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BURMA OUT!! : ICFTU OnLine: Trade



Subject: BURMA OUT!!  : ICFTU OnLine: Trade unions and employers against

the Burmese junta
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Sent:	Tuesday, June 15, 1999 1:02 PM

Subject:	ICFTU OnLine: Trade unions and employers of the world united
agai nst the Burmese junta

INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)
ICFTU OnLine...
116/990615/LD

Trade unions and employers of the world united against the Burmese junta
Brussels/Geneva, 15 June 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): Employers and trade union
organisations have joined forces, a rare event at the International Labour
Organisation, to ask the UN agency to refuse to give Burma any technical
assistance and to ban representatives from the country from attending its
meetings, because of the systematic use of forced labour by the ruling
military junta.
In a letter addressed to the President of the International Labour
Conference, the ILO's annual general assembly currently in session in
Geneva, the presidents of the workers' and employers' groups underline the
blatant flouting by the government of Myanmar (the name the military junta
has given to the country) of the recommendations made last year by the ILO
commission of inquiry.  Although refused entry into Burma, the commission
did interview 250 eye witnesses and put together a document of over 6,000
pages.  In its report it concluded that: "the obligation to suppress the use
of forced or compulsory labour is violated in Myanmar in national law as
well as in actual practice in a widespread and systematic manner, with total
disregard for the human dignity, safety and health and the basic needs of
the people."
In May, the Director General of the ILO, Mr. Juan Somavia, pointed out in a
report that went to the members of the Governing Body of the UN agency that
no measures had yet been taken by the Burmese authorities to follow the
recommendations.  The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU) has provided fresh evidence of forced labour based on many different
sources within the country.  The ICFTU estimates that over 800,000 Burmese
are subjected to forced labour.
In their joint resolution, the trade unions and employers represented at the
ILO noted that none of the people involved in the use of forced labour had
been prosecuted so far.  The failure to punish those responsible is also

deplored by the ICFTU, which classifies this modern form of slavery
practised in Burma as a crime against humanity.
Some 2,000 delegates representing governments, workers and employers from
the 174 Member States of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are
attending the annual conference, which will end on Thursday in Geneva.  The
ICFTU represents  213 trade union organisations in 145 countries, a total of
125 million workers worldwide.  It coordinates the activities of the
workers' group within the ILO.

Contact: ICFTU-Press at: ++32-2 224.02.12 (Brussels). For more information,
visit our website at: (http://www.icftu.org) <http://www.icftu.org)> .



Follow the appreciations of the Shan Democratic Union, 
film maker John Pilger,  HH the  Dalai Lama, The Free Burma 
Coalition, Dennis Skinner MP, Tony Benn MP, parliamentarians, 
Socialist Workers' Party, JPR Williams, sportspersons, Hendrix 
bassist Noel Redding, Abdullah Ibrahim, musicians,  All 
Burma Students Democratic Organization and numerous others.  

             Support a REAL war on drugs : Sydney 2000 : Burma Out!

Music Industry Human Rights Association
http://www.mihra.org / policy.office@xxxxxxxxx 
US Satellite http://www.212.net  
click on roger / then click on news desk

Mihra was founded during UN50 to advance and protect 
creators rights in a cultural market monopolised by the 
recording  / publishing Grand Cartel. Mihra's roots are in 
music and anti-racism and was first in line in calling for a 
sports boycott of Burma for the Sydney 2000 Olympic 
Games.

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"Piece of Mind". Recorded in Holland in 1969, same time 
as the Beatles were recording "Abbey Road". 

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