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Transport unions’ active role at World Social Forum
26 January 2007
Trade unions have participated actively in the seventh World Social Forum, which ended in Nairobi yesterday. The annual open meeting for civil society groups and social movements - which is always staged to coincide with the yearly World Economic Forum for governments and business leaders in Davos - included rallies, speeches, debate and cultural events aimed at progressing a people-centred, sustainable development agenda.
Over 20 ITF affiliates from outside Kenya joined the host affiliates led by the Kenya Railway Workers’ Union. About 2,000 organised workers participated in a trade union march on 20 January from the headquarters of the national labour centre to Uhuru Park, the venue of a colourful opening ceremony.
Trade union speakers underlined the need to re-activate and involve women and young workers in trade union work, in order to ensure the survival and development of the union movement. The ITF’s Mac Urata, who attended the forum, said, “If unions want to survive today’s new challenges, they must develop strategies on precarious work, they must organise informal workers, and they must work with the wider social movement”
ITF African regional secretary Joseph Katende, commented, “The ITF stall was one of the most visited at the main venue, Kasarani Stadium, due to its colourful posters with powerful messages, and various ITF materials were distributed. The most popular item was our ‘Strong Unions Need Women’ poster. The ITF delegation was on hand to answer many questions from the visitors.”
The ITF used the forum to raise awareness of the brutal assassination of the Guatemalan port workers’ leader Pedro Zamora. Eight hundred WSF delegates from all over the world signed the ITF Charter condemning the murder and demanding justice and support for the bereaved family. Over 500 visitors to the ITF stall signed the visitor's book and left contact details.
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