At the invitation of the International Federation of Asian and African Trade Unions (IFAATU), today 29 May 2024 an online meeting of IFAATU and the General Secretary of the WFTU, Pambis Kyritsis, took place, in the light of the upcoming 112th International Labor Conference, but also of the developments in the region. On behalf of IFAATU participants in the meeting were its President Mr. Saoud Alhujailan, Mr. Mohammad Abuzaid, IFAATU’s General Secretary and his Deputy Mr. Mohammad Alzwaiten, participated in the meeting.
In the context of the meeting, there was a discussion about the developments in Palestine, with the ongoing genocide and the intensifying aggression against the struggling Palestinian people. The hypocrisy of the imperialists and the silence shown by the international community to the crime being committed, constitute complicity and are condemned by the two Federations. It is also indisputable that the solidarity which must be demonstrated and intensified by the trade union movement internationally, is a force in the struggle of our Palestinian brothers and sisters for survival.
Bearing in mind that the agenda of the upcoming 112th ILC also includes the elections for the composition of the governing bodies of the ILO, the two Federations express their displeasure at the lack of representativeness and the undemocratic functioning, as a result of which millions of workers are deprived of representation by the governing bodies of the Organization, and the monopolization of the representation of their voice by Organizations that do not pose a threat to the ruling class and the system is favored. In this context, condemning the situation and struggling for change, is imperative.
At the meeting it was understood that WFTU and IFAATU are on the same page regarding the need to defend the democratic and trade union freedoms of workers internationally, since these are under the harsh attack by the capital and its representatives.
In the context of the online meeting, WFTU and IFAATU confirmed that in today’s conditions, the unity of the workers and the class-oriented Trade Unions fighting for the defense of democratic and trade union freedoms, seeking the democratization of the ILO functioning, and standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, is imperative.
