ICFTU ONLINE...
226/981023/DD
October 17 - 23
Brussels October 23 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): The following is a summary of main trade union news for the last week. The numbers at the end of the paragraphs refer to the relevant issue of ICFTU OnLine.
Caribbean Congress of Labour - ICFTU General Secretary spoke to the CCL Triennial Congress this week, and referred to the part played by the CCL in developing the trade union role in the Lomé Convention, and in the Caribbean Basin Initiative. He stressed the ICFTU belief that globalisation needs to consider the needs of people, and that if governments are to mould globalisation into a force which enables people to achieve their aspiration, they must be able to secure their right to have a say on their terms and conditions of employment.
Montenegro Congress: The importance of peace in the region, the need for reform of the Montenegrin political system, and the importance of education for trade union development were three main themes at the Confederation of Independent Trade Union of Montenegro's Annual Congress on October 15/16 in Cetinje. Delegates to the Congress visited the new trade union school at Kotor, which will be completed by the end of this year. The school has been built with contributions from the international trade union movement, including German, French and Italian trade unions, as well as from the ICFTU, and a number of union organisations are planning to help to organise seminars in the centre (OnLine 223).
Arrest of General Pinochet: The ICFTU is considering bringing a civil action against the former dictator, and would do everything in its power to ensure that justice took its course so that the General is made to answer for his crimes before the courts. The ICFTU's action of "suing for civil injury" would be based on the very serious physical, moral and financial damage suffered by the Chilean and international trade union movement during the dictatorship. Trade unionists were one of the groups of civil society targetted during the dictatorship. The ICFTU is supporting the initiatives of its Spanish affiliates, the UGT and the CCOO which are putting pressure on the Spanish government to deliver an extradition order to the courts. (OnLine 222)
Colombian union Vice-President assassinated. Jorge Ortega, the Vice President of CUT, Colombia was murdered by an unidentified gunman on October 20. He was shot in the head in front of his house in Bogota, and his murder seem to be linked directly to an indefinite strike of public service employees, now in its third week. He and a CUT colleague Domingo Tobar Arrieta had fled the country earlier this year after having received death threats. On his return to Colombia in September, these were renewed. The ICFTU has asked its affiliates to protest to the Colombian embassies in their country. (OnLine 224)
AFRO Executive endorses child labour proposal. The ICFTU-AFRO Executive, which met this week in Nairobi, endorsed a proposal to ensure that ICFTU-AFRO is fully involved in activities aimed at eliminating child labour and called on affiliates to pressure their governments to ratify ILO Convention 138 on Minimum Age for Employment.
Arrest of Korean Trade Union leader: Dan Byung-ho, President of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation, and Vice President of the KCTU was violently arrested by the South Korean police on October 19. The ICFTU has written to the Korean President Kim Dae-jung demanding his immediate and unconditional release, and the release of all other trade unionists who remain in prison. They are also demanding that the Korean labour law be revised to bring it into conformity with international convention, and the beginning of tripartite negotiations between unions, business and government to see solutions to the country's social and economic crisis. The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) is also raising the issue of Korea's trade union rights with the OECD employment committee meeting this week in Paris, and trade unions worldwide have written to President Kim Dae-jung demanding Dan Byung-ho's release.
ICFTU's Women's Committee hold public protest over death of female asylum seeking. The Women's Committee demonstrated in front of the "Office des Etrangers", in Brussels this week to show its solidarity with Semira Adamu, the Nigerian asylum seeker who died in September, while being forcibly repatriated by the Belgian authorities. During its meeting, the Women's Committee, decided that it was important to physically show their support for the young woman asylum seeker. In 1997, Belgium carried out 3,863 repatriations, 295 of which took place "exceptionally" under escort by the gendarmerie, as in the case of Sémira.
E-mail Bulletin for Central and Eastern European Trade Unions: The ICFTU has just created an OnLine Bulletin on trade union rights for unions in Central and Eastern Europe. This electronic network, which will be used for the delivery of an information bulletin is co-ordinated by the CEE Unit of ICFTU and the ICFTU office in Sofia, and is available in English and Russian. ICFTU affiliates in the countries concerned are encouraged to send messages relating to protection of trade union rights in their organisations or countries to be included in the bulletin.
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