
ITUC-AP adopts resolutions reaffirming its commitment to upholding peace, democracy, and human rights
19 March 2021
Responding to the
urgent need to promote and uphold peace, democracy, and human rights in the
region, the ITUC-AP Regional General Council Meeting adopted five resolutions
during its meeting on 10-11 March 2021. In particular, the Resolutions outlined
the issues, the calls addressed to respective governments, and the actions that
ITUC-Asia Pacific should take in response to the trade union repression in Afghanistan, the political suppression in Hong Kong, the anti-labour policies in India, and the military coup in Myanmar. Besides the country-specific resolutions, the
ITUC-AP also adopted a Resolution to support its continuing campaign and
advocacy on the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The attacks on
workers’ rights and freedoms in the Asian and Pacific region have been
unprecedented, especially in Afghanistan, Hong Kong, India, and Myanmar. Felix
Anthony, President of the ITUC-AP, declared, “It is in these challenging times
that the trade union movement must break its silence and take actions to
reclaim the rights and freedoms that we have secured in the past.”
He said, “The
systematic and unrelenting violations of the freedom of association of
ITUC-AP’s affiliate, National Union of Afghanistan Workers, Employees (NUAWE),
has been going on for three years. We call on the government of Afghanistan to
cease its suppressive actions against NUAWE, including the freezing of NUAWE’s
bank accounts, revocation of the union registration, and the appropriation of
NUAWE’s assets.”
Further, he
encouraged the affiliates to continue to extend their solidarity to fellow
trade unionists in Hong Kong – Lee Cheuk Yan, Carol Ng, and Winnie Yu – who have
been arrested and charged by the Hong Kong police for their participation in
pro-democracy protests. He also reiterated ITUC-AP’s demand to the Hong Kong
government to respect its obligations under the international
labour and human rights treaties and uphold the fundamental rights and freedom
of Hong Kong citizens.
Meanwhile, Felix Anthony commended the Indian
trade union movement for uniting in the struggle against the
proposed anti-labour policies of the government
towards the restoration of the fundamental freedoms of workers in India. On the
other hand, he expressed his grave concern over the ongoing military coup in
Myanmar that has claimed over a hundred of lives of Myanmar citizens who fight
for their democracy.
Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of the
ITUC-AP, affirmed his full support and solidarity to the Confederation of Trade
Unions Myanmar (CTUM) and the people of Myanmar in their struggle
to reclaim peace, justice, and democracy in their country.
Addressing the members of the ITUC-AP Regional General Council, he said,
“Continue to exert pressure on your national governments so that they demand
the Myanmar military to immediately release all the detainees under the coup,
return the political power to the civilian government, stop the violent
suppression of peaceful protests, and respect the fundamental rights of the
people, including the right to strike, freedom of expression and assembly, and
right to freely choose their own government.”
Shoya Yoshida also reaffirmed the commitment of
ITUC-AP in the campaigning and advocating for nuclear disarmament. He urged
governments that have not signed or ratified the UN Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to
take immediate and concrete actions to address this omission. Likewise, he
encouraged affiliates to “continue building workers’ power and raising their
voices in solidarity for peace, disarmament, democracy, and rights everywhere
towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.”
ITUC-AP believes that the trade union
movement’s commitment to taking actions on the foregoing issues is critical in the promotion of peace, democracy, and human rights, ultimately serving the interest and welfare of workers in the region.