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UNI Asia & Pacific President Joe de Bruyn and Regional Secretary Christopher Ng joined Japanese unions and members of the local community at a ceremony remembering those who perished and were injured in the bombing on August 9, 1945.



UNI has its own initiative to support the global movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons called Breaking Through for Peace.



To highlight the fight for nuclear disarmament and the work done by Japanese unions to support this cause, UNI has chosen Nagasaki as the host city for its World Congress in November. UNI believes the common goal of the world’s working people-- to have a decent job that enables individual and family income security to sustain life, health and happiness in caring societies-- must be built on the bedrock of peace, tolerance and understanding.



In advance of the Congress, a UNI tram has been launched to bring local attention to the event, which will bring some 2000 trade unionists from around the world together to chart UNI’s future.



"I hope that the UNI World Congress will become widely known among the Nagasaki citizens, as the UNI tram will be running all throughout Nagasaki city up to our Congress in November," said UNI Apro President de Bruyn at the launch on August 7.



De Bruyn also underlined UNI's commitment to the nuclear disarmament. While in Nagasaki, he participated in several peace events organised by the Japanese trade union movement and UNI affiliates.



"The working people we represent have no interest in nations developing and holding nuclear weapons," he said. "Instead they want to see mutual, verifiable and progressive nuclear disarmament and the money that is saved used for better social purposes. Let us keep working together for a peaceful world – a world that has eliminated all its nuclear weapons."



At the Congress, UNI will present its new plan “Breaking Through,” which focuses on building unions and organising around the world in the private service sector.





You can find photos from the Nagsaki tram launch on flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniglobalunion/sets/72157624693609784/