Ratify ILO Convention 190! For a world of work free from violence and harassment
ITUC Campaign Newsletter 6: February 2020

• Download the new #RatifyC190 campaign logo here.
• For more information and updates, go to the ITUC Campaign webpage or contact us: [email protected].
• Get ready for the next Global Action Days: 21 June: Celebrating the first anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 and 25 November: International  Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – and the 16 days of action.

• In the Americas, unions intensified their lobby and advocacy campaign demanding that their governments ratify C190, including in Mexico, Costa Rica and Argentina: CTA and  CTA A; Chile:  CUT; and Guatemala and Panama:  CO.N.U.S.I and CS. Unions initiated petitions asking governments to act: CLC Canada’s petition is asking the prime minister to ratify C190, and in the US, the AFL-CIO’s  petition calls upon senators to pass the Workplace Violence and Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. The Canadian National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) released a backgrounder entitled, Domestic Violence, Workers, and Workplaces, providing an overview of the prevalence of domestic violence and its impact on workers and workplaces in Canada. . 

• In Europe, 60 women trade union leaders called upon the EU Member States to ratify C190 in a signed ETUC letter directed to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while unions across Europe called upon their governments to #RatifyC190 including DGB, Germany, FO France and SSH Croatia. The KVPU, Ukraine started a nationwide campaign for the ratification of C190. At the TUC UK national mass conference call, plans were discussed to demand that employers take all reasonable steps to protect workers from sexual harassment and victimisation (2/2020). In Italy, the three national centres CGIL, CISL and UIL signed an agreement with the management of Siam (providing water services) which includes a fair assessment of acts linked to harassment. ICTU Ireland’s Survey Reveals Shockingly High Levels of Under-Reporting of Sexual Harassment at Work.   

• At the ITUC-Africa Congress in November 2019, union leaders from 47 countries adopted a resolution that will build momentum to pressure governments in the region to ratify C190, while national trade unions’ #RatifyC190 campaigns are spreading across the continent.  NLC Nigeria, right after the ILO Conference in June 2019,  committed to work with the Nigerian government and other social partners in the country towards the ratification of C190; the Women’s Committee of NOTU Uganda has petitioned the speaker of the parliament to push for amendments to law on gender-based violence; and TUC Ghana and the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services in Egypt, amongst others, are urging their governments to ratify C190.   

• In Asia-Pacific, Sri Lankan trade unions carried out a gap analysis between the national law and C190 to have a tool in place which will help facilitate the ratification process (1/ 2020).  Union women across the region stepped up their lobby and advocacy campaigns to demand that governments #RatifyC190, and this included women leaders at the ITUC-AP Regional Conference, the Thai unions, the ITUC-Bangladesh Council Women’s Committee and HAK-IS in Turkey. Also, ITF’s opinion piece on how safe transport in India increases  women’s employment was covered in the news in India (12/2019).

• ITUC - Eulogia Familia of CNUS Dominican Republic; Annika Wünsche of DGB Germany; David Joyce of ITUC Ireland; Suad Mohamed of GFBTU Bahrain; and Sophie Ismail of ACTU, Australia. ITUC-Africa: Gertrude Mtsweni of COSATU South Africa. We made history with the Violence and Harassment Convention – now comes the work of bringing the law to life – Equal Times blog by Chidi King, Director of the ITUC Equality Department.
• Education International (EI) interviewed Chidi King and Sharan Burrow of the ITUC, and David Edwards of EI, who underpinned the fundamental  importance of a wide ratification of C190.
• UNI Global Union #Ratify C190 clip 

• On 28 April, the 2020 World Day for safety and health at work will focus on violence and harassment in the world of work. The ILO will produce a global report highlighting how a comprehensive OSH framework at both national and workplace level could address violence and harassment in the world of work.

• ILO conducted awareness raising tripartite events, including in Indonesia where 20 trade unions and civil society organisations announced having formed an alliance around #RatifyC190. During the session, the secretary general of the Ministry of Manpower, Chairul Anwar, stated that “We recognize the importance of this Convention, as the workplaces should be free from violence and harassment. The workplaces should be a safer place for both workers and employers." (October 2019)
• Leaders and stakeholders boldly call on member States to ratify the newly adopted ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment at the United Nations General Assembly (September 2019)

• The Solidarity Center’s partners (unions, worker associations and allies) – from Honduras to Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria and Bangladesh – made big gains raising awareness about gender-based violence and harassment at work by urging their governments to ratify C190. And: Union women leaders urging Nations to ratify C190.
• The Center for Women in Global Leadership:  16 days of activism campaign and resource page with a focus on C190.
• Action Aid: 190 Women,190 Reasons to Ratify C190 campaign, women from around the world on why it is essential that new international legislation to protect workers from violence and harassment be enshrined into law by their governments, and a Jordan survey finds workplace harassment against women a pressing issue.
• Fair Wear Foundation: Catelene Passchier on the journey to #RatifyC190 and  Nazama Akter’s call to action to ensure ratification of C190 in  Bangladesh.
• Human Right Watch: The #MeToo Movement’s Powerful New Tool. 
• Hivos: The Ratification of ILO Convention Number 190 is paramount to combating workplace sexual harassment.
• UN Women’s publication to support the fight against end sexual harassment, entitled “What will it take? Promoting cultural change to end sexual harassment”. 

• Barbados: Government urges employers to “stamp out violence, harassment in the workplace”. Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan: “To bolster our efforts to foster sustainable economic growth, we need businesses to be sustainable and competitive and profitable, but this will not be achieved by workers who are affected by workplace violence and harassment” (2/2020). The instruments are posted on the Ministry of Labour’s website.
• Japan: A government report found that workplace bullying and harassment are driving women to seek mental health treatment (October 2019).
• South Africa: The Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) will be advising the Minister of Employment and Labour to recommend to NEDLAC and Parliament the ratification of ILO Convention 190 as a matter of urgency.
• Africa: Namibia publicly committed to the ratification of C190 underpinned by a public statement of the minister of Industrialisation Trade & SME Development.

• “Companies are the only places where the victims of domestic violence can speak freely” – interview with Margaret Johnston-Clarke of L’Oréal.

• [email protected] - including new developments in law and practice and collective bargaining agreements, coverage of C190 campaigns events and union news in (social) media.
• #RatifyC190 - Global Campaign: The campaign aims at the wide ratification of ILO Convention 190 and its effective implementation (including ILO Recommendation 206) to realise a world of work free from violence and harassment with a strong focus on the elimination of gender-based violence.  For more information, have a look at the ITUC campaign webpage  and  Facebook page  or contact [email protected].         

                   
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