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15 January, 2007Council of GUFs Forms in Brussels
The 2007 annual meeting of general secretaries of the Global Union Federations (GUFs) last week took on a major structural change when labour leaders formed a Council of Global Unions. This new structure will include the newly formed International Trade Union Federation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD. The founding of the council occurred in Brussels during meetings on 9-10 January.
The founding document of the council proclaims “a common determination to organise, defend human and trade union rights and labour standards everywhere, and promote the growth of trade unions for the benefit of all working women and men and their families.”
ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda
Fred van Leeuwen, general secretary of Education International (EI), was elected chair of the council, while Building Workers’ International (BWI) Gen. Sec. Anita Normark was elected vice-chair. Each participating organisation will be represented by three members on the council. ITUC Gen. Sec. Guy Ryder will serve as secretary of the council.
Van Leeuwen, commenting on the formation, said, “Our talks this week revealed how much more we can do together to confront global forces that work against the interests of working people, and we will carry forward the momentum of this new accord to achieve just that.”
Besides the ICEM, the GUFs signatory to the Council of Global Unions include: BWI, EI, International Arts and Entertainment Alliance (IAEA), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF), the International Union of Food Workers’ Association (IUF), Public Services International (PSI), and the Union Network International (UNI). ITUC and TUAC round out the membership on the council.