BWI 5th Congress delegates pass resolutions on climate justice, MNCs, future of work

On the second day of BWI’s 5^th World Congress, delegates went down to business and passed numerous resolutions on burning issues and areas of work that the global union will tackle in the next five years. A total of 34 resolutions and 9 statute amendments were carried by the Congress.

The first set of the resolutions covered the issue of climate justice, such as the call on governments and employers to formulate natural disaster policies to cushion the impact of climate change on workers’ rights and welfare, gender equality in the context of climate change and creating and securing good jobs side by side with climate protection. Resolutions related to the forest industry covering the invaluable source of biodiversity and continued engagement with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) were also approved by the Congress plenary. 

The second set of resolutions discussed the areas of multinational companies, international framework agreements (IFAs) and international financial institutions (IFIs). They covered the need to engage and organise Chinese Companies, MNC protectionism, debt trap diplomacy and lowered labour and environmental standards, labour subcontracting , Holcim Cement, and IFAS within the context of organising and negotiating with MNCs. 

The last set of resolutions focused on the youth and the future of work, particularly on digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, sustainable future markets, strengthened cooperation and solidarity with refugees, and international migration. 

Earlier in the day, the Congress delegates approved amendments to BWI statutes such as women representation in future BWI Congresses and the World Board, Presidium, Congress period, associated membership, youth structures, World Council members, and vote determination.