World Federation of Trade Unions
Dear brothers and sisters, Leaders of the trade unions of the Arab Countries and of ICATU, On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Union, I salute the 14th Congress of the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions and wish you success in your works. The 14th Congress takes place at a time when the living and working conditions of Arab workers and their families have been greatly deteriorated by the pandemic and the new capitalist economic crisis. 28.000.000 jobs have been lost in 2021, formal unemployment is over 10% and informal work exposes migrants and local workers to even bigger exploitation without access to health services. At the same time, the interventions and antagonisms of imperialist states and unions in the region continue, in order to control the natural wealth of the countries and to increase their geopolitical influence. In May, we saw a new escalation of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian People with the criminal Israeli attack on Gaza Strip, which continues with more recent air strikes. In Afghanistan, NATO imperialists passed on the torch to the obscurantists Talibans to continue to exploit this rich country at the expense of its People. The world class-oriented trade union movement stands in solidarity with the Peoples of Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, who have been suffering from imperialist wars that created misery and refugees. We express our solidarity with the SWTUF and the people of Sudan, we demand the end of the attacks against the SWTUF, and the protection of the right to free trade union action for workers and their representatives. Dear brothers and sisters, Recently, moves against ICATU have been made by groups that present themselves as trade unions that represent workers in Arab countries, when in fact they support Israel and the plans of the imperialists in the region. We want ICATU to continue its struggle and become even stronger and we want us to continue working together in an anti-imperialist line. The Arab unions must not become servants of the imperialist plans for the new Middle East. Against the practice of “divide and rule”, the world class-oriented trade union movement counters that the wealth belongs to the workers and the popular strata of the Arab countries; they must fight together for their own interests, to meet all their contemporary needs and for peace in the region. We invite you to actively participate in the pre-Congress process of the 18th Congress of WFTU and in the Congress itself, that will take place in the next period, so that its works and decisions through collectivity and rich, democratic conversation, make our big trade union family even stronger for our struggles. For our part, we assure you that we will support the fraternal relation between our two organizations with even greater force. The WFTU is ready to pave the way for the just Arab causes in every corner of the globe so that you can meet real new friends and true comrades, to find new supporters as well. We commit that the WFTU will never sit at the same table with Histadrut and we will continue to condemn all trade unions that with their stance legitimize Histadrut and Israel’s plans and objectively assist the US plans for the so-called new Middle East. Our support for the heroic Palestinian People and their struggle will continue to strengthen until the final victory. We will not abandon our brothers in Palestine alone. We are successfully advancing the international campaign of solidarity and relief along with the GUPW and all of you. Dear brothers and sisters of ICATU, In a historical, cultural and…
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Greeting speech of the WFTU Representative to the 14th Congress of ICATU on 30.08.2021 in Hurghada, Egypt