Building Workers' Power
ITUC Newsletter October 2019

Coming up this month – Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary


The World Bank and IMF annual meetings taking place this month will introduce the new IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. She will take over an institution that has again failed working people with conditionality that drives attacks on minimum wages, collective bargaining and social security. The new World Bank President will also be on show and we have little confidence in the institution’s commitment to universal social protection and decent work. Read the Global Unions' statement here.

The ITUC General Council will meet this month in Brussels to discuss the ITUC programme of work for 2020. The ILO Centenary Declaration will be discussed with a focus on the future of work and particularly the breakdown in secure employment with key demands agreed and integrated into our demand for a New Social Contract. The ratification campaign for the new Convention to eliminate Violence and Harassment will be important, along with a stocktake of conflict, democracy and rights struggles in the face increasing authoritarianism and right-wing extremism.
Call to Action - Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank
As governments gather in Washington D.C. for the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank on 18-20 October 2019, unions are calling for a reform of the international financial institutions to promote sustainable economic growth, full employment and decent work.

Read the full statement here.
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Highlights from the past month

World Day for Decent Work
October 7, the Word Day for Decent Work again saw massive action from unions on the theme ‘Investing in care for Gender Equality' and other issues such as wage justice with minimum living wages and collective bargaining.

Global Week of Climate Action
The UN Climate Action Summit and the UN SDG Summit, held during the UN General Assembly in New York, saw a massive mobilisation around the world, led by our children. We can be proud of the hundreds of unions and thousands of union members who took part in the Global Week of Climate Action.

The people’s call for action exposed government leaders, both those not in attendance and others with minimal or no commitments to getting to net zero and protect humanity from climate devastation. Most G20 leaders were missing in action. We have just one year to see the national development plans that will guarantee we can stabilise the planet by 2030 and realise Just Transitions to give us a fighting chance to achieve net zero by 2050.

On a positive note, heavy industry and transport CEOs with city leaders worked with unions to commit to serious transition, jobs and decent work.

Key Upcoming Dates

 
ITUC General Council Meeting
15-17 October 2019 – Brussels, Belgium

 Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank
 18-20 October – Washington, D.C., USA
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