INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS
ICFTU OnLine...
142/070904
Jordanian government threatens to nullify union election
Brussels, 7 September 2004 (ICFTU Online): Undue interference in trade
union affairs was the charge levelled today by the international trade
union movement against the Jordanian government.
Participants at the ICFTU's Coordinating Committee for the Middle East
(*) meeting roundly condemned the Jordanian authorities for threatening
to invalidate the results of a recent election (14-15 August 2004) held
by the country's national trade union centre, the GFJTU (General
Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions). Following the GFJTU elections,
the government threatened to nullify the results on the illegitimate
grounds that the union body should have first consulted the authorities
about the organisation of its upcoming congress.
This episode of interference is another episode in a series of
intrusions by the Jordanian government into union affairs. In its
correspondence to the Jordanian Prime Minister, the ICFTU, joined by the
International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU), underlined
that such action constitutes a breach of the principles of the freedom
of association.
Reminding the Jordanian government of its obligation to respect these
principles as a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
the ICFTU called upon the authorities to refrain from unjustified
intrusion into union affairs.
(*) For the Committee's statement, please click here:
http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991220514
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in 152 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a member of Global
Unions: http://www.global-unions.org
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