Deputy Secretary-General of OATUU, Mr. Valentine Udeh Okechukwu has stressed on the importance of trade union unity and international solidarity in tackling the global challenges. He made these remarks at the 7th Ordinary Congress of the Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (MEMUR-SEN), which took place on the 1st and 2nd of May, 2023 in Ankara, Turkey.
Mr. Okechukwu noted that public service is one of the tools that governments rely upon to create “an appropriate conducive environment in which all sectors of the economy can operate maximally.” However, the current socioeconomic context threatens the contribution of not only public servants but that of workers at large, to development. The existing socioeconomic setting is characterised by discrepancies in employment rates, recovery driven by the informal sector, uncertainty marking the labour market, high inflation rates, an increasing cost of living, consequently leading to a slow rate of economic recovery,
To confront these challenges, Mr. Okechukwu proposed that trade unions “be proactive in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of socio-economic policies that affect workers, their families, and the population as a whole.” He also stressed the need for international solidarity to confront neo-liberal policies that have adverse effects on the worker. Adding to that, he highlighted the critical importance of unity at the local, national, federation, and continental levels. He stated that only by aligning across these levels, can trade unions confront common oppressors and become formidable in the face of these forces.
In his concluding remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the principles enshrined in the Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 – poverty anywhere is a danger to prosperity everywhere as well as labour not being a commodity. He called for continued advocacy for decent work.
