Workers Around the World March for Jobs
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With nearly 200 million people jobless across the globe, working men and women face a worldwide economic crisis and are speaking out on both sides of the Atlantic to change it.
In the United States, tens of thousands of working families will take part in the One Nation Working Together march and rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 2. The AFL-CIO is joining One Nation Working Together, a progressive grassroots coalition of dozens of unions and civil and human rights organizations in calling for jobs, justice and education for all.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who will speak at the One Nation rally, says:
During this economic downturn, creating good jobs and helping those who have lost their jobs are defining issues not only for Americans–but for all workers throughout the world. We need a global economic recovery that works for all working people.
In complimentary events around the country Saturday, union members will walk door to door in targeted states around the country, mobilizing union members for the fall elections.
Global Union Leaders: Focus on Jobs, Not Deficits
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Global union leaders called on G-20 governments to deliver the promise made at the Pittsburgh summit to “put quality employment at the heart of the recovery” and focus on creating jobs in the short term to sustain the recovery and reduce public deficits in the medium term.
The union leaders from the G-20 countries are warning their governments that efforts to cut budgets and impose fiscal austerity now could plunge the international economy into another, deeper recession. The statement was issued yesterday by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Council (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
Respect Workers’ Rights When Rebuilding Haiti
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This week, trade unionists from around the world will meet in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to draft a road map for rebuilding Haiti. Unions have already made it clear the reconstruction and future development of Haiti must include social protections, creation of decent work and respect for workers’ rights.
In a statement to the U.N. Donor’s Conference last week, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) called for a major international aid mobilization to rebuild the country’s devastated infrastructure and economy. At the Donor’s Conference, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the United States has pledged $1.15 billion for Haiti’s reconstruction.
ITUC is organizing the Santo Domingo meeting along with its regional organization for the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) and Global Union Federations PSI and EI.
Workers Push for Fair Wages in Asian Garment Industry
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Workers in Asia, the United States, United Kingdom and throughout Europe are mobilizing to secure a living wage for garment workers in Asia. The Asia Floor Wage is focused on making sure that the more than 100 million mostly women workers in the Asian garment industry receive adequate wages for what they produce.
Launched on Oct. 7, World Day for Decent Work, the Asia Floor Wage is pushing for a minimum wage equivalent to $475 for a month with a 48-hour workweek. That’s twice what Indonesian laborers get. It’s three times the minimum rate of pay in Sri Lanka and more than six times the wage in Bangladesh.
Today Is World Day for Decent Work
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Today is World Day for Decent Work, and union members in more than 100 countries are mobilizing to address the global economic and employment crisis and demand fundamental reform of the world economy.
The deepest global recession since the 1930s has led to a jobs crisis with millions of people out of work. The International Labor Organization (ILO) predicts that as many as 50 million more workers could be kicked out of jobs worldwide in the next year and could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of working poor.
Live online coverage of the activities around the world, including videos, photographs and messages from events in every continent, will be broadcast on a special website, www.wddw.org, which will be updated via a 24-hour live feed.
It’s Time for a Global New Deal
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| The Global New Deal declares that the world’s economy should work for the poor, such as this woman who works in India for about $2.50 a day. |
More than 2,000 political leaders, trade unionists, representatives of progressive international organizations and grassroots activists last week called for a Global New Deal to change the face of the global economy.
The call came during the Global Progressive Forum meeting in Brussels following the G-20 summit. Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), says the demand “shows the determination of progressive people across the planet to forge a new world.”
The declaration says progressives have been warning about the risks and injustices for people and the planet for decades. According to the declaration:
Now, the fundamental and systemic failures of the current economic system are undeniable: The time has come to restate our values, our vision and our proposals for a new direction, transforming our societies, improving the lives of our and future generations.
