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5 January, 2011IMF's South Asian affiliates deliberated upon a regional focus in IMF's work for the South Asia to intensify organising workers in shipbreaking industry, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), establishing sustainable union structures, strong national unions and effective utilisation of IMF's communication and trade union networks to build international solidarity
NEPAL: The first ever meeting of IMF's South Asian affiliates including observers, All Nepal Trade union Federation (ANTUF) from Nepal and National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) from Pakistan, was held in Kathmandu on December 9 and 10, 2010. The meeting was organised to deliberate upon specific problems of metal workers in South Asia and a regional strategy to defend the workers' rights and also regional focus reflected in the work of the IMF affiliates.
Participants observed that due to global economic crisis, manifold increase in end of life ships reaching the shores of South Asia for dismantling. Weak regulatory mechanisms negligent occupational health and standards low union density and cheap labour are the main causes for the rapid growth of shipbreaking industry in the region. Trade unions affirmed that wage differentials, unfriendly labour legislations, will lead to race to the bottom and detrimental for the safety of the working people and environmental degradation.
Trade unions resolved to utilise networking and expression of solidarity among the shipbreaking workers in different countries and demand the respective governments, ILO, IMO for providing appropriate health and safety measures workplace, better working and living conditions. Further. Trade unions decided to convene an international conference on shipbreaking industry with representatives from all stakeholders to make ship breaking industry sustainable and respect labour rights.
The meeting also emphasised the need for organising metal workers in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and decided to intensify their struggle against labour unfriendly SEZ legislations in the region and to fight for the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and regular employment.
Trade unions also discussed about the structures of the trade unions in the region to make them more sustainable economically and organisationally. Enterprise based unions and collective bargaining is a predominant characteristic of South Asia region. The meeting felt that in the era of globalisation unions have to develop national collective bargaining and strengthen the national union structures to match the might of the capital. The participants also observed that trade unions should take assertive steps to ensure enhanced women participation.
Bro. Fernando Lopez, Assistant General Secretary called upon the affiliates in the region to effectively use communication tools and networking structures established by IMF. The meeting has taken note of the IMF's Asia pacific webpage and discussed various strategies to strengthen networking amongst the affiliates of South Asia and Asia Pacific to exchange information amongst affiliates to build international solidarity.