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Victory for the undocumented immigrant workers with the CGT in France |
Press Communiqué of the UITBB
30th of June 2010
For three years in the Paris region, the CGT has been supporting a mass struggle of undocumented immigrant workers to obtain their regularization. After numerous initiatives, site occupations, hunger strikes, and other actions, 6700 of them decided on the 12th October 2009 to stop working and to occupy business offices and construction sites.The strike lasted eight months. During this period, the government continuously ordered the evacuation of those sites by the police. However, thanks to the support of the CGT, of humanitarian associations, of numerous artists, including filmmakers, and of the public, the workers always re-occupied new sites. Since the National Action Day of 27 May 2009, they occupied night and day the stairs in front of the Opera Bastille in Paris. Faced with such determination and such support, the government had to yield and modify on 18 June 2010 its circular letter of November 2009.
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News on struggles and actions in Latin America |
Consulte el Boletín 148 del 16 de julio 2010 publicado por la Secretaría de la Federación Sindical Mundial para las Américas pulsando en el número. Puede también pulsar en Publicaciones sindicales para consultar las publicaciones anteriores.
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APFUTU VOICES 11 DEMANDS TO PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT |
PRESS RELEASE
Dated: 21. June, 2010
Today a meeting of the Executives of APFUTU and Brick Kiln Industries labour unions was held in Imtiaz Labour Hall, Gujrat under the chairmanship of brother Choudhry Salman Riaz (lawyer), President of the All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions (APFUTU). The meeting concluded with a set of urgent demands addressed to the Government of Pakistan:
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ILO STANDARDS COMMITTEE HAS TAKEN COLOMBIA OFF THE LIST OF HR VIOLATORS! |
 During the mandate of President Alvaro Uribe close to 600 trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia. Not to mention abductions, threats and violations of people's integrity. Can there be any doubt about the existence of blatant human rights violations and the non respect for freedom of association in this country?
The Secretariat of the Trades Union International of Workers in the Building, Wood, Building Materials and Allied Industries (UITBB) fully backs the position taken by the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in the Committee on the Applications of Standards of the International Labour Organisation, in refusing to accept the exemption of Colombia from the list of 25 countries where human rights are being violated.
We consider that all those who supported this decision are accomplices in the crimes and attacks on the trade union officials of the class-based movement in Colombia.
Unfortunately, ITUC has once again aligned itself fully with the government and employers of Colombia, thus excusing the murderers of Colombian workers and trade union officials, indeed at a time when the killings are continuing.
The UITBB, in view of these developments, calls on all its member organisations to take a corresponding position.
The Secretariat
17th June 2010
Officials of the Central Confederation of Workers of Colombia (CUT), have declared in March 2010 that "60% of trade unionists murdered worldwide are Colombians." According to the CUT, from 1986, the year in which this trade union was founded and March 2010, a total of 2721 trade unionists had been assassinated and since 1909, when unionism emerged in Colombia, the killings total 3907.
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12th of June - ILO World Day against Child Labour |
Red card to Child Labour is ILO 2010 campaign to eliminate child labour
On this ILO World Day against Child Labour, the UITBB calls for compliance with ILO conventions, namely the Convention nº 182 on the worst forms of child labour (1999) and the Convention nº 138 on minimum age (1973). The UITBB also underlines, as the UITBB Women’s Commission meeting reiterated in Bamako, capital of Mali, in May 2010, that the improvement of the situation of children and of the condition of women implies the reduction to a minimum of informal labour, a type of labour that the UITBB Women’s Commission considers a key factor in the exploitation of women. Indeed, informal labour thwarts compliance with ILO conventions and limits the possibilities to unionise labourers, particularly in the case of women and child labourers. Yet, improving the situation of women and their working conditions improves the standards of living of all, families and society as a whole. The recent crisis has affected many male dominated industries, and has indeed put numerous men out of job. Hence women have taken a very active part in sustaining the family income and insured the economic viability of their home. Moreover, it should be recalled that a woman whose activity yields her a decent income is also a mother who puts her children to school and not to work.
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Ark Tribe must not be sent to jail! |
 As UITBB affiliates and supporter unions will be aware, an Australian construction worker named Ark Tribe will be facing trial for three days beginning on June 15.
His so-called 'crime' is to refuse to go to a secret compulsory interrogation by the special building police force called the Australian Building and Construction Commission ABCC over a safety dispute where the government OHS regulator backed his safety concerns, and for this he could be fined and receive up to six months gaol.
The ABCC as well as related Australian anti-union laws, which had been introduced by the conservative Howard government have been condemned on seven occasions by the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. The present Rudd government, despite its electoral promises, has failed so far from abolishing these anti-union laws targeting in particular the building workers and their militant union organizations.
The UITBB calls on its affiliates and supporter unions to express their protest against this injustice and to sign the on-line petition on the website http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/
The UITBB also asks that affiliates and friends send emails to their networks to raise awareness of these unjust laws that penalize ordinary workers for taking action to ensure their safety and the safety of their workmates.
Letters of support should be addressed to Dave Noonan, National Secretary of CFMEU Building and General Division E-mail:
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International solidarity and the active support of your union is now needed to make sure that Ark Tribe will not be sentenced for exercising his legitimate trade union rights.
Ark Tribe has stood up for the rights of construction workers, now it is time for us to stand up for Ark Tribe.
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For equality and promoting women workers’ rights |
From May 17 to 19, the SYNIBABCOM of Mali hosted the second meeting of the UITBB Women's Commission. The delegates from 11 unions, mostly African, have discussed the consequences of the global financial and economic crisis on the condition of women workers, particularly in Africa. On the three-day meeting, the second day was devoted to a training seminar on ILO Conventions and Recommendations on rights of women, a seminar lead by the regional representative of the ILO, Mrs. Fatime Ndiaye, with some twenty additional women delegates from Mali attending. During the third day, participants visited building sites in the framework of international cooperation to familiarize themselves with solutions to gender issues.
The members of the UITBB Women Commission from Australia, Cameroon, Colombia, Denmark and Senegal presented a national report and Marina Stavrinou informed about the achievements of the commission so far. All reports are available in the Documents section. The meeting produced a resolution on poverty eradication and conclusions of the meeting are as follow:
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Murad AKINCILAR, who was detained since September 30, 2009 for alleged terrorist acts [writing an article in an opposition publication] has been released this June 3rd at the end of his first hearing, which was attended by a strong delegation of the Committee for the Liberation of Murad Akincilar. Thus Murad, his wife Eyem, his relatives and his lawyers won a first victory, a victory which is also that of the international solidarity movement of which UITBB, its affiliates and friends are part of.
In this period of decline of law and loss of rights, solidarity among workers and citizens is more essential than ever. Long live solidarity. Long live international solidarity!
The UITBB wishes good health to Murad in his reunion with freedom.
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Massacre on the "Free Gaza" flotilla: When will the Israeli authorities pay for their actions? |
 First of all, the UITBB expresses its deepest and sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the deadly attack launched on May 31, 2010, by the Israeli army against the fleet of six ships carrying humanitarian supplies for the population of the Gaza Strip unjustly subjected to a blockade for several months which has to be lifted immediately and unconditionally.
The UITBB expresses its firm condemnation of and indignation over this act of State terror, which resulted in numerous deaths and injured. The Israeli government has shown again that it has no intention of respecting international law, nor the most basic humanitarian standards and that it intends to impose its illegitimate and illegal policy of occupation of Arab lands as well as the oppression of the Palestinian population. Already in September the Report of the South African judge Richard Goldstone pointed the finger at the State of Israel as the perpetrator of war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The UITBB calls on trade unionists and citizens to petition their national parliaments and governments asking them to demand that Israel must comply with UN resolutions and subscribe to international law, thus enabling the Palestinian people to live in an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The world has had enough of statements without teeth: Measures such as suspension of membership in the OECD, immediate suspension of the Association Agreement with the European Union, imposing the traceability of Israeli products and banning those from the occupied territories, or the imposition of visa requirements for Israeli settlers, and above all the suspension of all military aid and cooperation, are examples of concrete actions and a first step which might bring the Israeli government to a less arrogant and more reasoned position.
The UITBB endorses the statement by the WFTU and calls on its affiliated organizations and friends and all construction and wood workers to participate in demonstrations and protests against this act of barbarism of the Israeli State.
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Colombia: Urgent Appeal for Solidarity from the UITBB |
Urgent Appeal from the UITBB
for union solidarity with the workers of the Ladrillera Candelaria LTDA brick kiln in the Municipality of Cali, Colombia.
Workers of the Ladrillera Candelaria LTDA on strike since May 12, 2010.
Knowing the situation in Colombia, where every year dozens of trade unionists and labor activists are murdered by paramilitaries in the service of the class ruling the country, it is urgent to express our solidarity with the workers of the Ladrillera Candelaria brick kiln who, after the non payment of their salaries for three months, went on strike risking their safety and their lives. The UITBB asks for the prompt satisfaction of the fully justified workers demands, including their social and employment rights and for the respect of the trade union rights, including the right to strike. Nothing justifies the progressive closure of a viable enterprise that provides their livelihood to 70 workers and their families.
Send your messages expressing solidarity with the workers to:
Dr. Omar Adolfo Figueroa, Director Nacional de Estupefacientes:
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with a copy to
SUTIMAC
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SUTIMAC CALI "
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and UITBB Secretariat:
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