ITF acting general secretary meets Singapore workers

ITF acting general secretary Steve Cotton met workers from a range of sectors during a fact-finding trip to Singapore last week.

During the trip, which took place between 1 and 7 September, Cotton heard first-hand the thoughts and concerns of Singapore workers. He met with workers at the Soon Lee Bus Depot and seafarers at the Singapore Maritime Officers Union.

Cotton was also invited to address the convention of the Singapore National Transport Workers Union during his stay. He also met with the secretary general of the Singapore National Trades Union Congress, spoke at the Maritime Manpower Singapore conference, and gave an interview to Seatrade Global on the recent implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006).

Cotton said: ‘Having the opportunity to meet with workers from around the world, and to hear the viewpoints of workers in different sectors, has been a great experience. In our transition from a global crisis to global justice, it’s important that we hear directly from unions and affiliates worldwide to keep workers’ rights and needs at the front of the ITF global agenda”.