Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labour Union, Noureddine Taboubi, stressed the need for international trade unions to stand by the oppressed Palestinian people and exert pressure to end the oppressive Israeli occupation. Taboubi was speaking as he represented African trade unions at the 6th Extraordinary World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which took place virtually on Thursday. The Congress confirmed Luc Triangle as ITUC General Secretary, while discussions focused on the critical situation in Palestine. "Today, in the largest gathering of international trade unionists, we collectively uphold the principles enshrined in the ITUC's Constitution and Standing Orders," said Taboubi. "I call on the new General Secretary to prepare an urgent action plan to mobilise all possible pressure to implement international legal resolutions and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people." "One cannot talk about peace without recognising the current events in Palestine," Taboubi was quoted as saying in a UGTT statement. He noted that he had reviewed the ITUC's position on Wednesday and found it "incompatible with the principles set out in the union's constitution and rules, which emphasise the defence of the right of peoples to decolonisation and self-determination". Taboubi also addressed the role of African trade unions in defending democracy and human rights on the continent, particularly in promoting social dialogue and trade union independence, and highlighted the dilemma of declining democratic practices in African countries. He pointed out that experience showed that the decline of social dialogue was linked to a reduction in public freedoms and democratic practices, which subsequently affected labour rights and worsened the economic and social conditions of workers and employees. He called for awareness to be raised of the threat to the path of social dialogue in African countries. The UGTT General Secretary invited the ITUC and the African Labour Union to organise, in coordination with the International Labour Organisation, an international conference on the practice of social dialogue and its relationship with democracy and freedoms in Africa.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse