13 March 2018 13:28
Honduras: Declaración politica en apoyo a la democracia y la vigencia de los derechos humanos
Since 26th November 2017, when general elections in Honduras were held, the social and political crisis situation has increased, due to fraud denunciations issued from the opposition on elections in which President Juan Orlando Hernández was proclaimed. Hernández assumed his new mandate on 27 January 2018.Lee mas...
12 March 2018 07:37
Using the opportunity of the launching of the FNV/BWI project of organizing workers in International Financial Institutions and Multinational companies’ infrastructure projects in East Africa, 22 participants visited a huge Railway project on 21st February 2018 in Nairobi.
The visit was focused on the Nairobi – Malaba standard gauge phase 2A at Ngong railway tunnel which is 4.2 km tunnel that employs 1,700 workers.
The phase 2A is divided into six sections with a total of 6,000 employees. The main construction company is China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) one of the state-owned companies in China which has sub contracted China Communication Construction Company that will undertake the project up to Naivasha.
The railway line is an extension of the completed Nairobi – Mombasa and it is an important part of the East African railway network with the total length of 489.57km, that will be implemented in three phases. The phase 1 of the Nairobi – Naivasha has a total of 120km with a contract amount of US$1.48 billion for a duration of 54 months.
The aim of the visit is to assess the working conditions and enforce the union influence on the site. Most of the workers are unionized with local workers comprising of 90%, with about 300 Chinese workers. Freedom of association is guaranteed with the OHS committee in place. There are 45 working hours per week with paid over time, paternity and maternity leave is accorded to workers, most women workers work in the offices/managerial levels as they shy away from manual jobs, child labour is not allowed.
In view of the visits and other IFIs funded projects, the BWI affiliates in the East Africa need to lobby to be part of the procurement processes to advance workers’ conditions and social justice as observed during the discussion on public infrastructure and roads.
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08 March 2018 16:05
3 March 2018 - BWI Turkish affiliate Civil Servants’ Union of Forestry, Agriculture, Husbandry and Environment (TARIM ORMAN-IS) coordinates and supports the march of three Turkish women, one of them is an retired union member, which has been started on 3 March from the city Canakkale to the capital Ankara. The women decided to walk to Ankara in order to draw attention to the abuse of and violence against children and women, animal rape and the destruction of nature.Lee mas...
07 March 2018 07:27
Around 234 tradeswomen, majority of them are leaders and members of the Association of Women Workers in the Constuction Industry – National Union of Building and Construction Workers (AWWCI-NUBCW) attended the 2018 Manila Tradeswomen Conference on 4th March at the TESDA Women Center in advance celebration of the International women’s Day. Other attendees are TESDA trainees and members of Pinary Tradeswomen.Lee mas...
05 March 2018 13:34
On 1 March the BWI filed two complaints with the Tokyo Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG), alleging separate instances of workers’ rights violations. Lee mas...
05 March 2018 11:53
Inspired by the new BWI Global Strategic Plan 2018-2021, BWI East Africa affiliates from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia planned new strategies during a three days’ workshop from 20th to 22nd February 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting was attended by Rosa Van Wieringen FNV Mondiaal policy advisor, Sandra Juarez, Lobby and Campaign assistant and others FNV Consultants from South Asia and from East Africa; as well as BWI Africa and Middle East Regional Representative Crecentia Mofokeng and the BWI Assistant Secretary for Education Jasmin Redzepovic from Geneva head office.
The workshop helped to develop a Theory of Change and new strategies that will be implemented under the programme “Organizing Workers at International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and MNCs Infrastructure Projects in East Africa”, a BWI four-years programme (2017-2020) supported in partnership with FNV Mondiaal, from the Netherlands has been launched.
The new programme strategies will strengthen the nature and character of East Africa sub region, through more multilateralism in its approach on issues like IFIs, MNCs, campaigns for National Governments to effectively enforce Core Labour Standards (CLS), gender and youth and strengthening the Trade Unions and their centers to act on decent work issues in construction and building sectors.
Addressing the participants at the planning workshop, the BWI Regional Representative Crecentia Mofokeng said that the new programme emphasis is to strengthen national campaigns for promotion of decent work and building regional and international coordinated campaigns for IFIs. Through the implementation of the project activities the East Africa unions will push to integrate CLS in new CBAs and Labour Laws and for MNCs to implement Global Framework Agreements and OECD standards.
The participants visited a Standard railway construction site being operated by a Chinese firm, China Communications Construction Company limited who is a leading global provider of major infrastructures mainly engaged in investment construction and operation of transport, infrastructures equipment manufacturing, real estate and urban complex development.
The affiliates agreed on forward looking strategies for collective and individual country actions for the next four years, that will use new ways of organizing and mobilizing members to campaign and tackle the insurmountable challenges of workers.
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