Georgia: Unions hold global solidarity conference

(Photo: LabourStart)

LabourStart and the Georgian Trade Union Confederation on 28-30 April held a Global Solidarity Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia that brought together trade union leaders and activists from more than 70 countries.

Carrying the theme “Trade Union Internationalism Today,” the conference, which coincided with the commemoration of International Workers’ Memorial Day, offered a moment of silence to honour and remember all workers who died in the performance of their work. BWI, introducing its “Make it Happen!” campaign, urged the conference delegates to mobilise public opinion in their respective countries to persuade employers and governments to ensure that the workers’ fundamental right to occupational health and safety is fully implemented in workplaces.

BWI affiliates from Georgia, Israel, and Kyrgyzstan also shared their experiences working on a variety of campaigns throughout the course of the three-day conference, including gender equality, workplace health and safety, and international sports and migrant workers' rights. Meanwhile, BWI affiliates from Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Israel, and Turkey shared their personal accounts of their own struggles for freedom and democracy. 

In order to protect workers' rights and aid in their struggle through global solidarity, the conference was held to support a vast network of trade union activists and social movements. It was organised in the middle of the great difficulties and obstacles that trade unionists and workers around the world are facing. Following the close of the conference, delegates joined Georgian trade unionists in celebrating International Labor Day by participating in their rallies to mark the global occasion.