ITUC Online: 'Uruguay and Fiji have led by example, becoming the first two countries to ratify the Convention. Argentina is set to become the third. Now more governments must follow suit!'
Argentina will soon complete ratification. Thanks to an allied union campaign, the legislative plenary voted with a vast majority for the ratification of C190 on 11 November. As soon as the government deposits the instrument with the ILO, the ratification of C190 will be official and Argentina will become the third country to ratify C190! The ITUC regional organisation TUCA celebrated this achievement, stating that in Argentina there is jurisprudence that recognises violence and harassment at work as a breach of employer obligations and violation of human rights. However, C190 establishes a clear framework to effectively prevent and address violence and harassment in the world of work.
Chileis on track to ratify C190. After an extensive social media and advocacy campaign, CUT Chile celebrated on 13 November the majority vote of the Chamber of Deputies for a resolution asking the Chilean President, Sebastián Piñera, to ratify ILO Convention 190. In Italy, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved the bill for the ratification of C190 on 23 September and is now moving forward to the next step in the ratification process: the Senate. More countries are in the process of ratifying C190, such as Mongolia, Ireland, South Africa and Spain, and many unions around the world are determined to secure ratification of C190 as soon as possible.
Circulating a sign-on letter, statement or petition, or send a letter to your government (download the sample letter here);
Launching a social media platform to share campaign updates and workers’ stories underpinning the critical importance of ratifying C190;
Engaging a broad coalition or alliance for a call to action to ratify C190;
Organising #RatifyC190 webinars and information sessions to raise awareness on C190 and R206 and build a deeper understanding on how the ratification of C190 paves the way for shaping a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence.
The newly released ILO ACTRAV video clip “Violence and harassment during and after COVID-19 lockdown measures” discusses how unions can eradicate violence and harassment in the world of work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian.
Education International:Reports that “In light of the Tunisian government’s silence on carrying out the ratification procedures for Convention 190, the education trade unions affiliated to the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) are cooperating to push the Tunisian government to ratify the Convention.” Trade union actions include awareness-raising campaigns, advocacy and mobilisation, monitoring violations and recording the cases of violence and harassment in the workplace, introducing a support centre for victims of violence and harassment, preparing and completing periodic reports for the Tunisian government and the International Labour Organization, and pushing to include the provisions of C190 as clauses in collective bargaining agreements (9 November, available in English, Spanish and French).
ITF: Indian transport unions - Report: Domestic violence is a workplace issue says ground-breaking Indian study (29 September 2020). "The report’s findings are clear: domestic violence is a workplace issue, and it’s time that governments, employers, unions and civil society organisations establish proactive practices, agreements and legislation to address the impact of domestic violence at work.” Sheela Naikwade, vice president of ITF affiliated union MSTKS, India.
“Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity can no longer be tolerated. This hate, this intolerance, this form of violence divides us and weakens us. LGBTI persons must have the equal protections and the same rights and protections as everyone else. Diversity and inclusion are big assets to unions and to workplaces. They provide us with the richness of different perspectives and approaches. They teach us about tolerance and respect. These are core trade union values which we hope will be supported in this joint project by global unions.”
Ireland:ICTU has written to the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, urging early ratification of C190 (7 September). ICTU hosted a webinar on 2 October where Marie Clarke Walker (CLC Canada) shared her perspective on C190 and the importance of gaining widespread ratification and Fiona Ward, representing the Department of Enterprise and Employment during the ILO negotiations, spoke about Ireland's ratification plans. Testimony: Two years of harassment at UDC: “She was frightened of being alone on campus and unnerved almost to the point of abandoning her successful academic career. This was the reality of workplace harassment for one of Ireland’s best-known academic figures.” (5 September)
Ukraine: FPU and KVPU gathered to discuss the next steps of the #RatifyC190 campaign in Ukraine and strategise, together with the Solidarity Centre and experts from the ILO office for Ukraine.
Regional: TUCA Women’s Committee declaration calls for a gender-responsive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ratification of ILO Convention 190 stating that “women workers in the informal economy are at an increased risk to face violence and harassment in the world of work since they are not covered by labour law, earn poor wages, lack access to social protection and face unsafe working conditions”. Available in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese
Chile: The progress made with the ratification process of C190 in Chile was preceded by months of intense campaigning. In October, CUT’s #ratificarC190 social media campaign and platforms on Facebook and Twitter urged the government to ratify C190 while this was being covered in national media (see for example: Dario Financiero - 19 October). In August, CUT’s president, Bárbara Figueroa, spoke during the seminar ‘Towards the ratification of ILO Convention C190’, underpinning the importance of pressuring the government to ratify C190, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated levels of domestic violence and violence and harassment at work. (28 August – you can watch the recording of the seminar here).
Senegal:On 10 November, CNTS and IUF launched a campaign for the ratification of C190 during which the director of social protection at the Ministry of Labor, Fatoumata Dramé Diakhaté, argued that violence and harassment have a negative impact on the organisation of work, workers, workers’ productivity, and the reputation of businesses.
Rose Omamo, general secretary of the Kenyan Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers
Benin: On 2 October, COSI met with journalists to discuss ways to raise public awareness on the existing national law on violence against women (2011 – 26) and the contents of C190 and R206 and to raise awareness of the problem of gender-based violence.
Australia:ACTU launched a petition, addressed to Attorney General Christian Porter and Minister for Women Marise Payne, calling on the Australian government to ratify ILO Violence and Harassment Convention now!
Mongolia:CMTU included the ratification of C190 in its proposal for the new tripartite national agreement due in November. This was preceded by CMTU’s month-long information campaign on C190 in June 2020, supported by the ILO and the European Union.
New Zealand: The Labour government, which won a landslide victory in the election in October, promised to deliver on ratification of C190 in their campaign manifesto.
Thailand:SERC is leading the campaign in Thailand for the ratification of C190. The government included the ratification of C190 at the recent review of the decent work country program, and a law and practice report is being developed with the support from the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls. Earlier this year, representatives of trade unions, employers and the government met to discuss C190 and R206.
WIEGO:A new briefing note, ‘Violence and informal work’, highlights how C190 and R206 can be used by informal workers’ organisations to address the violence and harassment informal workers experience in trying to secure their livelihoods.
Shawna Bader-Blau, director of the Solidarity Center
About the #RatifyC190 Campaign
ITUC and the Global Union Federations are leading the way with a pioneering campaign for the worldwide ratification of C190 and its effective implementation, including R206, to realise a world of work free from violence and harassment, in particular gender-based violence and harassment. The campaign is supported by human and labour rights and feminist advocates including Human Rights Watch, ActionAid International, Oxfam, WECF, Solidarity Center and the Global 16 Days campaign.
Share with us your lobbying and #RatifyC190 campaign updates at [email protected], including new developments in law and practice and collective bargaining agreements.
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