Editor’s Note: This statement first appeared as a Facebook post by Pambis Kyritsis, the Genral Secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions. For more in formation of the scandal he references please check the Labor Today archives.
The ITUC General Council, in its yesterday’s session, attempted to whitewash the ITUC responsibilities regarding the well-known bribery scandal and the arrest of its General Secretary Luca Vicentini with a decision that more or less says: “Our leader is corrupted, but our organization is spotless. We are changing our leader and not harm done.
But there have been no comment on what really needs to be answered:
-How did the ITUC and its Sectoral Organizations react when the occupational crimes in Qatar were ongoing, in view of the World Cup?
The WFTU and its International Organization for the Construction Workers, TUI UITTB, not only denounced the working conditions launching an international campaign but also fought for specific measures, calling even for a boycott.
-What was the role of the ITUC in the gradual disappearance of the Qatar file from the ILO agenda?
– Since the Qatar case was the one that we all clearly understand, what is happening and what is happening about other issues? The list of anti-labor policies on which the ITUC has either remained silent or collaborated with dominant circles for their enforcement is unfortunately very long.
– We all know that the Trade Union corruption is bred by bureaucracy, careerism and entanglement with employers and capital. If corruption has reached the top leadership of the ITUC, what about the other levels of hierarchy?
It is clear from yesterday’s decision of the ITUC General Council that the line adopted since the beginning of this huge scandal will be unchanged, that is, the line of silence and clouding, hoping that workers will quickly forget and the sins will be forgiven.
Workers and their class-oriented unions will do everything they can to prevent this from happening.
