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Worker Organizations' Vital Role in Democracy

Workers’ freedom to organize and bargain collectively is a cornerstone of democracy. Independent worker organizations enhance transparency by protecting whistleblowers and empowering workers to counter corruption; providing workers a voice in the political system, as well as at the workplace; countering the economic and political power of large corporations; and fostering civic engagement. However, workers’ fundamental human rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining are coming under threat globally, including by authoritarian governments. 

U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, together with representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State and the Solidarity Center invite you to this official Summit for Democracy side event, which will: highlight the role of worker voice and worker rights as fundamental components of democracy; elevate the recommendations made during four listening sessions with labor unions from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe; and spur global action in support of freedom of association and collective bargaining, including through the launch of the Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment and Rights (M-POWER) Initiative.

Moderator – Thea Mei Lee, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor

Welcoming Remarks
•    U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh 
•    AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler 

Democracy Under Threat: The Voice of Workers 
Ms. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, ITUC 
Mr. Ayuba Wabba, President, Nigeria Labour Congress 
Ms. Carmen Foro, General Secretary, Central Única dos Trabalhadores, Brazil 
Ms. Olena Bebeshko, President, Independent Union in State Enterprise, Hall of Official Delegations, Ukraine
Mr. Josua Mata, General Secretary, SENTRO, Philippines
Ms. Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

Promoting Workplace Democracy: A Conversation Among Labor Officials 
Mr. Guy Ryder, Director, International Labor Organization 
Mr. Claudio Moroni, Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Security, Argentina 
Mr. Björn Böhning, Permanent State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Germany
Ms. Luisa María Alcalde Luján, Secretary of Labor and Social Security, Mexico 
Ms. Hadia Tajik, Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion, Norway

Commitments to Empowering Workers: Launching a Global Year of Action
Ms. Thea Lee, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor
Mr. Karl Fickenscher, Acting Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development 
Ms. Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, U.S. Department of State 
Mr. Thomas Periello, Executive Director, Open Society Foundation 
Ms. Shawna Bader-Blau, Executive Director, Solidarity Center 

 

Simultaneous interpretation will take place in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. 

This high-level dialogue and the regional listening sessions are co-sponsored by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of international Labor Affairs; the Department of State’s Office of International Labor Affairs within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; the U.S. Agency for International Development; the International Trade Union Confederation; the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); and the Solidarity Center.