70 years of ABVO
The trade union of civil servants of Curacao, ABVO, celebrated on April 14, 70 years of struggle and work. In the framework of the celebration, an Extraordinary Congress was held on April 20 and 21, with the participation of representatives of the political authorities of the island, important scholars and leaders of the local trade union organisations, from the Antilles and the Caribbean. Representing CLAT, attended the event Eduardo García, Secretary-General, Anselmo Pontilius, Deputy Secretary-General, Gabriel del Río, President of the Caribbean Workers Council and Acacia Fernández, Executive Director of ILACDE.
During this activity, a special recognition was made to Father Römmer, whose vocation and priestly mission has been dedicated to trade unionists and cooperatives workers, to Gualberto Hernández and Amable “Shoma” Scoop, both former Presidents of ABVO. Bro. Shoma was also Director of the Caribbean Institute of Social Formation - CARISFORM.
The Presidents of the CWC Gabriel del Río, on behalf of CLAT, presented Roland Ignacio, President of ABVO, with a commemorative plate on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of ABVO. Eduardo García presented Father Römmer with the recognition and homage of the 50th Anniversary of CLAT and Sis. Acacia presented him with the plate bearing UTAL’s logo.
May 1st Celebration
Thousands of workers in the Caribbean celebrated the International Labour Day, chanting mottos against migration laws in the United States, against Free Trade Agreements, demanding better living and working conditions, dignifying and decent employment for all, and fair salaries.
In Curacao a rally took place against Unemployment and Poverty, with the participation of all Trade Union Confederations.
In Puerto Rico
a major
mobilisation took place towards the Congress, where the Puerto Rican
Confederation of Workers, together with other Trade Union Confederations,
submitted a Declaration for the right of workers to go back to work.
CWC expresses solidarity towards civil servants in Puerto Rico
The Caribbean Workers Council expressed its solidarity with Puerto Rican civil servants after being laid off because of the partial shutdown of state operations, as a result of scarcity of funds for the payment of the public payroll and for the supply of services to the citizens. The partial governmental shutdown affected 95.000 civil servants and left 500.000 students out of school.
The pressure of the trade union movement and the Puerto Rican people forced the government to sign several bills and to receive a $741-million loan to cover the payroll until the end of the fiscal year.
CLAT and CWC sent communiqués expressing their solidarity towards the struggle of CPT, of the workers and people of the island.
March of Immigrants in US cities
Over a million immigrants, mainly from Hispanic origin, did not go to work, school or shopping on May 1st, and participated in rallies in the main cities of the United States, to express their disagreement with a federal legislation that would consider illegal immigration a felony and with the construction of a wall along the US-Mexican border.
This boycott was organised by immigrants’ rights activists, workers of several nationalities from Latin America and the Caribbean, to show their political power and influence in the economy that they have developed as a labour community in the United States.
The CWC totally supports the demonstration of strength and the boycott organised by migrants living in the United States, which reduced and paralysed labour activities in many American farms, factories, markets and restaurants.
Immigrants Remittances Increase
The Inter-American Development Bank disclosed information according to which Latin American and Caribbean workers living abroad, sent an unprecedented $53,600 million to their countries of origin last year, accounting for a 17-percent increase compared to 2004.
The same source highlighted that 25 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean have moved abroad, of which over 16 million sent money the their countries.
Meeting of Directors of CLAT
On May 8, at the headquarters of CLAT, a Meeting of the Executive Secretariat took place; on the 9th the Executive Committee of CLAT met, and on May 10 to 12 the 28th Latin American Council was held.
In the Executive Committee of CLAT the 2005 report by the Accounts Commission was read, and the budget for 2006 was approved. The Director of UTAL presented to the Executive Committee the 2005 report and the programming of activities for this year, all of which were approved.
At the meeting of the 28th Latin American Council, the members discussed the draft Statutes of the new International Trade Union Confederation and a document was drafted with the new proposals to be presented to the Confederal Board of WCL. The Latin American Council approved the affiliation of CGT of Paraguay, whose Secretary-General, Sonia Leguizamón was especially invited. Bro. José Pinzón, from Costa Rica, was elected to the Executive Committee of CLAT, to take the vacant post for Central America deferred from the 12th Congress. The meeting also appointed the new Accounts Commission, as established in articles 57 and 58 of the Statutes. This commission is composed of Samuel Rivera - CGTP Panama, Orildes María Lottici –FETRALCOS-CAT Brazil and George Hernández – CLASEP-ABVO-CGTC Curacao.
The Council approved a Resolution for the release of imprisoned trade unionists of the CUTC of Cuba and issued a letter to support the demands of CPT of Puerto Rico, in face of the partial shutdown of governmental operations.
The Latin American Council was attended by 59 delegates from the different affiliated organisations. Representing the Caribbean were: from Aruba Anselmo Pontilius and “Rudy” Geerman – FTA , from Antigua Joseph Stafford – ATLU, from Cuba Pedro Pérez Castro –STC, from Curacao Roland Ignacio and Humphrey Mongen – CGTC, from Haiti Paul Loulou Chery and George Fortuné –CTH and from Dominican Republic Altagracia Jiménez and Gabriel del Río – CASC. Bro. Juan A. Francés, Director of CARISFORM was also invited.
THIRD TRADE UNION SUMMIT EUROPEAN UNION – LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (EU-LAC)
With the participation of trade union delegates from the following international organisations: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), World Confederation of Labour (WCL), European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Inter-American Regional Organisation of Workers (ORIT) and the Latin American Confederation of Workers (CLAT), the 3rd TRADE UNION SUMMIT EUROPEAN UNION – LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN (EU-LAC), was held in Vienna, Austria on April 5, 2006
The delegates approved a Declaration, including a “call to heads of state and government” who will meet in May in Vienna, Austria, and agreed the trade union proposals to be taken to the 4th Meeting of the Civil Society EU-LAC, which was also held in Vienna, Austria on April 6, and 7.
The Trade Union Summit expressed its solidarity to workers and students from France in their struggle against the projects of precarisation of employment through the flexibilisation of the labour contract with no social guarantees. Similarly, the Trade Union Summit expressed its solidarity to mobilizations organised by Latin American immigrants, to avoid their expulsion from the United States and achieve full respect of the labour rights of legal residence.
José Gómez Cerda, of the Classist Autonomous Trade Union Confederation (CASC), represented workers of the Caribbean in this 3rd Trade Union Summit and at the 4th Meeting of the organised Civil Society, between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean.
CTH Holds Seminar for Training of Leading Cadres and Meeting of Women Workers
On April 3 to 5, the Seminar for Training of Leading Cadres was held at the National Institute of Trade Union Training of the Confederation of Haitian Workers.
Thirty of the main cadres of CTH participated. Bro. Gabriel del Río, President of the CWC, together with George Fortuné and Paul Loulou Chery, President and Secretary-General of CTH, respectively, were the facilitators of the event.
The Analysis of the National Situation and of the Trade Union Organisation, the International Trade Unionism and the Process of International Trade Union Unity, and Theory and techniques of trade union leadership, were the main issues dwelled on in the Seminar.
Afterwards, on April 5 and 6, the Meeting of the Haitian Women Workers was held.
The activity began on the 5th with a press conference where information was given on the objectives of the meeting and the programme to be developed: Obstacles and Challenges for Women for the Development of their Leadership, and Basic Concepts to Promote the Incorporation of Gender in the Trade Union Movement.
Participants in the meeting were 39 sisters from the following sectors: Industry, Port workers, Farmers, Teachers, Nurses, Tourism, Informal Economy, Health and the Public Sector. Members of the Executive Committee of CTH also attended the event.
The meeting devised a Plan of Action for Women of CTH, with the objective of incorporation of Women to the Trade Union Movement, and the Promotion of the Gender issue into the Organisations, in order to promote equity in actions of the Confederation and the organisations.
The meeting was
led by Sis. Francisca (Altagracia) Jiménez, Caribbean Commissioner of the Latin
American Commission of Working Women and Treasurer of CWC.
“The Latin American Community of Nations, CLAN: An Alternative Model of Integration and Development in face of FTAA and FTAs”
On April 25 to 28, the Conference “The Latin American Community of Nations, CLAN: A Model of Integration and Development in face of FTAA and FTAs,” was held at the headquarters of UTAL.
The Conference made an up-to-date analysis on the evolution, situation and perspectives of the process of negotiation and implementation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, analysed the strategy of the United States of negotiation and signing of the bilateral and trilateral Free Trade Agreements and their impact on the living and working conditions of the peoples and workers of Latin America – Caribbean. Several solutions were proposed regarding integration and the proposal of CLAT on the Latin American Community of Nations (CLAN) was updated as an alternative in face of FTAA / FTAs, which includes, among other aspects, the proposal of an Alternative Development Model to the Neoliberal Model.
The Conference had the participation of 45 members from 18 countries, among them the leaders of the National Trade Union Confederations and Sub-regional Bodies of CLAT, experts from PARLATINO, ILO, National Universities of Argentina, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Venezuela, experts from private Research Institutes (AUNA and PET) and representatives of CLAT and UTAL.
For the Caribbean participated Dr. Pablo Abraham Medina, political analyst, teacher-researcher of the Catholic University of Santo Domingo, Dr. Violeta Luna, responsible for integration of CWC, sisters Lesbia Santana and María Teresa Rodríguez, from CASC of Dominican Republic and CPT from Puerto Rico, Dr. Antonio Llaca of STC of Cuba and Juan A. Francés Garay, Director of CARISFORM.
The contributions of this Conference will help the leadership of CLAT to set the updated and agreed upon action guidelines regarding integration for the following years in order to assume an active and leading role in the regional and sub-regional integrations bodies.
Fifth Workshop on Methodology and Planning of the
Programme WSM / ILACDE
On March 27 to 29 at UTAL the 5th Workshop on Methodology and Planning of the Programme WSM / ILACDE was held, with the representation of brothers from 11 affiliated organisations, in order to review the progress made, the difficulties and the perspectives for the years to come. The coordination of the programme was made by Sis. Rita Vandeloo and Didier Petre as responsible of the programme for Latin America – Caribbean for the World Solidarity Foundation and Luis Eduardo Gallo and Ana Isabel Suárez for ILACDE. This workshop was also attended by Joseph Cherubin from the Social-cultural Movement of Haitian Workers.
Fourth Workshop of the CSC Programme with Sub-regional Institutes
With the participation of Sis. Veronique Rousseau, Responsible for CSC’s Project for Latin America – Caribbean, Luis Eduardo Gallo, Acacia Fernández and Ana Isabel Suárez, for ILACDE, Ramón Ermácora, Enrique Sosa, Hernando Ruiz, Carlos Molina and Juan A. Francés for the Sub-regional Institutes, the 4th Workshop of the CSC Programme with the Sub-regional Institutes of CLAT was held on May 15 and 16 de mayo, at the facilities of UTAL.
The workshop analysed the work conducted in the sub-regions during 2005, of the tasks undertaken this year and the proper adjustments. The process of Evaluation of the Project 2003 – 2005 was made for each sub-region as well as its proposals, and lastly, Sis. Veronique explained the projections for the Five-Year Plan 2007 – 2011 and the terms to deliver.
Denunciation of Cuban Imprisoned Unionist
Pedro Pablo Álvarez Ramos, Secretary-General of the Unitary Council of Cuban Workers - CUTC, deemed prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International since 2003, unfairly sentenced to 25 years in prison, has denounced the abuse and attacks he receives along with the rest of the political prisoners. The trade union leader has denounced that he receives water only every 5 days and when he gets some “it is cloudy, as if it were dirty.” In his opinion, this dirty water is the reason why so many prisoners suffer from stomach diseases.
Álvarez Ramos accuses the jail authorities for the health conditions of the prisoners and for not taking the necessary measures to guarantee clean water every day.
Events to be held next in the Caribbean:
Meeting of the CWC, June 27 and 28, in Santo Domingo.
Meeting CLAT – ORIT in the Caribbean sub-region, June 29 and 30, Santo Domingo.
Beginning of the Programme of Training of Strategic Cadres. National Seminars of Induction. (According to national schedules)
