Published: 13/06/2023

On June 13, the 28th IUF Congress opened with solidarity greetings from IUF President Mark Lauritsen, IUF General Secretary Sue Longley, representatives of the Canton of Geneva and Martine Docourt from Swiss IUF affiliate UNIA.

  • From Australia to Zambia, Argentina to Zimbabwe, across all IUF regions, delegates representing millions of workers in the food, agriculture, hotel, restaurant, catering and tobacco sectors gathered to chart the course forward for the IUF
  • Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director General of International Labour Organisation, addressed the Congress and focused his remarks on the challenges of creating decent work in agriculture, building sustainable food systems and ensuring food security for all; he further emphasized the importance of the right to organize and the right to bargain collectively in the agri-food sector
  • As the 28th IUF Congress convenes under the banner “Fighting for Our Future,” trade union rights, equality, climate justice, as well as peace, democracy and human rights are on the agenda for the Congress and our work going forward

RadioLabour is covering the IUF’s 28th Congress! Click here to listen to a short summary from Day 1!

IUF President Mark Lauritsen addressed Congress delegates, “We’ve seen fascist movements rise across the globe, military juntas, and the right wing and their constant attacks on human rights, be it in Italy, Myanmar, even the United States and Brazil. And even now we are meeting in the shadow of the war in Ukraine. A strong labor movement is the only thing that can push back against these right-wing forces. It’s the IUF that is going to push back. The fight for our future starts here. The fight for our future starts now.”

https://twitter.com/IUFglobal/status/1668625925796429826

We’ve seen fascist movements rise across the globe, military juntas, and the right wing and their constant attacks on human rights, be it in Italy, Myanmar, even the United States and Brazil. And even now we are meeting in the shadow of the war in Ukraine. A strong labor movement is the only thing that can push back against these right-wing forces. It’s the IUF that is going to push back. The fight for our future starts here. The fight for our future starts now.
Mark Lauritsen, IUF President and UFCW Vice President