ICFTU ONLINE...
240/981030/DD
October 26 - 30
Brussels October 30 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.
ICFTU keeps up pressure for Pinochet extradition: The ICFTU wrote to the UK government suggesting that it could play a historic role in ensuring that crimes against humanity were punished, if it agreed to the extradition of the former Chilean dictator to Spain. In a letter to Home Secretary Jack Straw, ICFTU General Secretary said that "The United Kingdom's status as one of the original signatories of the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal places historic responsibilities on HM's Government", particularly as the "London Agreement" of 8 August 1945 on the prosecution and punishment of major war criminals established the principle of universal jurisdiction for the repression of crimes against humanity. However, at the end of the week, the UK High Court granted General Pinochet diplomatic immunity, much to the disgust of trade unionists and human rights campaigners worldwide (OnLine: 230).
October 30: Day of Action for Young Workers' Rights: The ICFTU and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) held a joint initiative in 100 countries worldwide for the Youth Action Day, to ensure that young workers get their rights. In all continents the ICFTU and IUSY have joined forces to organise demonstrations, seminars, and media campaigns encouraging young workers to join the labour movement. In the long term the ICFTU and IUSY are demanding that unions increase their efforts to organise workers across borders, and that employers and governments recognise basic labour standards. The ICFTU and FIET have launched their "Youth" pages on their websites for young workers and Trade Union World carries a special survey on young workers.
ICFTU protests against Philippine anti-trade union legislation. The ICFTU has protested to the President about legislation which would prohibit strikes, pickets, and lockouts in essential industries during National Emergencies, and which is currently before the Congress. It would temporarily ban strikes in a broad range of industries such as transport, manufacturing and food related industries, and is contrary to the definition of essential industries or services as defined by the Supervisory Bodies of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which says that strikes should only be prohibited in services the interruption of which could endanger the life, personal safety or health of whole or part of the population. The ICFTU has asked the President to intervene to ensure that the Bill is withdrawn and that industrial relations are in line with international labour standards.
Costa Rica: Symposium on 50 years of Convention 87: ORIT, the ICFTU's organisation for the Americas organised a symposium on the 50th Anniversary of Convention 87 jointly with the ILO and the ICFTU-affiliated Costa Rica trade union centre, the CTRN. The symposium was organised to put back trade union and human rights in the centre of the debate about globalisation at a time when the growth of the market, and consumerism have pushed other considerations aside. Among the issues debated were human rights are trade union rights, globalisation and workers' rights, democracy and trade union freedom in Latin America.
Caribbean Congress of Labour: The CCL held their congress this week, and elected their new General Secretary Georges de Peena. At the congress they discussed the trade union response to the world economic crisis, and agreed that they would strengthen their links with the trade union movement in the countries of Latin America.
Djibouti: The government of Djibouti has contacted its the transport sections of its trade union centres - the UDT (an ICFTU affiliate), and the UGTD - with a government directive demanding that they both organise new elections for union personnel. This is in contravention of ILO Convention 87 which grants unions the exclusive right to organise their own internal elections, and the ICFTU has written to President Hassan Gouled Aptidon to protest. The ICFTU will be submitting a complaint to the ILO if the government does not allow the unions to organise their own elections.
Pakistan: Lockout at Ghazi Barotha Project: The ICFTU and the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers have jointly written to the Pakistan Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif concerning the lockout of the workers at the Ghazi Barotha Hydel Power Project. The Project is being built by a consortium of companies of which Impregilo, an Italian company is one of the major partners. The international trade union organisations learned from the All Pakistan Federation of Labour that following months of difficult negotiations after the Awami labour union had submitted a charter of their demands to the Ghazi Barotha Contractors, the company locked out the workers, with the help of the police. 5000 workers are currently out of work. The ICFTU and the IFBWW have asked the Prime Minister to intervene to resolve the situation
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