The Second World Congress of Global March member the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) was held in Vancouver, Canada, from 21 to 25 June 2010. Canada was also the venue for the G8 and G20 Summits held immediately after the ITUC Congress from 25 to 27 June 2010 to which the Global Unions submitted a powerful statement calling on the G8 and 20 Heads of State to learn the lessons of the immediate past and the factors which contributed to the global economic crisis. [Please click here for more on the Global Unions’ Statement “Take action on jobs to sustain the recovery”]
History was also made in Vancouver as ITUC delegates elected its first female General Secretary, Ms Sharan Burrow, former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Ms Burrow is a former teacher and teacher activist from New South Wales and a former Vice-President of Global March Governing Board member Education International (EI) and former President of the ITUC. Outgoing General Secretary and long-time friend and supporter of Global March, Mr Guy Ryder, is leaving to rejoin the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Global March wishes him well in his challenging new role. Likewise, Global March welcomes the election of Ms Burrow and looks forward to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two organisations.
The ITUC maintained its strong focus on global economic recovery in its working document, “Now the people – From the crisis to global justice”, to ensure constructive debate among delegates from all over the world on the impact of the crisis in their countries and potential strategies to overcome these new challenges. For working people, the crisis has resulted in acute hardship and great insecurity. Soaring unemployment and significant cuts to vital public services and social protection set the platform for these crucial discussions in Vancouver.
Trade unions are not alone in trying to find a way out of the crisis and to ensure that the recovery period will avoid the mistakes of the past and that governments and business shoulder their full responsibilities in this process. For Global March as well, building a future based on social justice for all is key to the elimination and prevention of all forms of child labour and, in this respect, it welcomes the resolutions adopted by the ITUC Congress delegates, all of which focus forcefully on the need for a stronger social dimension in global economic recovery plans, particularly through respect for the core labour standards of the ILO, including the elimination of child and forced labour.
These resolutions send out a clear message to governments, employers and international bodies and organisations worldwide that the road to economic recovery cannot happen with a “business as usual” approach. Meaningful recovery will be dependent on national and global political commitment to the principles of social justice, to the UN Millennium Development Goals and to the most vulnerable and marginalised in society, particularly children and women. In this respect, Global March fully supports the ITUC resolutions and the Global Unions’ statement and will mainstream the objectives and principles of these documents into its programmes to strengthen strategic partnerships.
To download the Congress thematic document and the resolutions, please click on the titles below:
Please click here to go to the ITUC web site for more information and details of the 2nd World Congress, including resolutions and the theme report in French and Spanish.
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