11:24 01.12.2022

FPU delegation participated in the 5th ITUC World Congress

4 min read
FPU delegation participated in the 5th ITUC World Congress

Recently, the 5th World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which brings together representatives of more than 300 national trade unions to set the global agenda for trade unions around the world every four years, ended in Melbourne.

More than 1,000 delegates represented about 200 million workers from more than 130 countries, including the FPU delegation headed by Grygorii Osovyi, FPU President. 

The debates focused on the new social contract: climate-friendly jobs, workers’ rights, fair wages, social protection, equality and inclusion. 

The participants were welcomed by Guy Ryder, former ILO Director-General, now UN Under-Secretary-General for Labour, and Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia. The US President Joe Biden and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the Congress with video messages.

Congress was addressed by Grygorii Osovyi, President of Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, member of the ITUC General Council, ITUC Vice-President.

In the framework of the Congress on18 November, a special event dedicated to Ukraine and the activities of Ukrainian trade unions was held, moderated by Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary. The participants were shown a presentation “War in Ukraine: solidarity with the people and trade unions of Ukraine/reform of labour legislation/reconstruction of Ukraine. Numerous slides documented what Russian aggression really is and how Ukrainians met the aggressor. The delegates and numerous guests of the Congress saw what horrors the war brought with it: destroyed infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and entire settlements.

Speaking during the demonstration of slides, Grygorii Osovyi, FPU President, and Ivanna Khrapko, FPU Youth Committee Chairperson, called on the world to redouble its efforts to help Ukraine, because real peace is possible only after convincing defeat of the aggressor, liberation of all territories of Ukraine and ensuring guarantees that any aggression against any country by Russia will become impossible.

They told about the FPU activities on providing humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons, for whom the FPU has opened all its sanatoriums, tourist facilities and training centres.

The participants were given a draft Memorandum on participation of national and international trade unions in return of peace and reconstruction of post-war Ukraine. Many delegates immediately stated that they would do everything to assist Ukraine in its reconstruction and would take patronage of trade unions in specific regions of the country.

On the side-lines of the ITUC Congress a number of meetings of representatives of Ukrainian trade unions with the leadership and high-ranking officials of trade unions of the USA, Austria, Italy, Great Britain, Georgia, Poland, Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary, high-ranking officials of the ILO Director-General’s Office took place. They discussed provision of concrete solidarity support to Ukraine and Ukrainian trade unions, assistance to refugees from Ukraine abroad and internally displaced persons in Ukraine, institutional support and strengthening of trade unions in Ukraine.

It was emphasized that the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter, international law, the ILO principles, and its invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine has led to catastrophic consequences for the civilian population, infrastructure, labour market, the situation of trade unions and workers’ rights.

The question was raised about a need for permanent expulsion of Russian trade unions from the ITUC as a trade union that violated the ITUC Constitution, discredits the international trade union movement by supporting the invasion and bloody war in Ukraine.

The Congress, in addition to the main Statement on the new social contract, adopted an emergency resolution on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian trade unions.

For the first time Grygorii Osovyi, FPU President, was elected a member of the ITUC Executive Committee. This opens new opportunities for strengthening influence and increasing the FPU role in the international trade union movement.

It should be noted that in connection with Ukraine’s obtaining the status of a candidate country for accession to the EU, the FPU was admitted to the European Trade Union Confederation. This can be considered as the first important step towards Ukraine’s membership in the EU. Already today, the FPU has an opportunity to use the ETUC’s expert potential in assessing the legislative acts that Ukraine will adopt, adapting its legislation to the European one.

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