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Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David Elected Deputy President of International Trade Union Confederation

Global labor body, made up of over 200 unions, elects Luca Visentini as General Secretary at 5th World Congress | Peter Lerner, Director General of the Histadrut’s International Relations Division: “We met partners from every continent and felt that we have a shared destiny in light of current challenges”

יו"ר ההסתדרות ארנון בר-דוד (צילום: אגף הדוברות בהסתדרות)
Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David (Photo: Histadrut Spokesperson’s Office)
By Nizzan Zvi Cohen

Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David was elected Deputy President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) at the labor organization’s fifth world congress this week in Melbourne, Australia. The congress also elected Luca Visentini, an Italian trade unionist with extensive experience in the world of organized labor, as General Secretary. Visentini will replace outgoing General Secretary Sharan Burrow, who has served served in that role for the past 12 years.

Nearly 1,000 representatives from more than 120 countries participated in the congress. The ITUC is composed of 212 labor organizations which collectively represent more than 90 million workers across the world. The congress focused on the topic of a “new social contract,” and issued condemnations of the Iranian government’s violent suppression of protests and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

“We are a movement that is ready for action, ready to fight to achieve our goals, to conduct negotiations and to unionize, unionize, unionize” Visentini said in his opening speech. “Together we will win the battle because we are ready to stand together and fight for our goals.”

Bar-David’s election as Deputy President for the next four years serves as a recognition of the Histadrut’s standing within the world’s largest labor organization and the considerable contributions it has made. Additionally, the Histadrut’s Avital Shapira was elected as a member of the organization’s leadership and as a member of the ITUC Women’s Committee.

The congress discussed a wide range of topics, including labor unions’ role in defending democracy, the global rise of the ultra-nationalist right, fair wages, combating climate change, and technology and digitalization. On these and other subjects, the organization concluded that a new social contract is needed between governments, employers and workers in order to advance climate-friendly jobs, workers’ rights, social protections, equality and inclusion of disadvantaged and minority populations.

The Histadrut was represented at the congress by Peter Lerner, Director General of the International Relations Division, and Shapira, the Histadrut’s International Secretary. The Histadrut’s youth wing was represented by Or Ratzabi of the youth movement HaNoar HaOved ve’HaLomed (the Federation of Young Workers and Students, known by its Hebrew acronym NOAL).

Shapira, in her speech to the general assembly, highlighted many of the Histadrut’s achievements in the last two years: labor agreements relating to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, collective bargaining agreements and raising awareness of efforts to prevent violence against women. Shapira also noted the Histadrut’s call on the incoming Israeli government to ratify the International Labour Organization’s convention on the elimination of violence and harassment in the workplace and the Histadrut’s advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged populations in general and Palestinian workers in particular. Ratzabi described NOAL’s work with children of Ukrainian refugees, including aid delegations to Europe and activities aimed at easing the absorption process of newly arrived Ukrainian children in Israel.

Peter Lerner, Director General of the International Relations Division of the Histadrut: “We came to the ITUC congress to represent the workers of Israel. We met many partners from every continent and felt that we have a shared destiny in light of current challenges. Additionally, we discovered a deep desire to learn about the status of Israeli workers and the Histadrut’s path forward in light of present political, economic and social challenges. We also found partners who are willing to support the Histadrut’s activity, especially our activity on behalf of disadvantaged populations and Palestinian workers in Israel. It’s clear to us that the global labor movement, the largest social movement in the world, must stand together in solidarity in the face of harm to workers and their rights throughout the world.”

This article was translated from Hebrew by Sam Edelman. 

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