Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - New rules concerning the labour law are urgent and are "strategically important" for Myanmar; the state budget should cut military spending and invest in employment, health, education: this is what emerged from a meeting between the democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an Italian trade union CISL (Italian Trade Union Confederation of Workers) representative, held recently in Yangon. As reported to Fides by Cecilia Brighi, Head of the International CISL, who led the Italian delegation, the Burmese leader stressed the need to support the formation of young people on labour rights, on the rule of law, on issues such as fighting forced labour. Aung San Suu Kyi remarked that, for the democratic future of the country, key issues are freedom of association and freedom and individual and social rights, recalling the urgency of the release of political prisoners and dialogue with ethnic minorities.
The leader - Brighi told Fides – assured that his party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), will work on new proposals for tax policy, and agreed on the need to review the structure of the national budget, which should provide strong cuts in military spending in favor of investments in health, education and public works. This, Brighi said, would allow the authorities and the army to pay for the work, instead of using forced labour, as still happens, especially in conflict areas, where no organization is able to monitor the situation.
In agreement with unions such as CISL and other international organizations, the "National League for Democracy '(NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi's party, calls on the government, which has launched an era of reforms, promoting an economic policy based on sustainable development, employment and environmental protection. Topics on which Aung San Suu Kyi has called for international support.
"The right to work should be an important tool to build the change, starting with the compliance on behalf of the Government of the international conventions" she said. In the field of labor rights, there is still much to doin the country: there are serious violations of labor rights, child soldiers, forced labour, child labour. There are opportunities and problems posed by the new law on trade unions, which should allow the birth of the union and to improve the harsh working conditions of millions of Burmese workers.
"The new labour law on the trade union organization, recently approved thanks to the international trade union pressure – explains Brighi to Fides - is full of pitfalls, but it can be a first step in the trade union construction and the establishment in this country". The Burmese Leader has agreed with the request made by trade unions and other international organizations, that the government cancels the accusations of "terrorism" issued by the military junta against the "Federal Trade Unions of Burma" (FTUB), the Federation of Burmese Trade Unions is still, in fact, illegal, and its Secretary-General , the exiled Maung Maung Finally, it was noted that other organizations should be allowed to return to Myanmar, as well as the Association for political prisoners and for the work of legal practitioners. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 03/01/2012)
