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Trade unions say NO to racism and xenophobia (III)
Because of their race, the colour of their skin or their national origin, more and more people today are the target of serious discrimination at the workplace, on the labour market and in the community. Determined to combat this phenomenon and its impact on the trade union struggle for social justice and freedom, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions has accepted the invitation by the United Nations to attend its World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, from August 31 to September 7. It sees this conference as a unique opportunity to share its experience with other participants and press home its demands on this important issue.
What is the scale of the problem? What are unions on the ground doing to fight it? What is the ICFTU fighting for at the Durban conference? ICFTU Online answers these questions in three instalments.
ICFTU mobilise in Durban
Brussels/Durban August 28, 2001 (ICFTU OnLine): The trade union movement sees this meeting as a unique opportunity to share its own experience with other participants and to press home its demands on this important issue.
The ICFTU will present a new plan of action, drawn up in collaboration with its affiliates, and a report on the work already being carried out in this field.
The trade unions will also insist on the need for employers to adopt real equal opportunities policies that will restrict and in time eradicate racial discrimination at work.
The adoption of such policies is not only a question of common decency, it also makes good economic sense. Racism in the workplace not only affects workers' confidence and morale, it also has a harmful effect on efficiency and productivity.
Determined to combat this phenomenon and its impact on the trade union struggle for social justice and freedom, the ICFTU has taken action on several fronts over the last few years. At its 15th World Congress in 1992, the ICFTU adopted a resolution on racism and xenophobia. Emphasising the right of all persons to live in dignity regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, ethnic or national origin, the confederation urged governments to respect this right and to ratify the conventions that protect workers against such abuses. For their part, the ICFTU and its affiliates committed themselves to step up the fight against racist acts at the workplace and in society and to sensitise public opinion and its own members to the problem.
In 1993, the meeting of the ICFTU Human and Trade Union Rights Committee devoted much of its time to a discussion on fighting racism in the globalised economy. In the same year, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) took up the challenge, organising a conference on racism in Brussels attended by over 130 trade unionists and many representatives of ethnic minorities and migrants. This conference led to a highly publicised awareness-raising campaign.
In 1994, the ICFTU and its regional organisation for Asia and the Pacific (APRO) put the issue on the agenda of a conference in Singapore on the protection of migrant workers, reviewing their situation in 11 countries. The conference concluded that: migrant workers must be treated equally and integrated more effectively within trade unions which should also ensure that they have greater access to training activities, in co-operation with the International Trade Secretariats (ITSs) and the ILO. At the United Nations Conference on Population and Development in 1994 in Cairo, the ICFTU again stressed these priorities. It has repeatedly shown its commitment to them, notably at the 17th ICFTU World Congress held in Durban in April 2000.
The ICFTU is demonstrating its determination to work for the success of this conference in several ways. At international, regional and national levels, the ICFTU and its affiliated organisations the world over are working with organisations from civil society in the various preparatory meetings and activities. It organised an international workshop (Aylmer, Canada, 6-9 May 2001) to prepare effective and co-ordinated trade union participation in the Durban Conference and to draw up a plan of action for unions at all levels to combat racism and xenophobia at the workplace and in the labour market. Its contribution has also taken the form of a report (1) which seeks to throw light on the trade union movement's position on these issues in advance of the conference.
The report in no way claims to be a comprehensive account of all the action undertaken by every ICFTU affiliate. Rather, it will highlight some of the most representative examples of the trade unions' response to these issues. Beyond the trade unions' appeals to governments and employers to respect the conventions that enshrine the universal right to respect and tolerance, there is also a call for urgent reform of the western countries' asylum and immigration policies. The repressive and dissuasive nature of the current regulations have undeniably exacerbated racial tension. It is essential, the ICFTU believes, to make everyone understand the vital contribution that migrants, people of colour, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities bring to society, enriching our cultures and strengthening our economies.
Having a follow-up mechanism In the run up to the Durban conference, a powerful trade union lobbying group, coordinated by the ICFTU during the different sessions of the Preparatory Committee, has already achieved significant improvements for the trade union movement. It intends, of course, to continue to work in Durban to make sure that this conference makes an important advance in the fight against racism and xenophobia. In this context, the ICFTU is insisting on the importance of setting up a follow-up mechanism to make this conference have a really long-lasting effect.
(1) The title of the report is "Trade unions say NO to racism and xenophobia" and is available on the ICFTU web site: http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991213208&Language=EN
For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2 224 0232 or +32 476 62 10 18.
"The ICFTU delegation can be contacted in Durban on +32 495288.536, and eklatramos at aol.com."
The ICFTU represents more than 156 millions workers in 221 affiliated organisation in 148 countries and territories. ICFTU is also member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org