Workers face same challenge the world over

By Kerri Carr

The agenda faced by workers on a global scale is in sync with the agenda faced by Australian workers, newly elected President of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and ACTU President Sharan Burrow said.

Ms Burrow said the federal Government has an agenda "to undermine the industrial relations system that has served Australians well for 100 years".

"Australians will need global solidarity, both emotional and practical, to the extent that we have never needed it before as we take on this serious debate with the Howard federal government," Ms Burrow said.

Ms Burrow has vowed to bring a "21st century set of priorities" to the ICFTU.

"At the heart of these priorities will be organising and collective bargaining across borders," Ms Burrow said.

She said this global movement was needed to take on corporate globalisation.

"I hope to use my term as ICFTU President to uphold the rights of working people and the role of trade unions around the world," Ms Burrow said.

"The main priorities of the ICFTU are to secure fundamental rights for working people across the world, develop international labour standards, improve gender equality, help end workplace discrimination and tackle instances of exploitation by multinationals," she said.

"Where governments fail to hold multinational corporations to account for decent labour standards, the international trade union movement will take up these issues and defend the rights of people who are denied fair wages and decent working conditions.

"Companies that portray themselves as good corporate citizens in developed nations like Australia, the US and Europe while exploiting workers in export processing zones and in less developed countries will find themselves the focus of internationally coordinated trade union campaigns," Ms Burrow said.

High on the list of Ms Burrow's specific projects is to organise Walmart.

Ms Burrow said Walmart was an anti-union corporation that in China alone employs about 2000 people directly and about six million indirectly through contractors supplying goods.

"We can do it with a global movement," Ms Burrow said.

The ICFTU has just merged with another international labour organisation, the World Confederation of Labour (WCL). This will bring an extra 30 million more members into the world confederation, pushing total membership of the ICFTU to 180 million.

"One of my first major tasks as ICFTU President will be to oversee the merger of the ICFTU and the WCL and create a broader and more effective international trade union movement," Ms Burrow said.

She hopes to see the establishment of a global unions' council.

Ms Burrow is the first woman President of the ICFTU.

"Being the first woman president I have clear ambition about women's rights and representation," she said.

"The most vulnerable workers are women," she added.

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