Asia Pacific Conference on 'Right to Form Unions and Right to Collective Bargaining: A Campaign for Ratification and Implementation of ILO Conventions 87 and 98'

Background

The International Labour Organisation Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV), in cooperation with ITUC-AP (International Trade Union Confederation-Asia Pacific) and MTUC (Malaysian Trade Union Congress), is organizing an Asia Pacific Conference on “Right to Form Unions and the Right to Collective Bargaining: A Campaign for Ratification and Implementation of ILO conventions 87 and 98”, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during 6-8 May 2009.

Trade unionists in Asia and the Pacific Region continue to face threat, discrimination, persecution and at times death in their daily work of representing union members and carrying out collective bargaining. The current economic crisis has added further challenges to the unionists who now face the reality of millions of workers being made redundant. The present crisis is also being used as an excuse to deny trade union and collective bargaining rights. The ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and the Protection of Right to Organise and Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining are the basis to provide and provide for rights and protection against abuse and violation of these rights. Most of the governments in the region have not ratified either or both the Conventions. This Conference is about identifying strategies and launching an aggressive campaign for the ratification of these Conventions.

Objectives

- Strengthen trade union capacity in the areas of freedom of association (FOA) and collective bargaining (CB);

- Develop a campaign strategy for the ratification and implementation of freedom of association and collective bargaining conventions;

- Promote and establish structures for the implementation of Conventions 87 and 98;

- Promote the integration of FOA and CB in all the DWCP’s and broaden awareness and knowledge of FAO and CB.

The Workshop will be held in English.

Contact:

For further information on technical issues:

Mr Raghwan, ILO Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV)
Email: raghwan@ilo.org, Tel: +41 22 799 6469, Fax: +41 22 799 6570

Ms Christine Nathan, ILO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific
E-mail: nathan@ilo.org, Tel: +66 2 288 1764, Fax: +66 2 280 1735

See also ILO Convention 87 and 98