International Trade Union Seminar on “Economic Growth, Full Employment and Decent Work — the Voices of Workers along the Silk Road” had been taken place on 17-21 April, 2017 in China People’s Palace Hotel, Beijing, China
Some 45 delegates attended it from 25 countries including a dozen of ACFTU comrades. The seminar is over with adoption of resolution to have OBOR trade union network. The program was open on April 18 Hosted by Mr. Jiang Guangping, Vice-chairman of ACFTU and Remarks by Director General, International Dept. of Central Committee of CPC Mr. You Jianhua, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Tim De Meyer, Vice-Chairman and First Secretary of ACFTU Mr. Li Yufu.
Then the four business sessions were conducted on the following issues as two sessions on each day.
First Day
- The first session on “Economic Growth and Globalization, 2030 Agenda, the Belt and Road Initiative” was moderated by An Jianhua, the director of International Dept. of ACFTU. Five people from different countries presented their paper and opinion.
- The second session of the first day on Full Employment
: Investment and Development, Global Industrial Restructuring, Skill Enhancement was moderated by Ronald De La Cruz, vice chair of TUC of the Philippines. Seven papers including GEFONT-Nepal were presented in this session.
Second Day - The first session of the second day on “Informal Employment, Migrant Workers, and Youth Development” was moderated by Binda Pandey from GEFONT, Nepal. Eight papers were presented in the session
- The last session of the seminar on “Global Governance and Role of Trade Unions” was moderated by An Jianhua, director of International Dept. of ACFTU. Three papers were presented in this session.
Final session was devoted to adopt resolution of the seminar. The adopted copy of the resolution will be presented in the One Belt and One Road symposium to be organized in ton 14-15 May, 2017 in Beijing.
After the closing of the meeting, all the delegates were brought to be part of Kun Fu show in Red Hall. 20th April, all the participants were brought to show the newly built city Tangshan, which was collapsed cause by earthquake 4 decades back. It is located in 400 Kilometer from Beijing, which take about 2 hours by bullet train. Most of the participants visited that place. But cause by health condition, I did not joint.
Bilateral Meeting with ACFTU
We had bilateral meeting with ACFTU leadership after the conclusion of the seminar on April 19 evening and talked about to strengthen the relation and enhance bilateral cooperation in the day to come. Following are the major points raised from our side and their response accordingly.
Political Exchange:
Gefont: We want to strengthen out relation and would like to propose to start it by having bilateral high-level exchange visit. If possible, we would like to have this within this year (2017).
ACFTU: We are positive in this regard. But, we cannot decide without getting green signal from CPC to go for foreign trip. But, we can receive 5 members high-level delegation from gefont. You can approach your convenient date through Chinese embassy in Nepal.
Gefont: In that case, we suggested in regard to have visit, we will follow your suggestion about sending gefont delegation. Regarding ACFTU delegation, we will make invitation for the gefont congress to be held on March 2018. Then, you can make it high level visit.
ACFTU: It is good proposal. And, even to make long term cooperation, need to develop in-depth diplomatic exchange in party level (between CPC & UML). It may help to concretize the sectoral cooperation in long as well such as TU, Women, Youth etc. might be possible through CPC knowledge.
Both agreed on this idea
2. Trade Union Education
Gefont: We, Nepal have entered into new structure under federal system. In this connection, we want to learn from china how to manage union structure, political/trade union education system among the working masses. You shared your experiences in seminar that you have trained 23 million people within ta year. How could it be possible? We want to learn from you. Secondly, we want to send some of our affiliate Auto, Tourism etc.) colleagues to enhance their capacity and develop sectoral cooperation. Thirdly, we want to have your cooperation to develop infrastructure (since need to expand school in federal structure, we want to have cooperation with ACFTU at least in the one place) in regard to trade union education.
ACFTU: We have long history and more than 100 TU schools over the country. It would be better to learn practically visiting some of them, while making next trip as high-level visit. Regarding skill training, ACFTU can send our trainer even to Nepal and train people here. If you want to send some of them before that, send us written proposal with detail. In regard to hardware/infrastructure support, you can send us written letter through embassy. In the case of material/equipment support, please specify the details. In regard to building trade school, need to talk among our leadership after having written request from your side.
We agreed to send detail through Embassy possible soon.
3. We appreciated ACFTU to accept our request for bilateral meeting and handed over the token of love.
All China Women Federation (ACWF)
We visited ACWF office on April 21, 2017. Mu Hong (DG or Liaison Department, [email protected]) and Zhang Guangyun, (Director of International department, [email protected]& [email protected]) in their office.
ACWF was founded in 1949 just six months before the revolution. It is biggest women federation and having three level of organization as National, Providences and Locals, which are working independently.
ACWF is an umbrella organization of 17 different women groups including professional group such as Lawyer Association, Entrepreneur Association, and Worker’s in different sectors etc.
They share their experiences as following.
ACWF is, having different priority area of work as
• Carry out the fundamental state policy of equality between men and women
• Safeguard women’s lawful rights and interests
• Improve the environment for women’s development
• Enhance women’s social status and encourage women to exercise democratic right on an equal footing and according to law and
• Equally participate in economic and social development so as to equally benefit from the achievements of reform and development.
They have follow four basic principle of
• Comprehensive development
• Equal development
• Coordinated development
• Women’s participation
ACWF’s seven major areas of work as
• Women and health
• Women’s and Education
• Women and the economy
• Women’s participation in decision-making and management
• Women and social security
• Women and the environment
• Women and the law
ACWF has relation with 700 organizations and individuals over the 170 countries. It does not charge individual dues to the members. But, the affiliate groups pay for the group. Besides that China Women University is one of the major sources of the its expenses. It got the budget from different level of the government base don the program proposal. Similarly, it collect money time to time to support different area as per, nutrition, education, natural disaster, specially in rural area.
It promotes women leadership and membership to CPC as well. Upto now there is 24 percent are women out of 80 millions membership of the CPC. They have provision at lest a woman leader is compulsory in all level of the committee.
In the meeting we share the experiences and talked about the possibility of enhancing bilateral relation between ANWA and ACWF. They are positive on it and asked to come through embassy with concrete proposal. It might be possible even to share the experiences of membership expansion and leadership development within organization and party. But, one fundamental thing is that ACWF is essential agency to implement government policy and program on gender equality, which can be learn creatively how ANWA can involve in the local development in the process of implementing federal system.
They have culture to take president’s opinion as part of policy. The following points as very important in regard to enact in the day to come.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking at the global leaders on further advancing women’s rights worldwide, while addressing a high-level summit at the UN headquarters in 2017 on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, in UN headquarter, Xi said the pursuit of gender equality is “a great cause,” for “a review of history shows that without women’s liberation and progress, the liberation and progress of mankind would not be attainable.”
The president put forward a four-point proposal on promoting gender equality and women’s all-round development worldwide as
• “First, update policies to stimulate women’s potential, raise their participation and ensure their equal share in social and economic development.
• Second, protect women’s rights and interests as basic human rights and must be protected by laws and regulations and integrated into national and social rules and norms, said the president.
• Third, “We must build up women’s capacity of playing their part in the society and economy, involve women in higher levels of decision making and support them in becoming leaders in political, business and academic fields,”
• Fourth, must ensure sufficient basic medical services, education for better adapt to changes in society and the job market, he said.
The president also proposed to make joint efforts to build harmonious and inclusive societies, as “a society with less discrimination or prejudice against women is often more inclusive and dynamic.”
China Women University
After ACWF, we visited China Women University, which was part of ACWF. It was started in 1949 as a women school to train women to be part of nation’s building process. They have 7000 students all women and resident. Aside of the academic course, they have cadre development training program for ACWF. Sometime they can even provide those training for foreigner in cooperation with ACWF. They are ready to have relation with Nepali Women College and training program for cadres. But, it needs to come through Chinese embassy via ACWF.
Meeting with Shao Liang (Ram)
ShaoLiang (Ram) is good friend of Nepal and known person about from CPC international department. We met him informally in the afternoon in one of the teashop and have informal discussion. We were sharing about out visit as well as political development in Nepal and possible cooperation in the day to come.
Wordfile: ACFTU Seminar on OBOR