CFDT and CUT sign an agreement

Por Marie-Nadine Eltchaninoff

Gathered in Geneva for the International Labour Conference, the French and Brazilian trade union centres, CFDT and CUT, adopted a draft cooperation agreement they have been working on for some time.

The trade unionists from the CUT and the CFDT delegation warmly welcomed the opportunity to meet up again during the 104th International Labour Conference held by the ILO in Geneva. On 10 June, Laurent Berger and Antonio Lisboa, international relations secretary, representing the CUT president, Vagner Freitas, signed a draft cooperation agreement in the presence of the former CUT leader, João Felicio, who became the president of the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) in 2014. The draft agreement, finalised during the visit of the CFDT delegation to Brazil in March 2015, marks the launch of new lines of cooperation.

Laurent Berger expressed pride and satisfaction at having renewed the CFDT’s cooperation with its “trade union brothers” from the CUT, thus pursuing the longstanding collaboration between the organisations, based on shared views and values. One of the points included in the agreement signed between the two trade union organisations was the very topical issue of migration. The two organisations have undertaken to fight against discrimination and in favour of equal treatment between nationals and immigrant workers. “We have great expectations regarding the work the CUT is doing on the issue of migration,” underlined the general secretary of the CFDT, referring to CUT’s experience in this area. Brazil, in fact, has a tripartite council devoted to the issue of migration, coordinated by the Labour Ministry, of which the CUT is a member.

Fostering the emergence of trade union leaders in Africa and Haiti

The two organisations agreed to carry out joint cooperation with African and Haitian trade unions, in partnership with ITUC Africa. The CUT and the CFDT will share their good practices and expertise, with a view to fostering the emergence of trade union leaders in these parts of the world as well as strengthening trade union organising and the rights of informal economy workers. It is an ambitious programme, designed to meet the challenges of building workers’ rights, the very object of this ILO conference.