Trade union appeal to assist flood affected communities in Pakistan

 

Calderdale Trades Council is appealing to local trade union branches and members to join them in donating to relief efforts by trade unionists to flood affected communities in Pakistan.

This follows the decision by Calderdale TC to donate £100 to the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) fund that, as a global union, is supporting the efforts of the Pakistan Construction Federation (PCF) and the Bhatta Workers Federation (BWF) in Pakistan. A further donation of £100 had also been received from an active retired trade unionist from Mytholmroyd.

 Since June 2022, close to 33 million Pakistanis have been affected by incessant rains and flooding across the country, with at least 1,136 people reportedly killed. A third of the country has been affected causing irreparable damage and displacement. Areas severely affected include Southwestern Baluchistan, Southern Sindh and parts of North Western of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the Punjab province.

Pakistan’s Climate Minister described the crisis a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions,” with its effects expected to be felt for years to come. The Pakistani government estimated that the floods’ devastation amounted to about USD 10 billion, which it expects to contribute negatively to the country’s current economic crisis. 

 https://www.bwint.org/es_ES/cms/pakistan-bwi-extends-humanitarian-assistance-to-flood-affected-workers-communities-2710

 BWI is the International Federation of Trade Unions which brings together free and democratic trade unions with members in the construction, timber building materials, forestry and related sectors.

In total, BWI has 351 trade unions representing around 12 million members in 127 countries. The headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland. It has Regional Offices and Project Offices in Panama and Malaysia, South Africa, India, Burkina Faso, Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya, Thailand, Russia, Peru and Brazil.

The mission of BWI is to promote the development of trade unions in the construction and timber industries in the world, to promote and strengthen workers' rights in the context of sustainable development.

BWI works closely with the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (FETCM), the Nordic Federation of Building and Wood Workers (FNTCM), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the World Trade Union Federations (WFTU).

Our International has a special consultative status in the Economic and Social Committee of the United Nations and is committed to international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), international employers' organizations, such as the Confederation of International Contractors' Associations (CICA) and regional and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Our president is Per Olof Sjöo of GS in Sweden. The deputy presidents are: Dietmar Schäfers of IG Bau Germany, Gail Cartmail of UNITE UK and Dave Noonan of CFMEU Australia. Our Secretary General is Ambet Yuson of the Philippines.

The next BWI congress will take place in Madrid in October 2022.