THE Papua New Guinea unions are playing host to unionists from the maritime and transport sectors of Australia and New Zealand as well as the powerful Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union of Australia (CFMEU).
The delegation is led by the International Transport Federation General Secretary Paddy Crumlin who is also General Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia.
A strong delegation of 20 unionists from Australia and New Zealand are presently in PNG attending a workshop under the auspices of the PNG Maritime and Transport Workers Union.
Mr Crumlin in an interview with the Post-Courier said the main objective of the workshop was to set the basis for the formation of Maritime and Transport Federation that groups together all unions in the maritime and transport sectors in all countries in the Pacific region including Australia, New Zealand and Timor Leste.
“This is a significant move designed to strengthen the capacity of unions in the transport sector to efficiently and effectively represent the interests of their constituencies as well as to bolster the efforts of the broader union movement in the region as they address the myriad issues related to governance, democracy, social and economic concerns and peoples livelihood as well as national and regional development agenda. “
PNG Trade Union Congress general secretary John Paska said the fact that this workshop was being held in PNG was testament to the commitment of the international union movement to stand with their colleagues elsewhere outside their borders as well as the growing importance of PNG in the region.
“By population alone we are now the second biggest country outside Australia and look set to increase economic growth and stature by over 100 per cent within the next five years. It amounts to a huge paradigm shift, which translates to over K100 billion in terms of the national budget,” Mr Paska said.
“The union movement must position itself appropriately to be a meaningful and constructive partner that ensures that everyone benefits from the wealth of the nation and the yawning disparity gap between the rich and poor shrinks to acceptable levels.”
Mr Paska said the union movement of PNG had benefitted greatly over the years from the efforts of unions of Australia and New Zealand and this initiative further cements the camaraderie and continued commitment for which PNG unions were grateful.
El secretario general de APA es el primer argentino en ocupar ese lugar.
***Designan a Edgardo Llano para presidir un comité de la Federación Internacional de Trabajadores del Transporte
El 15 de noviembre de 2013
El secretario general de APA, Edgardo Llano, fue designado como presidente del Comité de Tierra de Sindicatos de Aviación Civil para el Mundo en la Federación Internacional de Trabajadores del Transporte.
Con mucha alegría, la Asociación del Personal Aeronáutico (APA-CTA) emitió un comunicado para informar que en la conferencia anual de la ITF (Federación Internacional de Trabajadores del Transporte) celebrada el jueves 14 de noviembre en su sede central de Londres, su secretario general Edgardo Llano fue elegido, en consenso unánime de los participantes de todos los continentes, Presidente del Comité de Tierra de Sindicatos de Aviación Civil para el Mundo. Es la primera vez que un argentino ocupa ese lugar, luego de décadas en las que el sector había estado controlado por europeos y estadounidenses.
“Se trata de un reconocimiento internacional para APA, pero también para la Federación Argentina del Personal Aeronáutico, FAPA, que nuclea a los sindicatos aeronáuticos de todo el país, y que también es encabezada por nuestro gremio, por el trabajo que se viene desarrollando en la ITF y que ahora logró un reconocimiento a nivel mundial”, sostienen desde el gremio aeronáutico.
***Six Iraqi Federations Form IndustriALL Council, Meet with Parliamentarians on Labor Law | US Labor Against the War
For the past 10 years unions in Iraq have mobilized and campaigned for the government to pass a new labour and trade union law. Today, the 1987 Saddam Hussein-era laws remain in effect and are actively enforced. They prevent unions from carrying out normal union activity.
Despite the repression, Iraqi workers have managed to form their own unions and in recent years six Iraqi affiliates representing workers in our industries have joined IndustriALL Global Union. In an effort to coordinate and consolidate forces, these unions came together in Baghdad, July 10, 2013 and created a new IndustriALL Global Union National Council. This is an important step towards a united struggle for new trade union legislation. Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan was present at the founding meeting.
We strongly support our affiliates demands that the Iraqi government respects the rights to form and join unions in both the private and public sectors as well as the right to free assembly and demonstration. It is essential that a fair and just ILO-compliant labour and trade union law that respects workers rights is enacted as a matter of urgency.
In Iraq, roughly 80% of all industries are in the public sector. It is appalling that Saddam was brought down but his notorious Public Law 150 banning all trade union activity in the public sector, remains in force and Iraq is still without a legal framework for industrial relations that meets ILO standards. Iraqi Labour legislation, as presently enforced, denies unions and their members basic rights.
While in Iraq, Kemal Özkan also met with Mr Osama Al-nujaifi, Speaker of Iraqi Parliament, Mr Nassar Al-Rubuiee, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, and Mr Kanna Yonadam, Chair of Labour and Social Affairs Committee at the Parliament, discussing the current legislation. IndustriALL made it clear that the new law must cover the public sector. Legislation should also make it easier to form a union by ensuring that requirements follow ILO norms and standards trade unions must be allowed to determine and establish their own democratic structures, and the law must provide effective guarantees against interference in the trade union movements activities by government and employers.
Our mission was very timely, says IndustriALLs Kemal Özkan:
If the trade union legislation is not adopted now, nobody knows when the next opportunity will be, and we cannot wait years and years for this.
ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said:
For 25 years, the vast majority of Iraqi workers have been deprived of the fundamental right to freedom of association. After repeated promises over the years to amend the trade union law, the Iraqi parliament finally appears poised to do so. However, most recent drafts reflect a failure of political will to address the major flaws of the Hussein-era legislation, including to extend the legal right to freedom of association to the vast public sector. This is unacceptable. We urge the parliament not to squander this opportunity to at last bring its laws into line with international standards.
Erbil in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq was the venue for the latest discussions between unions and Iraqi parliamentarians and the Ministry of Labour regarding the ongoing struggle for acceptable Labour Laws in Iraq. The struggle continues!
High level delegations from five confederations in Iraq and the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) met together with representatives of ILO-ACTRAV, ITUC, IndustriALL Global Union and the International Transport Federation (ITF) over five days. The meetings were supported and coordinated by ACILS-SC [Solidarity Center] as the latest part of an extensive program aimed at achieving ILO-compliant Labour legislation throughout the country. On the first day the trade union delegation met alone to prepare their negotiating positions and a further meeting on the final day allowed the next stages of the on-going campaign to be considered and an action plan produced.
A government delegation, including senior officials from the Ministry of Labour as well as the Labour Committee of the Iraqi Parliament, attended the three central days and extensive discussions of a draft Labour Law and a series of different draft Trade Union laws took place. Draft trade union laws had been prepared by the ministry, the shura council and the parliament as well as a fully ILO-compliant version produced by the trade unions with the help of their international partners.
Discussions were wide-ranging and goodwill expressed by all sides with a general view from all that future laws should meet international standards and conventions and be ILO-compliant. However there was no unanimity over what this required in practice.
With regard to the Labour Law a draft version, largely ILO-compliant, was discussed with minor alterations suggested. Such a law however would not apply in the public sector where workers and employees are covered by civil service legislation which in some areas is preferred by the workforce in question.
Consequently the proposals are for a separate law regarding trade unions and freedom of association and it was here that the discussions were more contentious. There was agreement that the two laws needed to proceed through parliament in parallel. A clear bottom line for the unions is that such a trade union law must apply to workers and employees throughout what is classified in Iraq as the public sector (over 80% of the economy) and it must also recognize the present day reality of trade union pluralism. The old laws of the Saddam Hussein era, presently used against trade union organisation, need to be consigned to the dustbin of history and a new era of respect for trade union rights begun.
***PALEA secures reinstatement agreement
Associations, Aviation, HR, ITF — By admin on November 18, 2013 at 6:23 PM
ITF’s Steve Cotton
The ITF today applauded the determination of a Philippines union – and the international solidarity which helped sustain it – that has led to the re-employment in regular jobs of some 600 workers.
After an intense struggle lasting over two years, the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) has won agreement from Philippines Airlines (PAL) for the return to work of staff who were outsourced on inferior conditions and short term contracts, threatened with redundancy, and even locked out. Six hundred staff who refused to claim separation benefits are now being re-employed intheir regular posts. PALEA’s resistance has been backed throughout by unions in the Philippines and worldwide, particularly those affiliated to the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), of which it is a member. The history of PALEA’s defence of jobs and the campaign to support it can be found at the ITF’s Save our PAL’s jobs sitewww.saveourpalsjobs.org
ITFacting general secretary Steve Cotton commented: “Since the outsourcing plan was first mooted in 2010 PALEA has fought back against it in a tireless defence of those thousands of jobs. They said the plan was crazy, unfair and risked the wellbeing of the airline itself. They were backed in this by their trade union colleagues in the Philippines and worldwide. Now they have been proved right.”
Paddy Crumlin, ITF president and national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), added: “What stands out first and foremost in this important victory is the strength and determination of the members of PALEA. For two years they waged a struggle, standing fast as a united group. That strugglealso brought out the best in our ITF network globally as union members on every continent showed solidarity, either by simple messages sent to show support, leafleting Philippine Airlines and even visits to the camp set up near the PAL terminal. Let this victory stand as an example for us to follow in the day,months and years as we unite across the globe to push back against injustice that threatens a fair living for all transport workers.
“In Australia, ITF affiliates have run a long campaign to assist our comrades in the Philippines and this has been replicated around the globe. Importantly,PALEA members continued to offer their solidarity to other global ITF campaigns throughout their struggle.”
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| The resolution was unanimously passed at the RMF meeting. |
The MUA, MUNZ and PNGMTWU have resolved to support the people of the Philippines through the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and its Filipino affiliates after Typhoon Hiayan devastated their homeland. The typhoon has caused billions of dollars in damage, killing and injuring many people and leaving families homeless.
The destruction left in the wake of the recent typhoon has had a major impact on the participants of the Regional Maritime Federation inaugural meeting and as a result the unions have moved to pledge full support to those in peril. Unions at the Region Maritime Federation inaugural meeting pledged full support to those affected by the typhoon. The group recognised that maritime communities, seafarers and port workers have been among the hardest hit.
Participating unions of the Regional Maritime Federation meeting strongly support our ITF affiliates, the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s’ Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) and the Philippine Seafarers Union (PSU) following the devastation and destruction caused by Typhoon Hiayan.
The historical and cultural links between AMOSUP, PSU and the Maritime and Transport unions of the Asia Pacific means that full support and solidarity will be offered in times of need.