Unions Deliver Letters to G8 Embassies

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Pakistan Workers Deliver G8 Letter to German Embassy

The Pakistan Labour Federation (PLF) has delivered a letter to the German Embassy in the city of Islamabad, in which they ask the Government of Germany, host of this year’s G8 Summit, to support the creation of a high-level working group on HIV-AIDS.
This news was confirmed today by PLF Secretary General Haji Muhammad Saeed, who also took the occasion to ask all those organizing 28 April activities to remember migrant workers, many from Pakistan, who recently died in a Foreigners’ Detention Centre in Yeosu, South Korea.

There is often a direct link between worker migration patterns and AIDS. Factors due to globalisation have resulted in segments of the world’s population in migrating toward urban areas, oftentimes in other countries, such as the example cited in the South Korea (see 28 April ‘update’ link, below). Migrating workers often become more vulnerable to many forms of abuse and to additional hazards, such as AIDS or dangerous living conditions, for example.

In his report to 28 April coordinators, Saaed said that on February 21 members of PLF were involved in a Rally at the Press Club Lahore. They shouted slogans and raised banners, which said “STOP INHUMANE TREATMENT AGAINST MIGRANT WORKERS IN SOUTH KOREA”. The rally was addressed by labour leaders demanding that the Government of Korea close its detention centers, as they constitute a violation of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Contact: Haji Muhammad Saeed [hmsaeed@yahoo.com].

Project workers in the DRC Plan to Deliever a Letter to the German Embassy

Project workers of the ‘Union National Des Travailleurs’ (UNTC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be delivering a letter to the German Embassy in Kinshasa in which they ask the Government of Germany, host of this year’s G8 Summit in June, to support the creation of a high-level working group on HIV-AIDS.

In a Campaign circular sent out in late February, Alan Leather, Chair of the Global Unions Campaign has asked union and other organizations to hand deliver a letter to the German Embassy situated in their country by 28 April, the International Commemoration Day (ICD) for Dead and Injured Workers..

This component of the international HIV/AIDS Campaign was relaunched by the Global Unions HIV/AIDS Committee in an attempt to once again convince Heads of State attending next June’s G8 Summit in Germany to create a Working Group on HIV/AIDS, as a critical step towards fulfilling an earlier promise to provide universal access to treatment by 2010.

While the 2006 campaign succeeded in obtaining agreement to institute a tangible processes for surveillance of infectious diseases through timely reporting and sharing data, leaders stopped short of creating the Working Group sought by trade unionists and AIDS activists.

Nigerian Unions Plan Debate with Government

NLC: The Nigeria Labour Congress will mark 28 April International Commemoration Day (ICD) with a Television Talk Show centered on the theme MAKING THE DECENT WORK A REALITY IN NIGERIA.

The show will feature the Nigerian Minister of Labour in discussion with the Deputy General Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress. It was conceived through consultation with groups participating in 28 April activities that included the Federal Ministry of Labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Health and the Safety Professionals and the Industrial Safety Council in Nigeria.

Some other activities planned for the Day, such as rallies and mock hazards to determine the response of workers and occupational health and safety departments, were cancelled at the last minute due to the political situation in Nigeria. There was concern amongst some that these rallies could be taken exploited by aggrieved politicians and their agents.

The NLC has also delivered a letter to the GERMAN EMBASSY in Nigeria requesting the support of their government for a high level working group on HIV/AIDS when it hosts the G8 Summit in June. The letter, which was signed by General Secretary John Ejoha Odah of the Nigerian Labour Congress, has been placed on the NLC website and copied to the Fedrich Erbert Stifitung Foundation in Nigeria. It begins by saying:

“I wish to respectfully request your Government to support the creation of G8 high-levelWorking Group on HIV/AIDS. We have resolved to take advantage of the April 28th-‘International Commemoration for Dead and Injured Workers’ to make this request from friendly governments in Nigeria.”

Contact Maureen Onyia [maureen@thistle.propagation.net].