Brazilian unionists participate in LGBTIQA+ rights workshop

40 trade union leaders, led by the BWI-affiliated Químicos ABC in Brazil, successfully finished an LGBTIQA+ and workers' rights workshop, as part of their many efforts to ensure that all workers are treated equal regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

The workshop, which was divided into three modules, discussed the intersectionality of LGBTIQA+ and labour rights, and why it is an integral part in the promotion of gender equality in trade unions and different industries. 

"Our objective is to provide knowledge and platforms to deliberate and create unities which will guide our union in crafting CBA clauses that can ensure gender-equal working environments," Químicos ABC President Raimundo Suzart said. 

“Ensuring the quality and broadness of union representation means recognising the diversity of people in workplaces, whether they are in the formal or informal sectors, and eliminating dynamics that tend to promote discrimination. The trade union movement must a take firm stand on gender equality as it represents the broad and diverse ranks of the working class,” Suzart remarked. 

The Químicos ABC leadership asked BWI to organise more LGBTIQA+ and workers’ rights workshops and maximise its participation in the Global Working Group for LGBTI Rights of the Council of Global Unions (CGU).