Transcript ITUC HTUR Department General Presentation Nadine Thevenet

ITUC
HTUR Department
General Presentation
Nadine Thevenet
Belgrade Dec. 2009
www.ituc-csi.org
Objectives of the seminar
Strengthening capacities for promoting & defending
workers rights
Raise awareness on the ITUC HTUR work and
objectives
Ensure participation of the SEE Region to the PERC
HTUR Network and plan for a follow up program of
action and contributions of the focal persons to this
regional network;
Identify tools for HTURs campaigns within the region
and develop strategies on how to apply them;
Make practical recommendations for future action
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Expected outcomes
Building of the SEE section of the PERC HTUR
network of HTURs focal persons that can
contribute directly to the main elements of the
action on HTURs
Development of a follow up action plan for
promotion and defense of trade unions including
both national level actions and activities that
could be taken by national organisations in
conjunction with ITUC-PERC over specific
country focused or regional campaigns
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ITUC HTUR Work
• During the ITUC Vienna Congress in 2006 the
promotion of Human and Trade Union Rights (HTUR)
was set as one of the key objectives of the ITUC as a
precondition for social justice
• The ITUC HTUR Department mission is to:
• ensure the respect of fundamental trade union rights (the
right to organise in a trade union, the right to collective
bargaining) as guaranteed by the Conventions (C87 and
C98) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)
• take action against other labour rights violations without
distinction in all countries, and other violations of human
rights especially where these affect working people
Contact: [email protected]
For further information see http://www.ituccsi.org/spip.php?rubrique9
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C87 and C98 – Fundamental trade
union rights
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Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to
Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - The main points include:
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Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949
(No. 98)
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The right of employers and workers, without distinction
whatsoever, to establish and join organizations
The right to establish organizations without previous authorization
The right of workers and employers to establish and join
organizations of their own choice
The right of workers and employers to draw up their constitutions
and rules, to elect their representatives in freedom and to
organize their administration and activities
Protection against acts of anti-union discrimination
Protection against acts of interference
Promotion of collective bargaining
Right to Strike
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Recognized by the ILO as a legitimate right which mayb be used
by workers and their organisations to defend their economic and
social interests
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C87 and C98 – Fundamental trade
union rights
Civil liberties that are essential to the normal
exercise of freedom of association or trade
union rights in general include:
- the right to life and personal security
- the right to freedom and security of person from
arbitrary arrest and detention
- freedom of assembly (before, during and after time
of meeting)
- the right to a fair trail by an independent and
impartial tribunal
- the right to protection of the property of union
organisation
- the right to strike
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ITUC HTUR Department
• 6 staff including Steve Benedict (director), a
dept. assistant and 4 HTUR officers
• Responsibility per region / HTUR Networks
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Asia Pacific and Middle East
Africa
Americas
Europe and North Africa
• ILO Work
• Annual Survey of Violations
• Thematic campaigns
• HTUR Committee
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HTUR Committee
• Vienna Congress called upon affiliates to
coordinate their efforts concerning
international cooperation and to maintain a
HTUR Committee
• Mandate:
• To oversee and guide ITUC HTUR work
• To report to ITUC General Council
• To ensure regional participation
Last meeting in Berlin in October 2009
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HTUR Action Plan
• Human and Trade Unions Rights
Commitee
• HTUR Networks
• Solidarity actions
• Annual Survey of Violations of Trade
Unions Rights
• Countries at risk
• Thematic campaigns
• ILO Standards and Supervisory
Mechanisms
• Training
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HTUR Networks
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Created at regional level (4 regions) and supported at
international level by a Global HTUR Network and accountable
to regional structures
Composed by HTUR and legal experts from each affiliated
organisation
Exchange of experiences and good practices
Building capacities and increase cooperation
Monitor HTUR issues within the region and exchange
information
Launch and participate to the HTUR actions
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Letters of protest and appeals
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Input to the Annual Survey
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Thematic campaigns
Expertise and technical assistance
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Advise affiliates during the adoption of new legislation
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Campaigns, protest letters and appeals
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International solidarity actions to support those whose rights
are under attack by publicising violations, to bring public
pressure on those responsible and on those violating
workers’ rights, and to put pressure on governments and
employers to redress
Protest letters sent to governments and employers (see
http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?rubrique91 )
Appeals – asking our networks to send letters to governments
and employers
Request for intervention of the ILO Director General in case of
severe violation of rights provided in C87/C98
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Facts must be serious and require an urgent intervention
Campaigns
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Country campaigns - in case of crisis / countries at risk
» Iran (Iran’s day), Zimbabwe (ILO commission of
enquiry), Burma (companies’ in Burma DB) etc
» Follow-up, support affiliates, work with NGOs
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Thematic campaign: Forced labour and trafficking
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Annual Survey
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Assessment of respect and denunciation of violations of TURs:
Focus on the right to organise, right to collective bargaining, right to
strike in law, in practice and the related violations
• Overview per country of the TUR legal framework (principles and
restrictions)
• Highlighting of the effective TURs’ implementation, underlining the
main hurdles as well as administrative and judicial systems
deficiencies and the violations
An ITUC annual worlwide report
• Annual Launch – when possible during the International Labour
Conference (ILC) in Geneva
• Covering 145 countries
• Source of information: affiliates’information and media
Major ITUC publication and media tool
– A working instrument for the ITUC and all affiliates
– Revision in progress: developments of a database to enable
further analysis, « statistics » and transversal reports for which
there is a need for comparable and historical data
– Format: online, printed and USB
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Annual Survey - Changes
• Update of the information
• New laws
• 2009 violations
• Structuring of the information
• To enable further data research and analysis
• To identify trends
• Online tools
• Development of a database
• Future online version
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ITUC input to ILO work
• Monitoring and control on application
– Contribution to the ILO Supervisory Mechanisms
• Submissions to Committee of Experts on the Application of
Conventions and Recommandations (CEACR) (derived
from the Annual Survey of violations of trade union rights)
• Support to affiliates in the writing of their comments (to be
sent to the ILO – deadlines 31/08, please put the ITUC in
copy) and for their interventionduring the CAS
• Submit reports to the CEACR (poss in cooperation with NGOs
• Complaints to the Committee of Freedom of Association
• Submit complaints
• Support to affiliates in their complaints
– Coordination of work during the June ILC in Geneva
• CAS list and interventions
– Participation in ILO standards setting
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ILO Supervisory Mechanisms
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Regular system of supervision
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Reporting obligation of ratified conventions of ILO
member States’
• Every 2 years for fundamental and priority Conventions
• Every 5 years for other Conventions
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Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application
of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR)
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Report examined and discussed by the Tripartite
Conference Committee on the Application of
Standards (CAS)
Special system of supervision
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Against a member State (even if they have not ratified
the Convention concerned) in case of specific
allegations of violations
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Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) set up in
1951
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Training
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Create awareness and better
understanding on issues related to HTUR
Enhance affiliates' understanding and
contribution to the ILO standards setting
and supervisory mechanisms and followup with training session on specific ILO
topics
– International labour standards
– Supervisory mechanisms
… in relation with the ILO Turin Center
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Thank you for your attention and
never hesitate to contact us
Contact details:
ITUC HTUR Department
Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5, B 1, 1210
Brussels, Belgium
Email: [email protected]
Tel (direct): 00 32 2 224 03 04
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