213/981007/DD

Brussels October 7 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): An ICFTU delegation met with Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority at the beginning of this week.

During the meeting ICFTU Assistant General Secretary Eddy Laurijssen, who led the delegation, stressed the importance of independent and democratic trade unions in Palestine, both as part of the Peace Process and also because of their value in ensuring the harmonious economic and social development of the country. Mr Arafat gave his personal backing for strengthening these unions. He also called on the delegation to put more pressure on governments, particularly in the European Union, to step up their efforts for unblocking the stalled peace process.

Eddy Laurijssen urged the PNA to speed up work on a Labour Code, based on ILO Conventions, and to support the local trade union, the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)'s efforts to build up a strong, effective trade union structure to promote the rights of Palestinian workers.

The delegation included members of ICFTU affiliated organisations from Europe, Canada, the United States and Israel, as well as from the International Trade Secretariats. The delegation had discussions with the PGFTU on international trade union cooperation programmes and attended a three-day workshop on the development of export processing zones in Gaza and the West Bank. The ICFTU's Middle East Coordinating Committee is currently reviewing the trade union situation in the Arab region, including the ICFTU's work.

The meeting also discussed the huge problem of unemployment and poverty effecting large sections of the population, and the consequences of the repeated closures of the border between Israel and the Palestinian territories. This is causing workers massive losses of income, and is leading to a very unstable situation.