23 September, 2010
Forty trade union leaders representing the ICEM, the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) met on 20-21 September in Bad Münder, Germany. This was the first meeting of a joint task force set up by the decision-making bodies of the three Global Union Federations (GUFs).
The ICEM’s task force was established at its 2007 Congress in Bangkok in order to examine a new organizational structure for the three industrial GUFs. The joint task force in Bad Münder this week was asked to look at the political project, structures, finances, and a possible timeline for uniting the 55 million workers represented by the three organizations into a unified Global Union Federation.
Trade union leaders of ICEM, IMF, ITGLWF in Bad Münder
Task force members from five continents acknowledged the rationale of the unifying process to create a united voice of the industrial workers of the world, and a strong counter-power to major multinational corporations. Unions want to underline the role of manufacturing industry as the locomotive of national economies and as a creator of good quality jobs with decent working conditions and trade union rights.
The meeting decided to set up a working group to look at the financial questions and to start drafting the statutes for a new organization for a continued discussion on decision-making, regional, and sectoral structures. The task force will report back to the statutory bodies of the three federations, and will meet again in the beginning of December in Geneva.