News

Regional Secretary: Rodolfo Benítez No. 65 – JANUARY – 2009



PARAGUAY – Youth Network

On December 9, the first meeting of the UNI Youth Network was held at FETRABAN’s headquarters in Asunción, Paraguay, with the attendance of banking sector leaders and letter carriers. The UNI GLOBAL strategy and the Youth discussion forums (www.forounijovens.org.br) were presented. The need for the Network to invite more unions from the services sector to participate in its actions was highlighted. Paraguayan youths consider it urgent and necessary to launch a political and trade union education campaign that also addresses gender issues.

Contact: Adriana Magalhães, President of UNI-Americas Youth

adrianamagalhaes@spbancarios.com.br



PERU – Unions Debate on Global Crisis, MNEs and Trade Union Response

Within the framework of UNI-LO/TCO Project 40025, a workshop entitled “The Global Crisis, Multinational Enterprises and the Trade Union Response” was held on January 11, 2009, in the city of Trujillo, Peru. The objectives of this event were to describe the extent of the global financial crisis of the capitalistic system, the role of multinational enterprises and their impact on workers’ rights, and to disseminate UNI’s policies on social dialogue, the main ILO Conventions and the actions of trade unions in response to the trends in business practices that put the burden of the crisis on the workers.

Contact: uniperu@hotmail.com jose.molina@uniglobalunion.org



UNI Youth Peru holds Trade Union Leadership Workshop

The workshop “Training Young Leaders to Strengthen the Peruvian Trade Union Movement” was held on January 7 and 8, 2009, in Lima. The main objective was to build individual and institutional leadership capacity based on the principles of autonomy, solidarity, and democracy, with a strategic political and trade union vision as well as a focus on Human Rights and the goals of Decent Work as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and embraced by UNI as one of its mainstays. At a time when increasingly fewer youths have rights at work, there is an urgent need to train young leaders, and the workshop intended to address this problem.

Contact: uniperu@hotmail.com jose.molina@uniglobalunion.org



BUENOS AIRES: 13th Meeting of the UNI - Telefónica Alliance

The meeting of the UNI - Telefónica Alliance was held with the participation of 32 union delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, and Ireland, along with the attendance of Marcus Courtney, Head of UNI Telecom; Rodolfo Benítez, UNI-Americas Regional Secretary; and Cenise Monteiro, Regional Director for the Americas. This major Alliance meets annually to evaluate working conditions in Telefónica and its subsidiaries and to discuss with Telefónica top management all the aspects related to the global agreement signed between the company and UNI. Rubén Cortina, President of UNI-Americas, addressed the meeting at its opening session. He highlighted the importance of the global agreement in facilitating the annual meeting between the parties and the discussion of all aspects regarding labor relations. Moreover, he said that UNI has expressed its concern for the negative effects that the financial crisis may have on employment at global and regional level. In this regard, he stated that UNI and its World Executive Board have put forward proposals calling for an urgent review of the global financial system, especially in terms of bank regulation.

Contact: cenise.monteiro@uniglobalunion.org



ARGENTINA: Serious Dispute at Massuh paper company

We have been informed by the Argentine Paper Industry Federation that Massuh S.A. has failed to pay salaries to its employees and is planning to close some production areas at a critical time for workers as a whole. The workers and their unions demand that the company pay what it owes and protect their jobs. We request that you urgently send messages to the officials indicated in the note, with copy to the Federation. fedpapel@speedy.com.ar

Contact: marvin.largaespada@uniglobalunion.org



PERU: Workers’ Victory in Outsourcing Companies

We are happy to report that the Ministry of Labor of Peru (MTPE) has found the objections raised by outsourcing companies SEPESA, LARI, COBRA, ITETE groundless. These companies refused to recognize SINTTEL as the representative of workers and to formally discuss its list of demands. In the communication issued by MTPE, the companies’ representatives are required to summon the bargaining unit in charge of negotiating the 2008-2009 list of demands in order to begin collective bargaining negotiations as established in Section 57 of the Collective Labor Relations Act.

Contact: cenise.monteiro@uniglobalunion.org



Contributions

We encourage our readers to send their comments, suggestions and contributions to the editor of UNI-Info, via e-mail mario.sanchez@uniglobalunion.org; Fax (507) 317-0170, or by mail to P.O. Box 0819-06290, El Dorado, Panama, Republic of Panama.