Some 150 delegates attending the World Federation Trade Union’s Asia Pacific regional meeting were thrilled to witness the inauguration of the event this morning.

The inauguration kicked off with a thunderous speech by National Union of Banking Employees General Sec-retary J Solomon, who said that they would work together to ensure that they would be strong representatives for the working class.

“Malaysia will be the central point to reach out to all the other union in the region,” said Solomon to a thunderous applause from the delegates.

Solomon also took the opportunity to thank the delegates, who had travelled from all over the region to attend the meeting and specifically Comrade C.H Venkatachalam, who has been instru-mental in making NUBE the newest affiliate to WFTU.

Solomon also thanked WFTUDeputy Secretary General HM Ma-hadevan for choosing Malaysia.

Meanwhile, WFTU Secretary General George Mavrikos in his speech stressed that WFTU is ready to support the regional unions in any direction to strengthen them.

“Despite the difficulties that we face, we are going to do all we can,” said Mavrikos referring to his experience in assisting the unions in Vietnam and Philippines.

He also projected a lot of optimism while speaking about what future holds for the unions in the Asia Pacific region.

Following an extraordinary launching gambit, Mavrikos presented a painting given by legendary artist and painting extraordinaire Pablo Picasso to WFTU in 1955, in recognition to the effort and

hospitality provided by NUBE for the meeting.

Later, Solomon presented a warriors dagger, which is popularly known in this region as ‘Keris’ to Mavrikos and refered him as the warrior.

Among the other speakers during the inauguration session are President of Malaysian Trade Union Congress Khalid Atan, Deputy General Secre-tary WFTU Comrade Swadesh Dev Roye, Representative of All China Federation of Trade Unions Director for Asia Pacific Comrade Yao Li, TUI Finance General Secretary Comrade C.H. Venkatachalam and TUI Con-struction General Secretary Comrade Debanjan Chakravarti.

“Malaysia will be the central point to reach out to all the other union in the region”

Comrade J SolomonGeneral Secretary, NUBE

Quote of the day

Date : October 26, 2013 (2nd Edition)

Asia Pacific Regional Meetinginaugurated at Port Dickson

www.nube.org.my www.facebook.com/NUBE.Malaysia

Mavrikos: We need to strengthen our role in international arena in favour of our demands Mavrikos Quote

Venkatachalam Quote

The Asia Pacific region has not been spared from the negative imbalances of globalization said WFTU’s Deputy Secretary General H.M. Mahadevan, in his keynote address during the regional meeting, which is being held at the NUBE’s Training Centre, Port Dickson.

He referred to time before 2007 where almost 87 million people were unem-ployed but beyond 2010 the number has grown significantly to 92 million.

“And paradoxically, millions of children

who should be in school are engaged in child labour, some of them in the worst forms,” said Mahadevan drawing a com-parison between the unemployed young women and men.

WFTU Secretary General George Mavrikos (picture right), when met at the sideline of the Asia Pacific Re-gional meeting said that in the period of capital crisis and financial crisis, all workers have similar problem.

“The first thing we need to do is coordinate our efforts and we must express solidarity among the workers and union,” said Mavrikos.

The role of international trade union organization is very important, because first of all, the opportunity to coordinate the workers all over the world.

He also said that to strengthen our presentation in the international or-ganisations, we need to put our topics in favour of our demands and targets, there.

Mahadevan also said that they are here to take stock of the prevailing working and living conditions of the working men and women in the context of neo-liberal globalization and the policies based on the dictates of the world economics.

Mahadevan explained that the frustra-tion stems from the existence of 27 million slave labour, more than 10 mil-lion children that have been subjected to arduous, drudgerous and hazardous occupations and more than 1 billion people that lives below poverty line.

According to him, despite the talk of inclusiveness, all these are the reality for many in this world today.

“Our trade unions both internationally and nationally, should be the frame work for the younger generation, im-migrant workers, the unemployed, the dispossed of rights, those excluded from the collective bargaining to organ-ise and defend themselves, in particular the millions of workers, men and wom-en in the informal sector,” he said.

Mahadevan in his keynote address also outlined that water, food, house, medi-cine and books as the basic require-ment of people all over the world.

According to him, the common de-mands will have to be reiterated and action plan have to be decided from the WFTU-Asia Pacific region platform.

In order to strengthen the unity amongst the working class and to propagate WFTU position, interna-tional such as International Women’s Day, International Workers Day, Child Labour Day, International Action Day and International Day to protect the rights of migrant workers, will be observed.

“Malaysia Declaration that will be adopted at the end of the session will determine our future foot steps towards our struggles and solidarity as well as action plan in line with the Athens Pact adopted in the last WFTU Con-ference,” said Mahadevan.

WFTU’s Deputy Secretary General H.M. Mahadevan (pic)

Keynote address: Time is ripe for action to realise the common demands

Right to Livelihood

Comrade C.H. VenkatachalamGeneral Secretary TUI Finance

“Countries are pro-gressing, economies are progressing but the benefit of the pro-gress is not reaching the people”

Mavrikos Quote

Mavrikos Quote

Venkatachalam Quote

Venkatachalam Quote

Right to Livelihood

Dulcy de SilvaPresident, Sri Lanka Mahajana

Trade Union Federation

H.M. MahadevanDeputy Secretary General WFTU

Anda AnastasakiGeneral Coordinator of WFTU HQ

Right to livelihood is the main concern

“When a person is born to the world, he or she must have the right to live. In order to live they must have eco-nomic and society. And everything must come together”

“Development should be of socially useful not just financial profits”

“The demands of the workers today are com-mon. They want to satisfy their basic needs and for that they have been fight-ing for years”

The afternoon session of WFTU Asia Pacific regional meeting saw trade union leaders from various countries, explaining in detail the continuous struggles and the plight of the working class in their respec-tive countries.

Almost all the speakers discussed their country reports with reference to the situation prevalent and their proposals on the common charter of demands as well as on strengthening organisation, and plan of action.

“Capital sector are ruling the roost, women employees are put into dis-advantages in the informal sectors and the informalisation of the work is taking bold. This are some of the report coming from the developing countries,” said Deputy Secretary General H.M. Mahadevan.

Comrade Subramaniam (pic-right) from Railwaymen’s Union of Ma-laya said that the diminishing role of the government and the privatisa-tion are becoming a major stum-bling block for the railway workers in Malaysia.

“The government decided to priva-tise the railway, and now they want to sell it to a multinational. They should just let the railway workers run railways,” said Subra.

Meanwhile, President of Sri Lanka Mahajana Trade Union Federation Dulcy de Silva said that the most vicious element that is degrading and exploiting the workers right to livelihood is human trafficking..

According to her, this trade which is prevalent in the Asia Pacific is worth multi billion dollar and in order to save the workers from traf-ficking, there must be effort within governments.

Some 11 delegates presented their country report today and most of it revolved around the workers right to livelihood.

At the end of the session, NUBE’s Assistant General Secretary A Karuna (pic-below) moved a motion on behalf of NUBE for the consideration of the declaration committee.

The motions are opposing the forma-tion of capital-government sponsored unions, oppose sacking of trade union leaders for conducting trade union ac-tivities, oppose action that are meant to disunite trade union members such as government using its powers and influence to bypass the manda-tory conciliation and refer Collective Bargaining to the courts and delay the process, to oppose oppressive and suppressive labour laws and finally for WFTU to use NUBE’s Labour Research Institute as the research institute for the Asia Pacific region.

Day two at WFTU Asia Pacific Regional MeetingOctober 24, 2013

PHOTO GALLERY

Comrade Solomon giving his opening speech.

Comrade Swadesh Dev Roye and Comrade Yao Li listening to the speech.

Delegates from Kazakhstan listening to speaker.

Delegates from Indonesia.

Delegates concentrating at the session.

Comrade Solomon presenting a warrior’s daggger to Comrade George Mavrikos.

Comrade Swadesh Dev Roye, Comrade George Mavrikos and Comrade H.M Mahadevan.

The leaders officiating the event through an extra ordinary launch gambit.