions can implement decent work in global supply chains.
Watch the video here (Duration 2:27)
ILO interview - Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Indonesia
Eduard Parsaulian Marpaung, deputy-President of the Confederation of Indonesia Prosperity Trade Union (KSBSI) explains the challenges of Global Supply Chains in Indonesia.
Watch the video here (Duration 3 mins)
EVENTS
London Labour Film Festival 2016
22-24 September 2016
Art House Crouch End, 159A Tottenham Lane, London, N8 9BT
The London Labour Film Festival 22-24th September 2016 returns to the beautiful Art House Cinema, Crouch End. Please join them for another intimate celebration of working class life from around the world on the big screen.
Full film listings and tickets here
NLCSC Cine Cuba film screenings
Monday 26 September 2016, 7.30pm
The Calthorpe Arms (upstairs), 252 Grays Inn, Rd, WC1X 8JR
Free entry, but donations welcome
Cine Cuba is a monthly film club, generally held on the last Monday of the month and organised by North London Cuba Solidarity Campaign (NLCSC), showing films from or about Cuba, the Revolution and the society, politics, history and culture. Next screening date 26 September.
Check here for details of the latest film listing
NUT and AIUK World Teachers’ Day: Teachers will not be silenced
Wednesday 5 October 2016, 6.00pm – 9.00pm
NUT HQ, Hamilton House, London, WC1H 9BD
Free event
The National Union of Teachers (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.
For more information and to register, click here
The person responsible for the e-bulletin is:
Tanya Warlock
Tel 0207 467 1357
E: twarlock@tuc.org.uk
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