Latest Stories

Regional Coordination Meeting of SIGTUR in Thailand July 2017

Argentina SIGTUR congress will be to direct the debates and actions towards the issue of the transformation of work, and the role trade unions and workers play in a new scenario
Trade union confederations from 9 countries met in Bangkok on July 6th and 7th  for the Regional Coordinating meeting of the Southern Initiative on Globalization and Trade Union Rights (SIGTUR). The meeting was attended by unions from Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea and India. 
 
Conference Photo 1
 
The challanges of the trade union movement in these countries was discussed, with a common context of advancing neoliberal policies that affect workers’ rights in particular. The struggles carried out from the trade union movement were presented by each member country,  reinforcing the need to connect these fights between organizations throughout the global south. 
SIGTUR’s actions of solidarity throughout the world with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) during the 2016 national day of action in Seoul were considered an example of the kinds of actions to be taken by the network. During that action, unions mobilized throughout the member countries demanding the liberation of KCTU’s President Han San-gyun. 
 
The Bangkok meeting produced a solidarity statement with the Thai trade unions, which are in a constant struggle for workers’ rights within a complex political situation.
 
The booklet produced by the Futures Commission was also discussed during the meeting, with the perspective of producing a second volume discussing alternatives from the trade union movement.
 
 Conference Photo
 
 
 
 
 The regional coordinating meeting in Bangkok accepted the proposal of the Argentine Workers’ Confederation (CTA) to host the organising of  the next SIGTUR congress. 
 CTA Delegates
 
This will take place next year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The idea of the congress will be to direct the debates and actions of SIGTUR towards the issue of the transformation of work, and the role trade unions and workers play in a new scenario. Furthermore, Argentina will hold the presidency of the G20 during 2018, and therefore the congress in Buenos Aires will allow the SIGTUR unions to put together a perspective from the Global South on where the G20 should be heading, and the role of unions in that process.