International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) delegation visits Burma

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) delegation visits Burma
by -
PNA

ITUC delegation, in its first ever visit to Burma, met with Trade Unions who had applied for registration, met with released FTUB members, NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Bago divsion NLD leader U Myat Hla and Ministry of Labor.

A delegation from the ITUC visited Burma on 12th to 16th of February 2012.  The delegation was headed by Mr. Stephen Benedict, Director of the Human and Trade Union Rights (HTUR) department and also included Mr. Jeffrey Vogt, Legal Advisor of the ITUC and the HTUR, and Mr. Patuan Samosir Senior Officer, Organizing and Projects ITUC Regional Organization for Asia-Pacific (ITUC-AP).

During the visits, the delegation met with the representatives from the Myanmar Industrial Trade Unions (MITU), the Agriculture and Farmers Federation of Myanmar (AFFM), the Journalist Press and Publication Workers' Union (JPPWU) and the Textile and Garment and Leather Workers Union (Bago) and the Daikoo General and Transport Workers Union. They also met with FTUB leader Myo Aung Thant. 

They also met with U Myat Hla a senior attorney and leader of the Bago region NLD. Also in the meeting were lawyers, farmers and youth. The discussion was on the legal interpretation on the recently passed Labor Organization Law and past and present functions and interpretations of the labor law in Burma/Myanmar.

On the 14th, they went to Shwe Pyi Thar Industrial Zone to observe Deputy Minister of Labor U Myint Thein talk to workers on the Labor Organization Law.

On the 15th the delegation went by plane  went to Naypyidaw and met with the Ministry of Labor headed by the Director General and discussed on the Labor Organization Law, the Prison Code and the Labor Organization Rules .

Returning by car, on the morning of the 16th  Stephen Benedict and Jeffery Vogt  met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the NLD HQ briefly, presented support for the NLD and a letter from the Sister Sharan Burrow, the General Secretary of the ITUC.

After that the delegation also went to Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone to observe the work places.

The delegation left Burma / Mynamar on 16th evening.