Briefing on the plight of workers in Cote d'Ivoire - Washington, DC (2/3)

Representatives of labor, civil society, and government gathered today at the labor union federation AFL-CIO in Washington, DC, for a briefing on the plight of workers in Cote d'Ivoire. The event was hosted by the AFL-CIO International Department and the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center). According to organizer Amy Masciola, the goal was to inform the U.S. labor movement and its allies about the challenges Ivoirian workers face in the wake of 10 years of civil war and political repression. Speakers included:
- Mr. Marc Bayard, Regional Director for Africa at the Solidarity Center;
- Mr. Clement Nabo, former General Secretary of Ivoirian public sector union SYPINCI and current organizer with SEIU; and
- Ms. Emira Woods, Director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Mr. Nabo discussed the crisis for Ivoirian workers and their unions, saying that workers are crucial agents of change who must have a voice in Cote d'Ivoire's development to ensure that real democracy thrives. Ivoirian workers need help to re-build their unions and other worker-based organizations in order to balance the pressure that global corporations place on newly democratizing countries to sacrifice labor and environmental standards in favor of foreign investment. Ms. Woods suggested that now is the time for labor and civil society to work together across borders to build sustainable democratic institutions.

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News & Politics

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