ANI Reports : ITUC Needs To Do More For Unskilled Laborers, Report Of Sharan Burrow’s ITUC In Nepal & India

New Delhi, Dec. 24 (ANI): Indian trade union bodies and leaders have once again called on the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to pay more attention to improving the conditions of workers and unskilled labourers.

http://ngowatchdog.org/rich-ituc-needs-to-do-more-for-unskilled-laborers-report-of-sharan-burrows-ituc-in-nepal-india/

Source (ANI):  http://www.aninews.in/newsdetail3/story245663/-039-rich-039-ituc-needs-to-do-more-for-unskilled-labourers.html

Highlighting this need, the vice president of the Asia-Pacific unit of ITUC, G. Sanjeeva Reddy, recently maintained that ITUC could certainly take more initiatives to ensure better working conditions for crores of unskilled workers in India.

Speaking in the wake of the recent demise of veteran trade unionist P.T. Rajan in Ranchi, Jharkhand, Reddy said that “the 70-year-old trade union leader was a good man and his passing away is sad. We were part of various organisational mechanics and were involved in many discussions on the welfare of workers.”

Rajan, who was the district secretary of the Kozhikode unit of the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), leaves a huge dent in the spirit of righteous unionism.

A vocal leader for the rights of workers, Reddy had earlier maintained that global union leaders lacked the requisite ambition to elevate workers’ rights.

He said, “I have spoken with ITUC general secretary, Sharan Burrow, on multiple occasions and requested her to intervene and work pro-actively for Indian workers. but we don’t know what’s happening.

“What can I say about their lifestyle? As affiliates, I have personally paid 18 lakhs annually as fees, but we don’t know where most of it goes”

Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh general secretary, Virjesh Upadhyay, the largest trade union body in India, has little faith in global bodies like the ITUC. He pointed out: “They may have hidden interests. They are disconnected with workers on the ground, and live lavish lives.”

According to evidences provided by reliable sources, ITUC general secretary, Sharan Burrow, leads quite a fanciful life and is known to indulge in rich practices. She leads an expensive and globe trotting lifestyle.

The International Labour Organisation, based in Geneva, is the UN specialised agency for the workplace, which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights, but the ILO appears to be lacking in its moral duty to ensure that the representatives of trade union bodies across the world align with even the lowest-paid worker.

There is a need for ITUC to show measurable solidarity with underprivileged workers in nations like India, Nepal and Bangladesh etc.

The Indian Government is already investigating the role of ITUC in leading labour strikes against the establishment.

“ITUC and its affiliates are accusing India and its government of poor compliance with international labour standards, especially with regard to child labour. Most such strikes are a politically-motivated agenda against the ruling government,” a dossier prepared by the government has said.

INDECONT, a Kathmandu-based trade union body in Nepal, recently filed an official complaint with ILO office in Kathmandu, highlighting the ITUC’s inability to do anything concrete for its workers, who are still recovering from the trauma of the April earthquake.

Sri Lankan minister Seneviratne and International corporate attorney Das Gupta, a specialist operating in the Middle East, have also been critical of ITUC’s operating procedures, and called for it to act responsibly. (ANI)

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Kathmandu Post Reports ITUC Needs To Do More For Nepali Migrant Workers : Pity The Workers

Tek Bahadur Gurung may no longer be Nepal’s labour minister, but he has left behind a legacy with his ‘zero-cost migration policy’, perhaps, for the wrong reasons. All that minister Gurung had to do was consult with all the concerned stakeholders— manpower agencies, trade unions and foreign hiring companies among others—before making the migration policy public, but he seemed to be in a hurry, with just three months left in office.

Source : kathmandupost.ekantipur.com : http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-12-27/pity-the-workers.html    Written by Nagesh Koirala is associated with Nepali Congress

As per the new migration policy, migrant workers from Nepal will no longer be required to bear the stinging cost of airfare and visa processing fees, but there are wider implications. It will, among other things, enable countries like Bangladesh to seize Nepal’s quota of employment opportunities in Malaysia and the Gulf region. As a result, over 30 percent of Nepali workers will be jobless. The minister, though, did not find this alarming.

Kumud Khanal, vice-president of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), was direct and precise on this matter: “When Tek Bahadur got the news of his ministership, he transferred the shares of his manpower companies in his son and other relatives’ name. Soon after, he entered into a deal with an American company, Flextronics, for manpower supply. He even managed to extract a sweet deal—free visa and tickets for his workers—and it was all done underhand through one of his Bangladeshi agents, named Amin. It is suspected that it was only after experiencing the benefits of the zero cost policy that he introduced the policy in the country.” He added, “A few months back, he lambasted the Gulf countries for poor treatment of labourers because it served his interests. He hardly spoke on the subject prior to that because earlier he was reaping benefits.’’

Because the issue is related to the well-being of the workers, the role of the International Trade Union Confederation(IUTC) becomes relevant. It is a different matter, though, that the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation has maintained deafening silence, even after three Nepali trade unions are affiliated to it and the Nepali workers, from whose pockets annual contribution goes to the global body, suffer.

“The local affiliates pay huge sums of money every year, but nothing comes back to them. We are speaking with local union leaders to demand more from ITUC and if they continue to show ignorance, we will even lodge a formal complaint with the International Labour Organisation. Making sympathetic statements on the plight of Nepali workers, from thousands of miles away does not help. Least developed countries like ours should not be exploited,” said Khanal.

Pushkar Acharya, Member of Parliament from the Nepali Congress and a trade union veteran, believes it may not be completely true. When pressed on the specific issue of whether the benefits reach the workers at the ground level, MP Pushkar Acharya did concede failure on the part of ITUC. “I must admit that the workers are not reaping any benefits out of our association with the confederation.”

Khilanath Dahal, president of the ITUC-affiliate, Nepal Trade Union Congress, was cautious in his opinion on the Brussels-based body: “They send solidarity messages from time to time, but we need more than that.”

Nepal has finally received a constitution, a new lady president, prime minister and labour minister. But the lives of the Nepali migrant workers remain the same. Will workers get a fresh lease of life? Only time will tell.