ITUC visits CFTUI in India

I just came back from a mission in India where the WSM partner CFTUI was visited by a delegation of the ITUC and ITUC-AP regarding their full affiliation. The delegation was composed out of Jaap Wiener, Deputy Director ITUC, Noriyuki Suzuki, General Secretary ITUC-AP, and myself as WSM Asia Coordinator, as mandated by ACV-CSC.

The mission had as purpose to gather information regarding the potential full membership affiliation of CFTUI to ITUC, having been associated member since 2006. During the two day mission, the delegation interacted with the leadership of CFTUI, the Executive Committee members, leaders from the affiliated trade unions and attended a conference of 400 members from the Delhi shop &establishments unions. It also consulted the existing affiliated members in India, INTUC and HMS. The affiliation request will be handled during the next ITUC General Council, on 12th of October 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The strongest point of CFTUI is clearly its membership, which has drastically increased during the past ten years, going from 30.000 members to 1,3 million, and with an additional potential 600.000 to 1 million to join in the coming two years. Its main obstacle is the lack of national verification of its membership, which excludes it from many social dialogue instances. CFTUI has achieved several important improvements of workers’ rights in various areas and states, especially in the informal economy. It does however not yet institutionally play its role in social dialogue, though full membership at ITUC would increase its credibility as a social partner...