8th UITBB Asia-Pacific Regional Seminar
DHAKA DECLARATION
The 8th Asia-Pacific Seminar of Trades Union International of Building, Construction and Building Materials Industries (UITBB), affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) held at Hotel-71, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 15.16 September 2012 unanimously endorsed this Dhaka Declaration.
This seminar expresses its solidarity with the workers of the world: Those who are fighting for the implementation of workers’ rights for food, for shelter and better wages allowing a for decent life and for social emancipation.
- UITBB and its affiliated unions and Federations will observe the 3rd October as International Action Day at the call of the World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU] this year and every year.
This year WFTU demands are:
Food – nourishment for all people
Water – clean water for all people
Books – free, public and qualitative education for all people
Medicines – free medicines for all the people
Housing – decent housing for all people.
- On Gender Equity: The 8th Asia-Pacific Seminar endorsed the decisions and action plan of the UITBB Women’s Committee Meeting of Cyprus (March 2012), which calls for implementation of the following International Days related to working women’s rights in the construction industry:
- a) 8th March- International Women’s Day
- b) 2nd June – Stop child labour
- c) 25th November- Stop violence against women
- d) 1st December- International day of fight against HIV/AIDS
- e) 18th December- International day to protect migrant workers.
This seminar requests that the UITBB Secretariat meeting to be held in Spain in December 2012 considers expanding the working women’s leadership training programme to the Asia
Pacific region.
Further, this seminar requests the secretariat to consider the draft UITBB Charter of Working Women’s Rights’ and to organize on the basis of that Charter an extensive & intensive campaign to be launched in this region.
- On Migrant Labour: This 8th Asia-Pacific Seminar calls on all UITBB affiliates in this region to submit memorandum to their respective heads of Government with the following demands:
- a) To establish a separate Ministry to look after overseas workers problems of that particular country.
- b) To frame legislation to protect the inter-state and inter-country migrant workers in respective country.
- c) To ensure that governments of sending & receiving countries sign a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to provide legal protection to migrant workers. This memorandum must ensure the extension of all provisions as per the Declaration of the UN charter.
- d) To ensure that equal wage & other provisions be applied to migrant & permanent workers in the receiving country. UITBB will take up any violation of human rights of migrant workers irrespectively of the country concerned with the ILO, WFTU, and the respective governments demanding that the end of these violations.
- e) To register all migrant workers with the government and relevant unions.
- On Occupational Health & Safety: This 8th Asia-Pacific Seminar called on all the affiliates of UITBB in this region to raise their voice and to demand:
- a) Separate legislation to protect construction workers from injury and death caused by occupational incidents in the workplace, to ensure medical treatment for injured workers and to take preventive measure so that workers will not suffer from occupational diseases.
- b) Social security benefits such as old age pension, universal children’s education, maternity benefits, housing facilities and other basic requirements for a decent life from their respective Governments.
- c) Awareness raising activities and education and training for all workers.
All the delegates and the General Secretary of the UITBB expressed their thanks to the unions of Bangladesh and to the organizing committee for holding such a productive Asia – Pacific seminar. It was agreed to hold the 9th Asia Pacific Seminar and the Vietnam delegation will explore the possibilities of hosting this seminar.
This 8th Asia-Pacific Seminar was attended by 41 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam.