Some 2000 trade unionists from around the world will come together in Nagasaki, Japan, in November for the UNI Global Union 3rd World Congress, which will set the course for UNI’s future.
“We are excited to share with our affiliates all our stories and plans to build union power around the world,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “We have chosen a symbolic city at a key moment in the course of human history. As trade unionists, we are fighting for nothing less than justice, equality, peace and freedom.”
The economic crisis has been disastrous for the world’s workers and more than ever they need to band together in unions to fight for their rights on the job and in society. With its new plan called “Breaking Through,” UNI is focused on building unions and organising around the world in the private service sector.
UNI’s key challenges include developing strategies to come out of the global financial crisis with government recovery plans that put people back to work, fighting staggering income inequality and ensuring workers in every corner of the world have the right to organise and bargain collectively. UNI is also facing head on the threats from climate change and from the build up of nuclear weapons.
UNI has a major initiative called “Breaking Through for Peace,” which supports nuclear disarmament campaigns. UNI has chosen Nagasaki as the site of its Congress because of its key role in the nuclear disarmament movement. The 2000 Congress delegates and residents of Nagasaki will hold a peace march and rally on November 11 as part of the Congress activities.
The President of Takashimaya, the first ever Japanese company to sign a Global Agreement, will be at the Congress. Takashimaya is one of 36 companies that have already signed such an accord with UNI, which has set a goal of signing 50 Global Agreements by the Nagasaki Congress.
The 2010 Congress will celebrate many milestones and will be the first one held in the Asia Pacific region. Since its formation in 2000, UNI has held Congresses in Berlin (2001) and Chicago (2005).
It will also celebrate UNI’s Japanese membership hitting the 1 million member mark.
Delegates will come to the Congress in Nagasaki as world leaders gather first at the G20 summit in South Korea and then days later at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Tokyo.
UNI will also host in Nagasaki its UNI World Women’s Congress, a gathering of women trade union leaders. UNI will introduce at its Congress a motion to ensure at least 40 percent of its leadership positions are held by women. The motion has the support of the UNI World Women’s Committee as well as the UNI World Executive Board.
As the Congress approaches, UNI will post exciting reports, videos and other information to highlight all the ways that UNI is Breaking Through! So keep checking the site for new information.
Practical Information
If you are a UNI union member who wants to represent your union in Nagasaki, you can register for the Congress here: http://place.uniglobalunion.org/worldcongress2010
You must be a UNI member with a login and password to access the registration site.
Congress Events Schedule
| UNI World Congress | 9-12 November |
| UNI World Women’s Conference | 6-7 November |
| UNI Apro Youth Conference | 8 November |
| UNI APEC meeting | 9 November |
| Peace Rally at the Nagasaki Peace Park | 11 November |
In honour of the UNI World Congress, our host city will add a tram emblazoned with the UNI logo and Breaking Through theme.
From November 9-12, 2000 trade unionists from around the world will come
