Myanmar Workers' Representative Re-elected to the ILO Governing Body
Daw Phyo Sandar Soe, a central executive member of the Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM) and representative of the Myanmar Labour Alliance (MLA), was re-elected as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) at the International Labour Conference (ILC).
The conference was held from June 3 to 14, and she was re-elected for a second term with the support of 93 of the 126 international workers' delegates. Daw Phyo Sandar Soe was first elected to the Governing Body for 2021 to 2024, and her second term will run from 2024 to 2027.
Daw Phyo Sandar Soe was nominated and elected as the representative of Myanmar workers' organizations under the National Unity Government (NUG). At a Myanmar-related action held at ILO headquarters on June 10, she also called for action against the terrorist junta under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.
Article 33 provides that measures can be taken against a member state that violates international labour standards.
On June 13, Daw Khaing Zar Aung, a CTUM central executive member and chair of the IWFM, was awarded the Arthur Svensson Prize in Oslo, Norway. At the award ceremony, she spoke about Myanmar after the military coup, violations of workers' rights, and sanctions on businesses propping up the junta. She also urged the European Union to suspend EBA trade benefits for the terrorist junta, which does not respect workers' and basic human rights.
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