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"Dear brothers and sisters,



This room full of energy, light, and passion, shows that without a doubt UNI Americas is breaking through. We are breaking through the fictitious barriers that separate us from one another, in order to build unity, solidarity, and union organizing. But we are also breaking through to change the rules of the game imposed by the gurus’ selfishness, hopelessness, and robbery.



From every corner of the Americas we are calling to beat the drums for more and better democracies, more equity, more justice, more inclusion for men and women. The Americas are facing a new political, social, and economic reality. A new reality that demands that we carry out our strategies in a different and more offensive way.



We have come here to beat the drums for strong unions in multinational companies. We will beat the drums for bigger unions, more powerful, more united. We come here to beat the drums for collective bargaining, so that it becomes the fundamental base for fair distribution of wealth.



Drums are not beaten in solitude, and the beating of the drums is heard by all. UNI Americas, in the same way as the drums, wants to speak out loud and clear. We want our collective voices to be heard. We want women and men in the growing service sector economy to be respected and dignified.



With this in mind, the region has undertaken an aggressive work plan, first establishing the objectives to be accomplished and where we will focus all our strength. Our human and financial resources are limited, and the forces we must face are powerful and organized.



UNI’s historical congress in Nagasaki defined strategic priorities with which we are fully aligned. Global companies, union organizing, and development of capacities, jobs with social security and justice for all, political influence and regulations, UNI as a proactive, innovative and inclusive organization: we have taken these objectives and we are setting them to the realities and culture of our region.



We are changing the rules of the game in multinational companies. The implementation of the Global Agreement in Colombia signed with Carrefour allowed us to organize over four thousand workers, breaking through from deference and fear.



The launch of America Movil’s Regional Alliance allowed us to establish a joint strategy to grow and build social dialogue in the company.



The signing of the global agreement with Banco do Brasil opens up new possibilities for union organizing and for strengthening existing unions.



The union Alliance in Prosegur continues to denounce the company’s union busting practices and demands the signing of a global agreement.



Here we say, and we want to say it with you, the Walmart dictatorship will come to an end. Walmart, a symbol of extreme and greedy capitalism must sit down and negotiate with the workers. This is why UNI Americas is proud to be part of the global Alliance. This is why we support the first strike ever in 50 years of this company in the USA. This is why on December 14th we will support global action day.



And here we say, with all of you, that we want a global agreement in DHL. And here we say, with all of you, that we want a global agreement in T Mobile.



And here we say, with all of you, that we want Telefónica to respect the agreements with UNI, and that Bain Capital does not destroy the jobs and hope of thousands of workers in Atento’s call centers.



Brothers and sisters, we will beat the drums to build strategic power in each and every one of these companies.



We are beating the drums to organize more workers and more unions in the private health sector. Demographic and age group changes are making this sector grow, not with better salaries, but rather with more outsourcing and more precariousness. For decent jobs and social justice, UNI Americas has successfully re-launched this sector.



Next year we will be re-launching the cleaning and maintenance sector. We want decent jobs for this sector characterized by a mass presence of women and migrant workers, where precariousness and outsourcing are rampant. We want dignity and justice for this sector and we will start demanding this.



Three quarters of jobs are in the service sector. The rapid urbanization processes in our region create more and more jobs, and UNI Americas wants these jobs to be dignified, that the workers can organize unions, and have collective bargaining. All sectors where UNI Americas has affiliates are developing organizing strategies so that more youth, more women, and more men and women workers are citizens with full rights, such as union organizing and defending their rights collectively.



We have broken through in Colombia. We have not limited ourselves to denouncing criminalization of union activities, nor have we limited our solidarity with our brothers and sisters. We broke through creating a new and powerful union in the commerce sector and we will continue insisting in our struggle for a change in paradigms, where being a union leader is no longer a stigma. We are working in each and every large sector where UNI is present: graphical and packaging, finance, telecom, postal, commerce. We are committed to creating union power in Colombia. We are walking towards this utopia, as the Uruguayan author, Eduardo Galeano says, after all taking action on reality and changing it, is the only way of proving that reality is transformable.



We clearly state that we are against prevailing employer protection agreements in Mexico. We clearly state that this violates international standards on collective bargaining, and it is a threat to the future of collective bargaining in the region. Together with other sister organizations such as Industrial and ITF, and the Trinational Alliance, we will continue working and breaking through.



Brothers and sisters, I now wish to recall the Uruguayan poet, Mario Benedetti, and paraphrase that here, in UNI Americas our hands are working for justice, our view is set on the future, and our mouths know how to shout rebellion.



Long live the people of Latin America, long live their Unions. Hurrah for the 3rd Regional Conference of UNI Americas."