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UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings, pays tribute to the French Graphical Union, Filpac-CGT during its 7^th Federal Congress in Paris last week.



Jennings applauded the spirit and ability of the French unions to mobilise workers. “We need this fighting spirit to challenge the business, media and political elites waging a war of the rich against the poor,” he said.



Jennings added that the global union movement had contributed to and been inspired by the Arab Spring. While acknowledging the role of social media as a tool in helping to topple the tyrants, Jennings said that it was the young people who had mobilised and gone on to the streets who had brought about change. Jennings said, “Now must we help them build this new future. We will help by building unions and in developing labour laws that give working people rights. Neither will UNI Global Union tire in its goal to see a free and independent Palestinian State.”



UNI Graphical and Packaging is working to improve union recruitment and has a strategy in place in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. Jennings said UNI would continue to target multinationals and ensure that workers’ rights are championed, union alliances put in place and that our affiliates are backed in building membership and promoting decent work.



In the graphical industry in Europe after years of struggle, we now have a social dialogue in place. “Let’s use it to build a socially responsible graphical and packaging sector,” Jennings said.



The General Secretary concluded by thanking Filpac under the leadership of Marc Peyrade for the role that his union continues to play at the global level. Jennings paid tribute to the former UNI Graphical & Packaging Global President Michel Muller who had been tireless in his representation of the sector and was now playing a prominent role on behalf of UNI Global Union in the MENA region.