The CCC network of labour non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and trade unions held its 2014 Global Forum in Hong Kong on 18-21 November to define its campaigning strategies. More than 20 IndustriALL affiliates participated from Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and Africa. Over the four days of meetings three key strategic themes were debated – wages, the employment relationship and worker safety – as well as a labour strategy towards Hong Kong and China.
During the discussion on strategies to increase garment sector wages, strong support was expressed for IndustriALL’s living wage campaign and its emphasis on industry collective bargaining as the key demand.
A recurrent theme at the conference was the need for unity at national level and the barriers that multiple unions create to pursuing labour’s demands.
At a union side meeting organized by IndustriALL, affiliates shared their long histories of activism within the CCC network and discussed how to more closely coordinate responses and action taken by IndustriALL and by CCC, particularly in relation to cases of rights violations and global strategies.