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Therese is part of a delegation from Swedish unions Unionen and Handels. Both unions, together with the Swedish international trade union organization LO-TCO, are engaged in an organizing project for the retail sector in Malaysia. Therese and other Swedish union activists met with the president of the IKEA union in Malaysia to exchange experiences and to bring solidarity and support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrAmsXVcdo

“We are happy to see in a concrete manner the way in which you are developing your organizing project”, said Roger Hemming, from Handels. “We are committed to your efforts. Every worker in the retail sector in Malaysia should have the right and the possibilities to belong to a union and to be protected by a collective bargaining agreement.”



Under this organizing project, lead by Shafie BP Mammal and running with the full support of UNI Asia & Pacific, UNI Global Union was able to organize workers in Tesco, Carrefour, IKEA and Robinson, among others. During the 2nd National Forum on the Retail Sector, celebrated in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, more than 150 participants (most of them young workers) confirmed their enthusiasm and engagement with the objectives of this project.



“We are encouraged by the good results from this project. That is very important for our members in Unionen,” added Marie Kihlberg Nelving.



“There is a lot of energy and determination amongst all of you,” Adriana Rosenzvaig, head of UNI’s Strategic Campaigns, Organizing and Education Department (SCORE) told the union activists in Malaysia. “Every single union created in the retail sector in Malaysia is important for all the members of the Commerce Sector around the world. Your victories are the victories of all the workers!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZnrwFrotzg