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[AHRC Forwarded Statement] : Thai Government must now ratify ILO conventions 87 and 98 (2009-10-08) |
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Thursday, 08 October 2009 |
Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following statement from Working Group
to Promote Ratification of ILO C. 87 and C. 98 for the World Day for
Decent Work on 7th October, 2009. They urge Thai Government to
immediately ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) on
conventions 87 and conventions 98 as a matter of the utmost urgency.
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-FST-071-2009
October 8, 2009
A Statement from Working Group to Promote Ratification of ILO C. 87
and C. 98 forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
THAILAND: Thai Government must now ratify ILO conventions 87 and 98
Today (7th October, 2009) is World Day for Decent Work. On behalf of a
network of labour organisations, and in the name of the Working Group
to Promote Ratification of ILO C.87 and C.98 (consisting of Labour
Congresses, Labour Federations, Area Based Labour Unions, the Thai
Labour Solidarity Committee, the State Enterprise Workers Relations
Confederation and members of the Global Unions Federation (GUFs) in
Thailand), we today come out to demand that the Thai Government
immediately ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO)
Conventions 87 and 98 as a matter of the utmost urgency. Promoting
valuable or decent work can never genuinely occur if the Thai
Government continues to refuse to ratify these two ILO conventions.
This continued refusal comes on the occasion of the 90th anniversary
of the ILO’s creation, not forgetting importantly that Thailand was
a founding member of this important global institution. 2009 is truly
a crucial year for finally ratifying these conventions.
The continued failure of the Thai Government to ratify these two
conventions is one important factor contributing to the inability of
Thai workers to organise into trade unions and take part in effective
collective bargaining. This failure by our Government can only be
described as one that breaches the fundamental rights of workers in
Thailand. This failure can only but show how the Thai Government
continues to lack interest in the working and living conditions of
workers in Thailand, and undermine their inability to come together to
negotiate meaningfully with employers and investors. In order for the
Thai Government to be seen to genuinely seek to address the challenges
faced by workers in Thailand, who number more than 34 million, the
Thai Government must urgently ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98. If the
Thai Government continues to seriously neglect to give importance to
these two ILO Conventions, we, in the name of the Working Group to
Promote Ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, will only intensify
our struggle both domestically and on a global stage with our brothers
and sisters in the global trade union movement.
We have already notified our brothers and sisters in the global trade
union movement of this important worker movement here in Thailand
today. We have made our voice heard to the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC), Public Services International (PSI), the
International Metal Worker’s Federation (IMF), UNI Global Union
(UNI), the International Transport Worker’s Federation (ITF), the
International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General
Worker’s Unions (ICEM), and Building and Wood Worker’s
International (BWI). We can be guaranteed the support of our brothers
and sisters in the global trade union movement. They will surely join
hands with us to send a strong signal to the Thai Government in any
way they can.
Finally, we want to remind the Thai Government that: “The time is up
in waiting to ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98. The Thai Government
must urgently ratify these two conventions without further delay!”
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For more information, please contact:
In English: Mr. Chalee Loysoong, Coordinator of the Working Group to
Promote Ratification of ILO C.87 and C.98, Phone no.: +66 890 309178
In Thai: Mr. Sawit Keawwan, General Secretary of the State Enterprise
Workers Relations Confederation, Phone no.: +66 863 361110
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional
non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights
issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
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