On the eve of FIFA 73rd Congress in Rwanda, the undersigned Global Union Federations express serious concerns on the decent work legacy of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and the sustainability of labour reforms in Qatar. As the Tournament has left town, so have the hopes of migrant workers to have a say in their lives and in their futures. In the run up to the recent FIFA World Cup, rather than accelerating reforms and preparing for the future, progress on implementing labour law changes slowed down, employer lawlessness increased, and dialogue on cooperation with some Global Union Federations and migrant workers came to an abrupt halt. The lack of further progress to protect human rights, including the fundamental rights of workers to associate and bargain collectively, shows that, to date, there is not a tangible or lasting legacy of the FIFA 2022 World Cup of which Qatar, FIFA, and the world could be proud.
The 97-page report, “Only ‘Instant Noodle’ Unions Survive: Union Busting in Cambodia’s Garment and Tourism Sectors,” documents how the Cambodian government and some employers have used various legal and administrative tactics during the Covid-19 pandemic to weaken Cambodia’s independent union movement and violate workers’ rights. Measures adopted to address the severe economic impacts of the pandemic have punished independent unions while benefitting employer-friendly unions, which could register quickly with the government, like “making instant noodles,” in the words of a prominent union leader.
CGU Statement, 7 October 2022. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the Global Union Federations (GUFs) condemn the continued brutality of the Iranian authorities against their own people and call for stronger international pressure against the regime.