Workers on North Carolina farms have been doubly victimized. Last year, members of the IUF-affiliated Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) working on tobacco, sweet potato and cucumber farms stood up to a labor contractor, denouncing abuses and seeking negotiations for a union agreement. As a consequence, the workers have not been paid and are now blacklisted.
Lee Cheuk Yan, general secretary of the independent Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), was arrested on February 28 and charged with 'unlawful assembly' before being released on bail pending a May 5 court hearing. The IUF joins the HKCTU in calling for the charges to be immediately dropped.
Four years ago, on March 3, 2016, activist and rights defender Berta Cáceres was murdered for her role in mobilizing opposition to a proposed dam on the Gualcarque River which threatened the land and livelihoods of the indigenous Lenca people. In November 2018, 7 of the 8 accused hitmen were convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison. The corporate bosses who organized and financed the killing have yet to be prosecuted despite abundant evidence of their involvement.
With 96% of votes in favour, workers at the Marriott Sheraton Grand Conakry, Guinea, have voted to form a union and elected their leaders at the country's largest hotel.
Citizenship, the gateway to all rights, is under attack by the government of India. Over recent months thousands of people have been detained and dozens killed as protests continue across the country in opposition to the government's assault on the foundations of Indian democracy.
Workers at the Intercontinental Hotel Dieu in Marseille, supported by the FDS-CGT, face a management backlash after organizing to demand an end to poverty wages, unpaid overtime and under-staffing.
On February 9, 2020, the Hong Kong Hotel Employees' Union (HKHEU) held a press conference to denounce the government's new policy on quarantine for visitors from mainland China and demand greater protection for hotel workers' health and safety.
The IUF and unions internationally are mobilizing to stop the judicial persecution of Honduran union leader Moisés Sanchéz, who faces up to 30 years' imprisonment on ludicrous charges in a courtroom on January 22. Sanchéz is general secretary of the sub-section of our affiliated agroindustrial union STAS on the melon farms of the transnational company Fyffes in Choluteca.
The government of Ukraine is preparing a massive legislative assault on fundamental trade union rights. The IUF, our members in Ukraine and unions internationally are calling on the government to immediately abandon the draft labour law and respect international standards and commitments made to unions at national level.
The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is an international federation of trade unions representing workers employed in agriculture and plantations; the preparation and manufacture of food and beverages; hotels, restaurants and catering services; all stages of tobacco processing. The IUF is composed of 425 affiliated trade unions in 127 countries representing over 10 million workers.
How to contact the IUF:
Email: [email protected]
Post: Rampe du Pont-Rouge, 8, CH-1213, Petit-Lancy (Switzerland)
Phone: + 41 22 793 22 33
Fax: + 41 22 793 22 38
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How to contact the IUF:
Email: [email protected]
Post: Rampe du Pont-Rouge, 8, CH-1213, Petit-Lancy (Switzerland)
Phone: + 41 22 793 22 33
Fax: + 41 22 793 22 38
Login