ORG/REL 7 July Report of the 3rd Session of the General Council. Dear Friends,

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1 ITUC INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION CSI CONFÉDÉRATION SYNDICALE INTERNATIONALE CSI CONFEDERACIÓN SINDICAL INTERNACIONAL IGB INTERNATIONALER GEWERKSCHAFTSBUND Bd. du Roi Albert II, 5, Bte 1, B 1210 Bruxelles Belgique Tel. +32 (0) Fax +32 (0) info@ituc-csi.org SHARAN BURROW PRESIDENT PRÉSIDENTE PRÄSIDENTIN PRESIDENTA GUY RYDER GENERAL SECRETARY SECRÉTAIRE GÉNÉRAL GENERALSEKRETÄR SECRETARIO GENERAL In reply please quote: Circular N 25 (2008) To all affiliated organisations To all Global Union Federations and TUAC For information: To all General Council Members To all Women s Committee Members To all Youth Committee Members ORG/REL 7 July 2008 Report of the 3rd Session of the General Council Dear Friends, We attach hereto the report of the 3rd Meeting of the ITUC General Council held on December 2007 in Washington. This report will be submitted to the next meeting of the General Council for formal approval. Yours sincerely, Encl. General Secretary

2 INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION REPORT OF THE 3 RD SESSION OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL Washington, December 2007 Agenda Item 1: Opening of meeting and adoption of agenda The ITUC President opened the meeting at 2.45 p.m. on 12 December. The agenda (Appendix I) was adopted. Agenda Item 2: Report of the 2 nd General Council Meeting (Brussels, Belgium, June 2007) The General Council approved the report of its 2nd meeting. Agenda Item 3: Obituaries The General Council members observed a minute s silence to salute the contribution to working people of four departed colleagues, Maria Ednalva Bezerra de Lima, Heribert Maier, Alioune Sow and André Vanden Broucke. Agenda Item 4: Constitutional Bodies 1) Election of Vice Presidents The General Council ratified the election of four additional Vice-Presidents: - Mr. Harald Børsting - Mr. Mody Guiro - Mr. João Antonio Felicio - Mr. G. Rajasekaran 2) General Council and Executive Bureau The General Council ratified the proposed changes in the composition of the General Council and the Executive Bureau as described in document 3GC/E/4. In addition the following changes in the composition of the General Council were announced orally, and were both accepted: - Henri Massé (FTQ - Canada) to be replaced by Michel Arsenault - Salih Kiliç (TURK-IS - Turkey) to be replaced by Mustafa Kumlu. 3) Composition of the Women s Committee and Youth Committee The General Council noted that, as approved at the 2 nd meeting of the General Council, the composition of these committees would be finalised after the unification of the three regional organisations. 4) Human and Trade Union Rights Committee The General Council: approved the document on the mandate and composition of the HTUR Committee (document Appendix II 3GC/E/4), with the addition that the ITUC s policy priorities and objectives with regard to relevant ILO bodies would be developed in

3 - 2 - close co-ordination with the Secretariat and Members of the Workers' Group of the ILO along with relevant national centres, the Global Union Federations and TUAC; requested the General Secretary, in the absence of a formal list of members of the HTUR Committee, which could not be finalised before the end of the unification process at regional level, to convene an ad-hoc Consultation on HTUR issues in 2008 and to propose a list of the Committee s membership, together with its work programme, to the General Council at its next meeting. Agenda Item 5: Affiliation Questions 1) Applications for affiliation The General Council accepted into affiliation: Botswana Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) Comoros Confédération des Travailleuses et Travailleurs des Comores (CTC) Dominican Republic Confederación Nacional de Unidad Sindical (CNUS) Ireland Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Sri Lanka National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Surinam Algemeen Verbond van Vakverenigingen in Suriname De Moederbond (AVVS) Thailand State Enterprises Workers Relations Confederation (SERC) The General Council decided to keep under ongoing consideration the following applications: AFRICA Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Congo Congo (DRC) Côte d Ivoire Gabon Liberia Morocco Namibia Centrale des Syndicats Unis du Bénin (CSUB) Force Ouvrière Union Nationale des Syndicats Libres (FO/UNSL) Confédération Générale du Travail-Liberté du Cameroun (CGT-Liberté) Confédération des Syndicats Autonomes du Cameroun (CSAC) Confédération Africaine des Travailleurs Croyants (CATC) Organisation des Travailleurs du Congo (OTUC) La Centrale des Syndicats des Travailleurs de Côte d Ivoire Force Ouvrière (CSTC-FO) Entente Syndicales des Travailleurs du Gabon (EN.SY.TG) Forestry, Logging and Industries Workers Union of Liberia (FLIWUL) Fédération Démocratique du Travail (FDT) National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) AMERICAS Antigua & Barbuda Antigua Trades and Labour Union (ATLU) Barbados Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) Chile Unión Nacional de Trabajadores de Chile (UNT) Panama Union General de Trabajadores de Panama (UGT) Paraguay Central General de Trabajadores (CGT) St Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union (TLU )

4 - 3 - ASIA Fiji Philippines Fiji Islands Council of Trade Unions (FICTU) All Filipino Workers Confederation (AFWC) EUROPE Croatia Hrvatska Udruga Sindikata (HUS) / Union of Croatian Trade Unions France Fédération Syndicale Unitaire (FSU) Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia (FYRoM) Confederation of Free Trade Unions (KSS) Kazakhstan Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FPK) Liechtenstein Liechtensteinischer Arbeitnehmerverband (LANV) Ukraine National Confederation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (NCTUU) It was agreed that as the above-mentioned trade union centres from Liechtenstein and St Kitts-Nevis had completed almost all the necessary steps for affiliation, the next meeting of the Executive Bureau in June 2008 should be authorised to affiliate them. It was decided to keep the following long term pending affiliation requests on a separate list, such that the General Council need not consider them at each successive meeting: Afghanistan Iraq-Kurdistan Western Sahara All Afghanistan Federation of Trade Unions (AAFTU) Kurdistan General Workers Syndicates Union (KGWSU) Union General de Trabajadores de Saguia El-Hamra y Rio de Oro (UGT SARIO) The General Council decided to give no further consideration to the following applications: Congo (RDC) Italy Nicaragua Mauritania Niger Peru Syndicat des Travailleurs du secteur Formel et Informel (STFI) Unione Generale del Lavoro (UGL) Confederación Unitaria Sindical Autónoma (CUSA) Frente Nacional de los Trabajadores (FNT) (following withdrawal of the application) Union des Syndicats Libres de Mauritanie (USLM) Union Nationale des Travailleurs de la Mauritanie (UNTM) Confédération Générale des Syndicats Libres du Niger (CGSLN) Union Générale des Travailleurs du Niger (UGTN) Confederación de Trabajadores del Perú (CTP) 2) Other affiliation issues The General Council accepted the affiliation of the Uniao Geral dos Trabalhadores (UGT Brazil), which will take effect after the CGT (one of the UGT member organisations) has settled the arrears in its payment of affiliation fees to the ITUC. The General Council noted that CSRM-Moldova had merged with Solidaritate (a nonaffiliated organisation) into the Confederatia Nationala a Sindicatelor din Moldova (CNSM) and decided to remove the CSRM from the list of ITUC affiliates.

5 - 4-3) Associated Organisations The General Council noted that of those organisations that had been offered the status of Associated Organisation, the following had confirmed their acceptance of the status: Bolivia Burma Cambodia Cuba Guinea India India Kyrgyzstan Lesotho Libya Corriente de Renovación Independiente y Solidaridad Laboral (CRISOL) Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB) Cambodian Labor Confederation (CLC) Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos - Solidaridad de Trabajadores Cubanos (CUTC-STC) Union Démocratique des Travailleurs de Guinée (UDTG) Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI) Indian Confederation of Labour (ICL) Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan (FPKg) Congress of Democratic Unions (LECODU) Union Générale des Producteurs de la Lybie Jamahirya (UGPJAL) The General Council decided to maintain the status of the UGPJAL for one more year. At the end of 2008 UGPJAL s status will be determined in the light of concrete evidence on progress towards independence and effective representation of workers. In the absence of such evidence, the associated organisation status will be withdrawn. It was agreed that if appropriate a progress report would be provided to the meeting of the Executive Bureau in June The General Council noted that the Associate Organisation status granted by the Founding Congress to the Confédération Générale des Travailleurs au Liban (CGTL- Lebanon) and the Nezavuske Krestanse Odbory Slovenska (NKOS - Slovak Republic), had been accepted by both organisations. The General Council agreed further to grant the status of Associated Organisation to the Cape Verde Confederaçao Cabo Verdiana Dos Sindicatos Livres (CCSL). The General Council asked for a closer examination and clarification of the position of ETUF-Egypt, which now appeared ready to accept the status of associated organisation though they had earlier expressed strong dissatisfaction with that status. Agenda Item 6: Regions (a) Africa ITUC-Africa was constituted at its founding Congress in Accra (27-29 November, 2007) attended by 161 delegates, as well as observers and representatives of international and fraternal organisations. Kwasi Adu-Amankwah was elected General Secretary and the subsequent ITUC-Africa General Council elected Mody Guiro as President, Toolsyraj Benydin as Deputy President and Adrien Akoueté as Deputy General Secretary. The General Council confirmed the election of Kwasi Adu-Amankwah as General Secretary of ITUC-Africa and as a Deputy General Secretary of the ITUC, and endorsed the Constitution of ITUC-Africa.

6 - 5 - (b) Americas The General Secretaries of ORIT and CLAT confirmed that the Founding Congress of the ITUC Regional Organisation for the Americas would take place in Panama on March Agreement had been reached on most of the points of the draft Constitution of the new organisation, except around the composition of its Executive Council and its Youth and Women s Committees and regarding relations with sectoral trade union organisations at a regional level. Many joint activities (including joint women's meetings) had taken place and helped to encourage the process of unification and in this regard, the efforts developed by CLAT and ORIT were welcomed by the General Council in its subsequent debate. Some country situations remained very serious. Regarding Venezuela, the CTV invited the ITUC General Secretary to undertake a mission to the country to bring together the ITUC s affiliates so as to develop a common agenda around social dialogue, freedom of association and collective bargaining. The General Council recalled the obligation for the constitutions of all ITUC regional organisations to be consistent with that of the Confederation, and authorised the next meeting of the Executive Bureau in June 2008 to confirm the election of the General Secretary of the new regional organisation and to endorse its Constitution. (c) Asia and Pacific ITUC-Asia Pacific was constituted at its founding Conference in Bangalooru, India (5-6 September, 2007) attended by 133 delegates, as well as observers and representatives of international and fraternal organisations. Noriyuki Suzuki was elected General Secretary and the subsequent ITUC-Asia Pacific General Council elected G. Rajasekaran as President and Anton Lodwick and Daisy Lim as Deputy Presidents, and appointed Necie Lucero as Deputy General Secretary. The General Council confirmed the election of Noriyuki Suzuki as General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific and as a Deputy General Secretary of the ITUC, and endorsed the Constitution of ITUC-Asia Pacific. With regard to gender issues in all the regions, the General Council welcomed the fulfilment of the ITUC s Constitutional commitment to gender equality by ITUC-Asia Pacific and the provisions for 40% women s representation in the draft Constitution of ITUC-TUCA, and expressed its expectation that ITUC-Africa would complete the process of ensuring an adequate level of women s representation when filling the vacant positions on its governing bodies. (d) Middle East Following an introduction of the report by the Deputy General Secretary, the General Council commented on the importance of cooperation between the ITUC and the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU) and drew attention to the serious problems of human and trade union rights in the region and the particular need for solidarity with the Palestinian colleagues in the West Bank and Gaza. The General Council members: noted the report of the first meeting on Trade Union Development in Arab and Middle East Countries (Brussels, November 2007), endorsed the proposed agreement with ICATU, and denounced all violations of trade union rights in the Middle East region.

7 - 6 - (e) PERC The PERC General Secretary and the PERC President underlined that PERC had addressed the initial challenges associated with its launch and had proceeded, without major disruptions, to establish a clear modus operandi in the new context. This had involved bringing together respective activities of the ITUC and ETUC, streamlining the leadership structures and procedures and the work of the regional offices, and interaction with national organisations. Support for strengthening trade union organisations had been the focus of activities throughout the region and would continue to be a key priority in the future. Activities had been undertaken aimed at intensifying contacts and joint work between EU-based and other trade unions in more specific contexts and had produced some initial results, such as a regional round table on atypical work held in Moscow in November A question was raised concerning the issue of the Ukrainian trade unions assets and the role of the ITUC. The organisations concerned had been provided with an additional 90 days to find a mutually acceptable solution, since the previous deadline had coincided with the general elections in the country. The deadline had been set for the end of 2007 and some positive signals had already been received, however a final solution was still some way off. The General Council noted the report. Agenda Item 7: Building the New Internationalism: follow-up The General Secretary introduced a report on action taken with regard to the six propositions for the building of a new trade union internationalism debated at the second meeting of the General Council in June The General Council noted the report. i) ITUC Communications Strategy Several speakers welcomed the document on the ITUC s communications strategy presented to the Council, stressing the importance of progress in this area for the work of the ITUC overall. Specific mention was made of the need for affiliates to support research work in the preparation of special reports for release to the media, and of the importance of affiliates ensuring that ITUC reports and publicity materials were widely disseminated nationally, both to trade unionists and the media. The ITUC s involvement in the development of Global Unions communications work was also seen as a significant area of activity. The focus on tackling the digital divide within the trade union movement was welcomed, as were the proposals concerning the use of new media, in particular as a means for reaching out to young people. The importance of producing materials in a wider range of languages was mentioned as an area where affiliates could provide greater support to the ITUC s communications work. The General Council decided to: Endorse the proposed approach set out in the document and provide guidance to the General Secretary on the development of the ITUC s Communications Strategy; Seek the full and active engagement of affiliates in the consultation process referred to in document 3GC/E/7(i);

8 - 7 - Urge potential cooperating partners to support initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide within the trade union movement and building trade union media and communications capacity; Authorise the full participation of the ITUC in the communications process being undertaken by the Council of Global Unions; and Encourage all affiliates to consider the possibilities for cooperating with the ITUC Secretariat in the preparation of reports aimed at ensuring global media coverage, and in the promotion of these reports to their national media. ii) Day of Action In presenting this document, the Secretariat recalled the decision of the 2 nd General Council that the title chosen for this Day must provide the affiliates with scope for carrying out activities, both in the lead up to and on the Day itself, that were relevant to their national agendas and circumstances whilst retaining a clear link to the global activities. Several speakers stressed the importance of developing cooperation with the Global Union Federations in order to maximise impact. Emphasis on the full employment pillar of decent work would be needed, as well as highlighting the real experiences of working women and men in the materials produced to support the themes. Concerning the date of 7 October for the Day, which was endorsed by the General Council, it was noted that World Teachers Day would take place on 5 October. The General Council decided to: Establish October as the date for the Day of Action mandated by the Founding Congress. Adopt the following title for the Day of Action: World Day for Decent Work Approve the following themes for the Day: Rights at Work Solidarity Ending Poverty and Inequality Endorse the approach outlined in the document 3GC/E/7(ii) for the Day of Action; Mandate the Executive Bureau to review progress and consider any outstanding questions at its June 2008 meeting; Call upon all the ITUC s affiliates and Global Unions partners to fully and actively engage in the preparation and realisation of the event; and Encourage all participating organisations to keep the ITUC informed of the state of their preparations for the Day of Action, and to provide short written reports, photos and audio-visual examples of the actions undertaken on the Day itself.

9 - 8 - iii) Development Cooperation A report was presented by the Deputy General Secretary, emphasising that based on the priorities and objectives set at the Vienna Congress, work plans had been drafted along with a series of areas for potential contributions from SSOs for implementing them through multilateral and bilateral programmes. Consultations had been held with member organisations, solidarity support organisations (SSOs) and Regional Organisations on building a consensus around a number of shared objectives. General Council members expressed their satisfaction with the work done so far by the Secretariat. They agreed that it was important that all SSOs provide information so as to obtain an overall picture that would benefit all concerned and that more emphasis should be placed on training. It was also stated that the joint work with the ILO should be more closely defined. The General Council proceeded to endorse the suggested approach on development cooperation, and in particular: The continuation of work on the development of a coherent policy and programme of action, aimed at strengthening the trade union movement in line with the Programme adopted at the Vienna Congress; Close cooperation between the ITUC s global and regional structures to move towards a strategic, demand-based approach in bilateral and multilateral programmes, including through the collection and sharing of the necessary information as a basis for improved cooperation with the Solidarity Support Organisations; Development of further project proposals, in cooperation with the SSOs and Regional Organisations, in order to support the implementation of the Vienna Programme; and An increased focus on influencing and increasing access to the development cooperation policies and programmes of international bodies and the European Union, in close cooperation with affiliates and the ETUC, and at the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD, in close cooperation with affiliates and TUAC. The General Council called upon all affiliates and Solidarity Support Organisations to give their full support to the realisation of these objectives. iv) Special Action Programmes The General Secretary presented an update on progress on the Special Action Programmes. Regarding the programme on Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers, he explained that progress had been made on producing partnership agreements and that the work under this SAP in 2008 would involve supporting the consolidation of the existing initiatives, and working with affiliates to establish further cooperation programmes and other Migrant Centres. The General Council endorsed the proposed approach to the Special Action Programme on Migrant Workers.

10 - 9 - With regard to the ITUC s Political Project on Globalisation aimed at establishing close connections with political and civil society allies in order to attain effective traction for trade union policies among national and international decision-makers and the public, the importance of retaining trade union independence and of ensuring that the development of such contacts was not restricted to a limited group, or too narrowly focused, was emphasised. The Call to Action for Decent Work, Decent Life, a set of demands in 7 policy areas launched in October 2007, was welcomed. Obtaining maximum support for the Decent Work, Decent Life campaign and Call to Action should be a priority for all ITUC affiliated organisations, and a commitment book for signatures was circulated among the General Council members. The General Council stressed that the Decent Work, Decent Life campaign should integrate concerns of attaining trade justice, with particular attention to the impact of trade on women workers. The General Council endorsed the proposed approach and, dropping the word Political from the title, the Special Action Programme: A Project on Globalisation. Under the Export Processing Zones: Organising programme, the focus was on Nicaragua where some 100,000 workers were employed in companies based in EPZs. The ITUC was also maintaining close contacts with the GUFs in order to cooperate in countries where the GUFs were planning or had already launched activities. General Council members commented that the ITUC should also intervene in Honduras, where trade union rights were not being respected in the EPZs. The ITUC should also consider an approach of equal treatment for the whole region. A coordination body already existed and the regional organisations should be actively involved in this programme. The General Council endorsed the proposed approach on the Special Action Programme on EPZs. On the Informal Economy, a workshop would be held in the first part of 2008 to assess the lessons to be drawn from the various initiatives by affiliates and partner organisations and to identify criteria and the possibilities for project activities. Prospective pilot activities should begin from mid-2008 and should aim to produce trade union policies and programmes for addressing the obstacles to recruiting workers engaged in informal employment relationships and hence to organising those workers. The General Council endorsed the proposed approach for the development of the Special Action Programme on the informal economy. With respect to proposals for a new Peace and Disarmament special action programme, the General Secretary explained that the work would focus on nuclear disarmament, reductions in military expenditure and trade union cooperation across lines of conflict. The General Council emphasised the importance of activities to influence the 8 th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the UN headquarters in New York in The General Council endorsed the proposed approach to the Special Action Programme on Peace and Disarmament.

11 Agenda Item 8: Climate Change The Secretariat introduced a report on the ITUC s Special Action Programme on climate change, drawing attention to the gravity of the problem and its employment implications, to the Green Jobs initiatives being promoted by the ITUC and to the commitment supported by the ITUC to attain an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to their 1990 levels. The General Council emphasised the huge importance of this issue. It supported working with other groups to further the trade union agenda, including representatives of civil society, and employers through tripartite forums as had been established in Spain. The duty of trade unions to defend both jobs and the survival of millions of people was clear. The poorest workers and the poorest countries must not bear the greatest burden as a result of climate change. It was stressed that while formal commitments to reduce climate change were required from all countries, it must be on the basis of common but differentiated responsibilities and that developing countries must be provided with access to new environmentally-friendly technologies and the means to protect their environments. The proposed trade union Task Force to implement the Green Jobs campaign was welcome and adequate representation of developing country affiliates and of women was essential. The General Council: Approved the components of the Special Action Programme outlined in paragraph 24 of the document 3GC/E/8 with the addition of the recommendations indicated above, including the need to work more with employers representatives through tripartite forums at the national and sectoral levels and with adequate representation of developing country affiliates and of women; Endorsed the statement presented to the 13 th UN Climate Change Conference (Bali, Indonesia, 3-14 December 2007) (attached); Called upon all ITUC affiliates and Global Unions partners to fully and actively engage in actions for adoption of a comprehensive post-2012 international framework for addressing climate change and the reductions in Greenhouse Gas emissions that are entailed, and for the creation of sustainable employment opportunities through an effective Green Jobs strategy. Agenda Item 9: China The General Secretary provided a detailed presentation of the document before the Council. It outlined China s rapidly growing influence in the world economy and its global political reach, discussed the internal dynamics of Chinese society and the place of labour in that context, described developments in the international trade union movement s policies towards China, and proposed possible elements of a future ITUC approach on China. Developments in China significantly affected the ITUC s capacity to realise its Constitutional undertakings and programme objectives, and the ITUC had a responsibility, both to Chinese workers and to those of other countries, to try to influence them. That was the context in which the longstanding question of relations and contacts with the All China Federation of Trade Unions had to be examined.

12 The ACFTU was not an independent trade union organisation and freedom of association continued to be denied in China. For that reason, a number of ITUC affiliates took the view that it would not be appropriate to maintain links that risked conferring legitimacy on the ACFTU. A larger number did, however, maintain bilateral contacts, as did some GUFs, while previously existing dialogue with its predecessor organisations and the ITUC itself had been broken off by the ACFTU following the failure of its candidate to win election to the Workers Group of the ILO Governing Body in The ACFTU had been actively cultivating contacts with national centres and international trade union organisations through the so-called Beijing Forum, despite simultaneously freezing its contacts with the ITUC. Its key objective was to secure support for its election to the Workers Group in the June 2008 elections. In this context, there were signs that the ACFTU was ready to resume dialogue with the ITUC, and it was important that the ITUC take a decision on whether or not to engage in such dialogue, and if so with what objectives. There was a clear need to move from the current situation, in which individual ITUC affiliates maintained relations with the ACFTU in the absence of any shared strategic framework. The document set out an approach for a potential process of engagement with the ACFTU which would need to focus on substantive trade union issues, and the General Council was invited to provide guidance upon it. Following a detailed discussion, in which a wide range of views were expressed, the General Council agreed to instruct the General Secretary to pursue contacts with the ACFTU with a view to exploring the terms of a potential engagement between the ITUC and that organisation. It was made clear that the ITUC s established commitment to the protection and promotion of human and trade union rights in China could not be compromised in any way by such engagement, and the importance of the ITUC s responsibilities towards its affiliates in Hong Kong and of the activities of the International Hong Kong Liaison Office were underlined. Key issues to be raised with the ACFTU should be: its attitude to ILO core labour standards; its position on rights violations in countries other than China; its readiness to work substantively in respect of multinational enterprises and for the application of Global Framework Agreements; and the extent to which it was prepared to work in cooperation and solidarity within the Workers Group. Particular emphasis was placed on the scope for international cooperation concerning the activities of multinational investors in China, and also in respect of Chinese enterprises operating in other countries. It was affirmed that attention should also be paid to other emerging areas of Chinese influence in the world, such as the situation in Africa and the operations of sovereign wealth funds. The General Council further instructed the General Secretary to report back to it on developments in carrying out this mandate, and said that the question of ACFTU membership of the Governing Body should be considered in the light of progress achieved. Agenda Item 10: Council of Global Unions The report was introduced and supplementary oral information on the Conference on Organising and Recognition held on December was given by the Chair, the Secretary and the Co-ordinator of the Council of Global Unions. The priorities and the activities of the Council, as determined at the inaugural meeting of the CGU in January 2007, included the aforementioned Conference, financialisation and public policy/public sector issues.

13 The Conference on Organising and Recognition had generated enthusiasm, a spirit of co-operation and many ideas. There was emphasis on better integrating national and international agendas and actions, and recognition of the interdependence of sectoral and general trade union issues as well as constructing a sustainable trade union presence at the international level. The Chair of the ITUC Women s Committee emphasised the importance of gender aspects of organising work, mentioning specific areas of work in which women were concentrated and were suffering violations of their rights. The General Council noted the report and thanked the AFL-CIO for hosting the Conference on Organising and Recognition. Agenda Item 11: ILO The Director of the Geneva Office, followed by the Chair of the Workers Group, introduced the report. A number of interventions followed, all of which reflected a keen interest in the ILO s work, though some also made it clear that ILO structures, especially in the field, were sometimes adopting stances that did not reflect the policy decisions taken by the tripartite Governing Body. It was agreed that a more strategic approach should be taken towards resources, including creating a line of communication with unions in donor countries in order to sort out potential problems arising from specific projects. The upcoming 60 th anniversary of Convention 87 on Freedom of Association was hailed as an opportunity for launching an integrated campaign supporting the various instruments outlined in the background paper. Specific support was given to the link between Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining instruments, Convention 158 on Termination of Employment (with respect to which the recent ruling on France under article 24 was welcomed) and the Recommendation on the Employment Relationship was viewed as a crucial year by the General Council, in view of the three major decisions lying ahead: the election of the Governing Body, the prospective adoption of the authoritative document in June and the election of the Director-General at the November session of the Governing Body. The General Council noted the report. Agenda Item 12: Gender Equality The Chair of the Women s Committee introduced the report. The General Council endorsed the report and the Global Trade Union Campaign for Decent Work, Decent Life for Women, and urged affiliated organisations and GUFs to give their full support and commitment to the successful implementation of the campaign. Agenda Item 13: Financial Questions (a) Report of the 2 nd meeting of the Executive Bureau (Washington, 12 December 2007) The Deputy President chairing the Executive Bureau introduced the report of the 2nd meeting of the Executive Bureau (Washington, 12 December 2007). The General Secretary informed the General Council that discussions were underway with the

14 Canadian Labour Congress concerning the possibility of the 2 nd ITUC World Congress in 2010 being hosted in Canada. The General Council approved the report and delegated the responsibility for considering a possible invitation from the CLC to the third meeting of the Executive Bureau. (b) Budget and Programme 2008 The General Council approved the General Fund Income and Expenditure Budget for 2008 (document 2EB/E/3(a)) and the Solidarity Fund Budget and Programme for Agenda Item 14: Date and place of next meetings The General Council members were informed that the next meeting of the Executive Bureau would be held in Brussels on 16 June 2008 after the International Labour Conference. The subsequent meetings of the Executive Bureau and the General Council would be held in Brussels during the week starting on 15 December The exact dates would be communicated later. Agenda Item 15: Any other business The General Council expressed its condolences, sympathy and support to the ILO Director-General and to the UGTA, Algeria following the explosion of two car bombs in Algiers, one of which had clearly targeted the United Nations facilities in Algiers. (a) Towards a Global Trade Union Alliance against Forced Labour and Trafficking Following a report from the Secretariat, the General Council recommended that more emphasis be placed on the need to lobby for the adoption of rights-based immigration laws and highlighted the growing importance of forced prison labour. The General Council: approved the action points set out in document 3GC/E/15(a) as the basis for a Global Trade Union Alliance against Forced Labour and Trafficking and urged all affiliates to integrate them into their work programmes as appropriate in their national circumstances; instructed the General Secretary to promote networking and campaign activities by affiliates, regional organisations and GUFs through training and advocacy materials; The General Council further instructed the General Secretary to develop the work of the Global Trade Union Alliance, in particular through support to affiliates and close cooperation with the regional organisations and GUFs in promoting the sectoral dimension of the Alliance s work and close cooperation with the ILO Special Action Programme on combating forced labour. (b) Draft Statement on the International Organisation for Standardisation The General Council adopted the attached statement on the International Organisation for Standardisation (Appendix II).

15 (c) Draft Resolution on Iran Emphasising the importance of continued pressure on the authorities in Iran and for the safety and release of Mansour Osanloo, the General Council adopted the attached resolution on Iran (Appendix III). (d) Draft Resolution on Burma Following presentation of a video on the situation in Burma, Maung Maung, General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions Burma (FTUB) spoke of the repressive situation facing the people of Burma and the need to step up both political and economic pressure on the regime. The General Council expressed its support and called upon all affiliates to respond with solidarity, including pressure on multinational companies to withdraw their investments from Burma, and adopted the attached resolution on Burma (Appendix IV). (e) Draft Resolution on Surinam The General Council adopted the attached resolution on Surinam (Appendix V). (f) Draft Resolution on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) The General Council adopted the attached resolution on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) (Appendix VI). * * * The General Council concluded at 1 p.m. on Friday 14 December, thanking the AFL- CIO for hosting the meeting.