Call for Labour Rights and Human Rights Day

9 December 2005: Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, the overseas humanitarian aid arm of the ACTU, is calling on all governments around the world to recognise the rights of working people on International Human Rights Day, December 10th 2005.

Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA joins the call of eleven recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in demanding that nations around the world abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and fully recognise the rights of working people to join a union and to bargain collectively.

In a statement released on 7th December, 2005, eleven Nobel Peace Prize Laureates expressed their grave concern about the state of workers' rights around the globe and urged all nations to vigorously protect and defend workers' inalienable human right to form unions free of discrimination, threats or harassment. The statement, in part, reads: "Protecting the right to form unions ... is vital to promoting broadly shared economic prosperity, social justice, and strong democracies."

The full statement "A Global Call for Human Rights in the Workplace" can be found on the Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA website at www.apheda.org.au

The Nobel Peace Laureates who signed the statement were former USA President Jimmy Carter, Archibishop Tutu, Former Polish President Lech Walesa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Tibet), Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta (East Timor), John Hume (Northern Ireland), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Betty Williams (Ireland), Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Northern Ireland), Shirin Ebadi (Iran) and Jody Williams (U.S.).

Through its work of vocational skills training, HIV education, adult education and strengthening workers' rights in developing countries, Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA assists workers to learn the skills they need to enter the labour market and get decent jobs. Our work makes us aware of the impact for working men and women when independent unions are banned in a country. Wages, working hours, conditions of work and safety standards usually are appalling. Banning unions in one country also has the effect of dragging down wages in other, neighbouring countries. For example, jobs are disappearing, and wage cuts are being imposed in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Bangladesh as companies try to match the Chinese wage rates.

In countries such as Burma and Zimbabwe, the plight of working people is acerbated by repressive and corrupt regimes. In Burma, the ruling military junta uses child labour and forced or slave labour on government and military projects, while in Zimbabwe, trade union activists are also repeatedly beaten and jailed. Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA assists projects in Zimbabwe and with refugees from Burma living on the Thai-Burma border. In Colombia, 90 trade union activists were murdered last year. For full details of human rights abuses against trade union members, see www.icftu.org and go to Annual Survey 2005.

"Women, especially, are affected by the banning of independent trade unions," said Peter Jennings from Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA. "Many women work long hours for low wages in sweatshop conditions in many developing countries. The right for workers to join a trade union is a fundamental human right, articulated in Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If it were fully observed by all countries, it would be a major step towards winning a just wage, and therefore a better standard of living, for the world's 400 million low-paid women workers and their children."

For further information, please contact: Peter Jennings on (02) 9264 9343 or 0409 047 353

Download File:
"A Global Call for Human Rights in the Workplace" [ rtf ]
Contact Details
Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA
Ph:  (02) 9264 9343
Fax: (02) 9261 1118
office@apheda.org.au

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Last Modified: Monday, 12-Dec-2005 23:29:38 EST
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