Hands off our right to strike!
February 13, 2015
At the ITUC's General Council, a resolution was adopted that calls for a Global Day of Action on 18 February 2015. PSI calls its affiliates to participate in the Global Day of Action, in cooperation with the ITUC, ITF, EI and other global unions to defend and promote the right to strike by planning:
- Communications to all members explaining the dispute and asking them to hold workplace meetings on 18th February
- Public meetings with significant community leaders from Government, judiciary and human rights groups
- Lobbying of Governments and parliamentary representatives on the 18th February and leading up to 12th March
- Protesting outside government offices where governments oppose the right to strike or referral to the rule of law through the ICJ
- Public protests against employers’ organisations
- Public demonstrations
- Social media actions – use hashtag #Right2strike
Campaign materials
Right to strike banner (available in seven languages)
Latest news
- The right to strike reaffirmed at the ILO (25 February)
- The right to strike is a fundamental workers' right (Equal Times)
- There can be no compromise on the right to strike (Equal Times)
- Taking away the right to strike would make us all into slaves (Equal Times)
- Special report by RadioLabour on Right to Strike Day of Action - featuring Jeffrey Vogt, the legal advisor to the ITUC's Department of Human and Trade Union Rights and Sandra Vermuyten, PSI's Equality and Rights Officer (RadioLabour)
- Spain: An attack on democracy (ICTUR magazine)
- Spain: Where trade union leaders are criminalised for striking (Equal Times)
Actions
- Argentina: The Federación Sindical de Profesionales de la Salud de la República Argentina (FESPROSA-CTA) filed a complaint at the local headquarters of the ILO as part of the actions taken on the day of action (article in Spanish)
- Belgium: Documents in French - Le droit de grève pour préserver la qualité des services publics (CGSP Wallonne) / Facebook (CGSP Wallonne) / Faut-il réformer le droit de grève (Le Soir)
- Brazil: The right to strike in the public sector in Brazil
- Brazil: Brazilian unions demonstrate in São Paolo on 18 February (ITUC website)
- Canada: Right to strike covered by ILO Convention 87, says Canada’s Supreme Court
- Canada: Opinion: The right to strike is fundamental (Montreal Gazette)
- Ecuador: Affiliates in Ecuador join the day of action (documents in Spanish: Pronunciamiento y convocatoria producida por el Colectivo de Unidad de Pichincha y Ponencia que Edison Paredes realizó en el Foro Sindical Internacional, realizado el pasado 28 de enero en el marco de la visita de la Misión de OIT al Ecuador)
- France: Initiatives taken by FNME CGT to support the right to strike - circulaire droit de grève - annexe 1 - annexe 2 (documents in French)
- India: PSI affiliates in India support the global campaign on the right to strike
- India: Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) organised a rally to support the global day action at Mumbai with the seafarers (Flickr)
- Indonesia: Letter sent by the Pharmaceutical and Health Workers Union (FSP FARKES/R) to the Minister of Manpower Republic of Indonesia as part of the global action on the Right to Strike. The union requests that the government promotes and defends the right to strike as part of the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining and reminds the government that the right to strike is a human right. The union took part in the rally on 18 February together with their national centre KSPI/CITU. (Click here to access letter and photos on Flickr)
- Jamaica: Right to Strike actions in Jamaica (Flickr)
- Japan: Rengo international symposium: Quality public services and the role of trade unions (ITUC website)
- Korea: Hands off our right to strike!
- Korea: Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) delegates defending the right to strike in Korea (Photos)
- Korea: Korea Health & Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) joined the Right to strike campaign (Photos)
- Morocco: Statement from “Federation Nationale de la Santé” from UMT – Morocco, for the World day on the right to strike
- Russia: Joint statement of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR) and the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR) on the right to strike (ITUC website)
- Switzerland: In Switzerland and around the world, unions say "Hands off our right to strike!"
- Thailand: PSI Thai affiliates joining the right to strike campaign (Flickr)
- Tunisia: The actions included a conference on the right to strike, an exhibition on strikes in different sectors and the presentation of a play called "l’étoile" on the right to strike and the struggles of the various federations (Flickr)
- Uruguay: Asociación de Funcionarios Policiales en Actividad y Retiro de Administración Central (SUPU) Right to Strike actions - letter to PSI, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Labor and Social Security - Law - Release (All documents in Spanish)
Background
The threat to the right to strike was made at the 2014 International Labour Conference, where the Employers’ Group at the Committee on Application of Standards persisted to deny that the right to strike forms part of ILO Convention 87, thus undermining decades of jurisprudence and the application of international law. The Workers’ Group unanimously rejected the demands of the Employers’ Group. The conflict over the right to strike was referred to ILO’s Governing Body in November, when the workers’ group asked that the case be referred to the International Court of Justice. However, the Governing Body asked for further tripartite discussions on the right to strike, to be reported to its meeting in March for decision then.
For more information:
- PSI joins Global Day of Action for the Right to Strike on 18 February 2015
- Special edition of the ICTUR magazine on the right to strike
- Global campaign in support of the right to strike for all workers
- The right to strike and the ILO: The legal foundations
- PSI Emergency Resolution on the Right to Strike