No. 87/15 September 1999
Willy Peirens leaves the ACV-CSC
TopOn August 31st 1999, Willy Peirens laid down his office as president of the ACV-CSC, which he had held for twelve years. His successor is Luc Cortebeeck. It will be one of the tasks of the new president to protect the organisation's unity and federal character. Like Willy Peirens emphasised after the national elections in Belgium, there are quite a number of challenges in store for the ACV-CSC and its new president: preserve and strengthen the representativeness, attract new groups of workers and build a countervailing power in the companies, services and sectors in Belgium, in Europe and worldwide. Luc Cortebeeck has the firm intention to strengthen the two pillars of the ACV-CSC, trade and inter-trade, and to continue to build a broad trade union movement that is really representative, also for women. The WCL expresses to Willy Peirens its cordial thanks for all his work and for his commitment to the solidarity among the workers throughout the world. Goodbye Willy Peirens, and thanks!
In Belgium we will always remember Willy Peirens as the man who has led for
twelve years the ACV-CSC, the main confederation, where he started as head of
the youth department after having worked as an editor of the weekly De
Volksmacht, the magazine of the Flemish Christian workers' movement.
The WCL affiliates will always think of him as their president (1989-1997) and
afterwards their vice-president in charge of Western Europe. Willy Peirens also
put his stamp on the international labour conferences of the ILO in Geneva,
where he became in 1987, for the workers' group, co-chairman of the Committee on
the Application of the Standards.
At the age of 62, Willy Peirens has now handed the torch on to his successor,
though he could have started a second term of office. Like every self-respecting
new pensioner he has made quite some plans such as spend more time with his
grandchildren and become member of the board of directors of the new
organisation for international co-operation of the Belgian government. It is
really to early to draw a line under the biography of this man who has always
displayed determination in social relations and friendliness in his human
relations. We can only say: a fair journey, Willy.
TopIn Brazil died a man with a warm heart for the workers and particularly for
the outcasts from society. In recent years Dom Helder Camara could leave also
without words a lasting impression. No doubt he made what he called "a
youthful false step" in joining a movement with a fascist strain. His
stands were also less radical that the ones of other Latin American leaders of
the Catholic Church. He preferred a slow evolution of this institution to a
schism within the Church. This had been too much already, no doubt, for the
"red bishop" was reduced to silence. His successor nullified
everything he had accomplished in his diocese.
The WCL is aware of the fact that so many workers chose for a commitment within
the trade union movement thanks to Helder Camara, the pillar of the Young
Christian Workers in Brazil, and that he protected countless trade union
activists during the military dictatorship in Brazil. The WCL always supported
his struggle against the causes of poverty, which he put in the following winged
words: "When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor
have no food, they call me a communist." The WCL will never forget the
attention Helder Camara always gave to what he called in his Episcopal language
the "Abrahamic minorities", ie convinced and motivated minority groups
standing up for social justice and for the rights of the excluded from society.
One of his last wishes was that hunger would eradicated once and for all in the
next millennium.
TopOn 16-19 June last, Barcelona (Spain) was the venue of the 32nd World Congress and a world seminar of the IFTC, hosted by the USOC (USO Textile - Catalonia). Over 100 delegates from all continents attended these events. The main theme of the seminar was "quality of work". Experts introduced a number of subthemes: education and training, working time, organisation of work, women and multinationals. The seminar arrived at a number of conclusions which were discussed at the Congress and given concrete shape in resolutions. In the next four years the attention will be focused on education and training, and there will be closer co-operation relations with the ILO. In the resolution on working time and the organisation of work it is mentioned that the working week must not exceed 40 hours and that flexibility must in no case be at the expense of the human being and his or her family life. Though women are the majority in the textile branch, they are poorly represented in the shop stewards' committees and in senior positions. That is why the IFTC will make all-out efforts to emancipate them, to integrate them and to protect them against discrimination, both nation- and worldwide. In response to the social consequences of unbridled competition the IFTC intends to develop a social code of conduct. It will also strengthen the trade union action in multinational companies. Moreover, companies have to exchange more information. The affiliates will be requested to discuss these matters. The Congress strengthened the position of the IFTC as an international organisations with several dynamic affiliates in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It adopted an action programme for the next four years and elected a new Board, which will be chaired by Jacques Jouret. Bart Bruggeman remains General Secretary, and Joseph Zidanic will co-ordinate the action in Central and Eastern Europe.
TopThe WCL supports the FSSC (federation of civil servants) in consequence of the events on 13 July, when a delegation of our affiliate was waiting peacefully in front of the government building to hand a letter to the minister of the Public Office. The Special Supporting Unit (SSU) suddenly intervened, using brutal violence against the leaders of the FSSC and its president, Rashid Imrith. The letter enumerated the demands of the civil servants in response to a report on the errors, acts of dereliction and clarifications of the PRB (Pay Research Bureau). The WCL immediately turned to the prime minister of Mauritius, drawing his attention to the fact that it has to be possible to exercise trade union rights in a climate free from violence and threat. The WCL hopes that the government will take measures in favour of harmonious labour relations in Mauritius. We have been informed that the action of the FSSC has caused the Mauritian government to set up an ad hoc committee which will have to pronounce itself on the irregularities resulting from the recommendations regarding the salaries, which the PRB published in August 1998 and in July 1999.
TopSince 21 June, 8,000 SBSI members have been on strike at PT Triparta, a company that supplies transport and building materials and is part of Cal/Tex, an oil company having its registered office in the United States. On 6 July, they were dismissed after eight months of struggle for an allowance a whole series of workers were entitled to. They had indeed been classed in the group of temporary workers despite their employment for a five-year period, three years more than the legal limit. Not only did PT Tripata, in Duri (Central Sumatra) violate the Indonesian law, it also use the local minister of Employment, the military and the police, who took violent action to intimidate the workers. On 7 August 1999, the company complied with nearly all the demands of the workers. The WCL, the BATU and all their affiliates had assured the SBSI and the striking workers of their solidarity. The strikers could return to work without having to fear reprisals. There working circumstances will henceforth be fairer and safer.
TopGuatemala: the WCL has expressed to the Guatemalan president its concern about the persistent trade union rights violations in this country. Anonymous death threats, murder of trade union leaders, destruction of buildings and intimidation have become current practice. The WCL firmly condemns such acts. It has asked the Guatemalan authorities to honour the commitments it has entered into by signing the ILO conventions.
Colombia: Besides the open letter it has written to the President Pastrana of Colombia, asking him to organise a broad social summit in the country, the WCL has lodged a protest against the arrest of trade union leaders and 227 workers during the general strike of 31 August and against the death of a ten-year-old girl on the same day.
Top5-9/9: BAWC Seminar Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
19-24/9: Sustainable Development, Business and Environment Programme, Salzburg
(Austria)
22-25/9: Macedonia and liaison office (Romania)
25-28/9: WFIW: World Board and seminar, Madrid (Spain)
27-29/9: EASHW: conference on "Safety and Health and Employability, Bilbao
(Spain)
28-30/9: OATUU Congress, Johannesburg (South Africa)
Communication
Due to a misprint in the article "the action of the women of the WCL is
making progress" in Tele-Flash no 85-86 (15-8/1-9-1999) the names of three
organisations participating in the project were not mentioned: SBSI-Indonesia
(informal sector), UDTS-Senegal (informal sector), CSTT-Togo (informal sector).
CMT - WCL - WVA - TELE FLASH is a two-weekly information bulletin
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Responsible Editor: Willy Thys (e-mail: Willy.Thys@cmt-wcl.org)
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