2012 june 13 ftub at 101st plenary -- the ilo, ilo mechanisms, the tu solidarity movement and...

7/31/2019 2012 June 13 FTUB at 101st Plenary -- The ILO, ILO Mechanisms, The TU Solidarity Movement and Results After 2

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Federation of Trade

Unions BurmaResponsibilities & Rights

International ContactBurma Office - Japan

101-00623F, Sohyo Kaikan

3-2-11, Kanda-SurugadaiChiyoda-Ku Tokyo Japan

Te;: 81 3 5296 3010Fax: 81 3 5296 7903

The ILO / the ILO mechanisms / the Consistent actions of the

International Trade Union Solidarity movement and impact /

results on eradication of Forced Labor and the promotion ofFreedom of Association and democracy after 20 years.

The 101st International Labour Conference

2012 June 13

2012 June 13 . 101st International Labour Conference. U Maung Maung, Federation of Trade Unions Burma FTUBPage 1


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Dear Chair and honourable guests,

I spoke from this podium in 1992.

On behalf of my organization, the Federation of Trade Unions Burma FTUB, I

want to inform the 101st ILC about the recent developments in Myanmar, aftertwenty years of military dictatorship. One of the main reasons of such positivechanges was the consistent work of the ILO jointly with the Trade Union and theEmployers Groups.

The new adopted laws that should enable workers to form Trade Unions andcommitted to the abolition of all forms of Forced Labour and the punishment ofthe perpetrators.

We thank all the members of the International Trade Union Movement, who

supported us morally, logistically politically since early ILO Conferences. Thissolidarity support, re-enforced by the mechanisms of the ILO is now showingsignificant results. Special thanks to the IUF and Dan Gallin for the very firstinitial support and Brother Guy Ryder who directed us to the IUF.

Looking at the last twenty years, we can now identify various stages in the fightagainst the regime for democracy and workers rights.

In 1992, when we started reporting to the ILO, the military regime insisted that

all the reports on Forced Labour were fabricated. The Burmese authoritiesaccused the ICFTU of political attacks to the country image, and accused theFTUB of using the ILO as a political stage against the junta.

In those years the government indicated that after the emergence of new

Constitution, various laws would have to be reviewed so as to be brought into

line with it. However during the transitional period the workers rights were being

ensured by legislation still in force this transitional period lasted around 20

years.

In 2002 the junta agreed with the opening of an ILO Liaison Office on ForcedLabour.

At the present, despite the ILO work and the complaint mechanism, forcedlabour is still exacted, manly by the military, in many States and Divisions, as inKachin or Arakan State, and is accompanied by land confiscation, rape, andother human rights violation.



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Before the March 2012 Governing Body, the ILO and the government signed aMOU for the full eradication of forced labour by the 2015, through an agreedaction plan. More recently the Commander in Chief declared the commitment ofthe military to punish the perpetrators. We consider that if there is the politicalwill the complete eradication of FL can be achieved well before the end of 2015.

The ILO and its constituents should also note that, during the recent mission ofthe Officers of the Governing Body, the Government of Myanmar formallyrecognised that the 1999 and 2000 ILO Resolutions that initiated theinternational sanctions were correct.

Now we are honoured and encouraged that the work we did for the farmers andthe workers of my country are appreciated in the proper perspective. We had towork hard to demonstrate the correctness of such measures and the need fortheir continuation up to now.

The new labour law and rules are a great step forward. Too many are therestrictions and the strong authorities interference that limit the ability of local,regional and national trade unions to freely organize and to promote collectivebargaining and the right to strike. Too many sectors are classified as essentialservices. We believe the facts can be amended to be in line with Convention 87.

On 6th May 2012, during a meeting with the Officers of the Governing Bodyreturning from Burma, we were informed that the Minister of Labour hadcommunicated to the delegation, that FTUB and its leaders could go back to

Burma, register under the Labour Organization Laws and Rules and work as atrade union. The Minister of Labour requested the ILO Governing Bodydelegation to arrange for a meeting with FTUB at the 101st ILC.

On 28 May 2012 we had a meeting with U Thet Naing Oo, Deputy DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of Labour and U Htin Lynn, Director of the Ministry ofForeign Affairs also attended by the ILO and ITUC representatives

After twenty years, dialogue was achieved.

From 1996 till now, we had 32 underground members in jail, charged with manycriminal charges. Myo Aung Thant received the harshest sentence. Still nowfour FTUB leaders are under detention, the rest of 28 were released in early2012. All these cases were reported and discussed in the various ILC.

This is the harsh history of the last 20 years and of the recent changes ofpolitical will towards workers rights, forced labour and the FTUB.



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All these positive results have been obtained thanks to the consistent actions of

the ILO, its constituents and International Trade Union Solidarity movement.

The great question now, for both the government and the FTUB - is what next

when FTUB goes back to Burma? For sure we will work within the present

Labor Organization Laws and Rules.

FTUB is strongly committed to build a broad, independent, democratic trade

union that will work as responsible social partner. To reach this objective, we still

need your support to set up trade union and vocational training schools, to

enable us and the employers to promote an effective social dialogue; to become

efficient partners in building a new Myanmar founded on social justice, the rule

of law and full decent Employment for all men and women.

Decent work laws and political commitment are needed to improve workingconditions, and definitively eliminate forced labour and child labour in all sectors.

In this very crucial transitional time, with increasing foreign direct investmentsand no specific laws, the ILO with the help of governments, should requestcompanies to adopt the most authoritative international instruments on CSR andmonitor their behaviour to avoid violation of human and workers rights andenvironmental disruption. The FTUB, and hopefully the Myanmar employersassociation, will contribute to that.

We need to modernize the country, but we have to walk slowly, so that

sustainable development with equal social partners becomes a reality. Donor

countries should give priority to help the Women and Youth and help our country

to develop equally and to become a model for sustainable development.

We are happy that the World Bank, the IMF and the ADB are prepared to

contribute but they should avoid using their failed models.

We look forward to be working together in developing strong reliable social

partners in a just country.

Maung MaungGeneral Secretary


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