10^TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF SOUTHERN INITIATIVE ON GLOBALISATION AND TRADE UNION RIGHTS (SIGTUR)

Perth, Australia – from 2^nd to 6^th December 2013

Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General, Participated

Against the everyday reality of the human social and psychological destructiveness of Neo-liberal capitalist Restructuring, one hundred and twenty (120) trade union activists from fourteen countries across four continuents in the Global South, representing democratic unions from Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Nigeria, Rwanda, Japan, India, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and Australia gathered in Perth, Western Australia from 2^nd to 6^th of December 2013.

The five days program of workshops and plenary debates focused on four issues: - (1) Challenging the power of global corporations (2) Public sector restructuring (3) Transport and Communications and (4) Trade Union education and empowering workers in the age of neo-liberalism. The congress endorsed continuing to build and strengthen global solidarity networks and actions in the above mentioned four areas. The congress recommended that noting the intense anti-privatisation and other public sector struggles which are presently being fought on all continents within the SIGTUR network, priority shall be given to intensifying these struggles and SIGTUR coordinators shall prioritize this defined objective. Further the congress noted development and emergence of global campaign against Trans-National Corporations (TNCs) by the SIGTUR participants and leading role played by them.

Congress recommended that SIGTUR participants shall work strongly for country to country and union to union initiatives and solidarity actions that intensify these campaigns. Congress decided that a continuing exchange of ideas on union education on workplace issues and political economy should be promoted across the network as part of a process of further developing the social and political consciousness of workers.

The congress was addressed by Com. Ged Kearney, ACTU President, Com. Christy Cain, State Secretary & National Vice President of Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), Com. Paddy Crumlin, National Secretary of the MUA & International President of International Transport Federation (ITF). There were II sessions consisting of workshops and plessary sessions.

The Indian delegation consisting of 13 leaders of various organizations was lead by Com. Amanulla Khan, All India President of the All India Insurance Employees Association. Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General represented the Confederation.

SIGTUR’S OBJECTIVE

“Step by step we will build a globally integrated labour movement in the south, in the most fundamental battle of our era. In this we represent the hopes and aspirations of generations to come; hopes for a just global economy providing security for all in society; for a planet whose fine tuned ecology is protected before all else and for world society that relegates the weapons and methods of warfare to the dustbin of history, where they truly belong. In each of these struggles we will never cease to advance, for while we have breath in our bodies we will remain committed to what is best and to what drives our movement: a solidarity which will last forever”.