To our brave Brothers, Sisters and Comrades at Daqing
On behalf of our more than 20 million members worldwide we extend to the leadership and membership of the Provisional workers Union, our warm fraternal greetings.
Since you started your actions at the beginning of this month, we have been monitoring your brave actions and your struggle for economic justice. Over the last few years, fellow Chinese workers particularly in the mining and energy sectors, have been loosing jobs on a mass scale as a result of industrial restructuring. Whilst hundreds of thousands workers have become redundant, the social implications require the Chinese Government to take measures, in close consultation with workers, to cushion the effects of unemployment. Anything short of these will no doubt result in more poverty, hunger and social upheaval.
We consider your demands for the winter heating subsidies to be maintained and against unilateral increases in social security contributions to be reasonable and fair considering that fact that workers have been retrenched and face a bleak future. You have our full support in your fight against poverty. Your determination to succeed against in a very hostile environment has indeed inspired us all. But we remain extremely perturbed both by the lack of good faith negotiations to settle the issues in dispute and the heavy-handed response by the authorities.
At a recent ILO meeting on the Promotion of Good Industrial Relations in the Oil and Gas Industry, at which the ACFTU, representatives of the Chinese Government and employers together with representatives from 17 other countries, there was a remarkable consensus on the important role social dialogue amongst all parties can play in promoting good industrial relations. This is particularly so in the oil and gas sector where governments have the major investments. We therefore fully support your right to organise and to bargain for your interests.
Furthermore, all parties agreed that "where reductions in the workforce are likely as a result of corporate restructuring, appropriate measures should be put in place according to good industrial relations practices to protect, as far as possible, workers rights and interests." The ICEM played a leading role at this meeting in defending and advancing workers rights and interests. We quote these statements in order to confirm the legitimacy and correctness of you demands and actions.
We would like to reassure you that you are not alone in your struggle. We would like to convey your situation to our fellow members and provide you with the necessary support. Though our experience we know that nothing comes without fighting for it but we build unity in action and we use our strength to build a better life for workers and their families.
The ICEM and the ICFTU represents millions or organised workers throughout the world. They stand by you in these difficult times. We await further direction from you to determine our next course of action in support of your demands. Your struggle is our struggle.
In times like these it is important for us to remember the international slogan of genuine worker solidarity.
An injury to one is an injury to all
Fred Higgs
General Secretary
Brussels, 28 March 2002
On behalf of our more than 20 million members worldwide we extend to the leadership and membership of the Provisional workers Union, our warm fraternal greetings.
Since you started your actions at the beginning of this month, we have been monitoring your brave actions and your struggle for economic justice. Over the last few years, fellow Chinese workers particularly in the mining and energy sectors, have been loosing jobs on a mass scale as a result of industrial restructuring. Whilst hundreds of thousands workers have become redundant, the social implications require the Chinese Government to take measures, in close consultation with workers, to cushion the effects of unemployment. Anything short of these will no doubt result in more poverty, hunger and social upheaval.
We consider your demands for the winter heating subsidies to be maintained and against unilateral increases in social security contributions to be reasonable and fair considering that fact that workers have been retrenched and face a bleak future. You have our full support in your fight against poverty. Your determination to succeed against in a very hostile environment has indeed inspired us all. But we remain extremely perturbed both by the lack of good faith negotiations to settle the issues in dispute and the heavy-handed response by the authorities.
At a recent ILO meeting on the Promotion of Good Industrial Relations in the Oil and Gas Industry, at which the ACFTU, representatives of the Chinese Government and employers together with representatives from 17 other countries, there was a remarkable consensus on the important role social dialogue amongst all parties can play in promoting good industrial relations. This is particularly so in the oil and gas sector where governments have the major investments. We therefore fully support your right to organise and to bargain for your interests.
Furthermore, all parties agreed that "where reductions in the workforce are likely as a result of corporate restructuring, appropriate measures should be put in place according to good industrial relations practices to protect, as far as possible, workers rights and interests." The ICEM played a leading role at this meeting in defending and advancing workers rights and interests. We quote these statements in order to confirm the legitimacy and correctness of you demands and actions.
We would like to reassure you that you are not alone in your struggle. We would like to convey your situation to our fellow members and provide you with the necessary support. Though our experience we know that nothing comes without fighting for it but we build unity in action and we use our strength to build a better life for workers and their families.
The ICEM and the ICFTU represents millions or organised workers throughout the world. They stand by you in these difficult times. We await further direction from you to determine our next course of action in support of your demands. Your struggle is our struggle.
In times like these it is important for us to remember the international slogan of genuine worker solidarity.
An injury to one is an injury to all
Fred Higgs
General Secretary
Brussels, 28 March 2002