Geneva, 22 march 2011 (ACTRAV INFO)- A joint meeting between the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) was held in Geneva on 25 March 2011, on the fringes of the ILO Governing Body session.

During this meeting, in which ACTRAV Director Mr. Dan Cunniah took part alongside ITUC General Secretary Ms. Sharan Burrow, the ACFTU National Secretary . The ACFTU National Secretary set out the progress made by China on the protection of workers’ rights. Mr. Jiang Guangping said his organization had committed itself to strengthening workers’ rights in his country.

“China’s future is linked to that of the rest of the world,” he stated. “The ACFTU has committed itself to promote workers’ rights in our country. We have asked the Government to ratify the ILO Conventions.” He emphasized the gains made by the workers under the new five-year plan adopted by the Chinese Government.

“This plan assists the trade unions within the framework of collective bargaining,” he added. “It also facilitates job creation for the unemployed and ensures the protection of wages.”

For her part, the ITUC General Secretary called on the trade unions to mobilize in order to tackle the crisis that has hit the workers. “We must mobilize and organize the workers in order to get our voice heard by governments and press them to act,” Ms. Sharan Burrow declared.

Issues such as collective bargaining, education, gender and the multinationals’ role in China were discussed during this joint meeting between the ITUC and the ACFTU at ILO Headquarters.

For more informations, contact:

Raghwan RAGHWAN
Specialist in Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV)
Desk officer for Asia-Pacific
Tél :+41 22 799 6469
Email : raghwan[at]ilo[dot]org