Kuala Lumpur TimeASETUC Regional Workshop on Promoting ASEAN Guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Labour
ASETUC Regional Workshop on Promoting ASEAN Guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Labour
4th to 5th September 2017
Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
The ASETUC Regional Workshop on Promoting ASEAN Guidelines for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was held from 4th to 5th September
2017 at Federal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
Among the key officials present as
speakers in this workshop were Mr.Thomas Thomas, CEO of ASEAN CSR
Network, Ybhg. Datuk Hj. Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of Malaysian
Employers Federation (MEF), Dr.Selvaraj Ramasamy, Undersecretary of
International Division of Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia
(MoHR), Mr.Antonio C.Asper, Senior Vice President for External Affairs
of Federation of Free Workers (FFW) and Sister Veronica Nilsson,
Programme Manager of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Officer for Regional
Cooperation
in Asia. Also present were the three regional secretaries of ASETUC,
Brother Christopher Ng from UNI Asia Pacific Regional Office (UNI APRO),
Brother Apolinar Tolentino from Building and Workers’ International
(BWI), Sister Lakshmi Vaidyanathan from Public Services International
(PSI) and Ybhg. Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal, General Secretary of
ASETUC.
This workshop was participated by a total of 26 trade union
leaders from unions affiliated under ASETUC. The main objective of this
meeting was to introduce to participants on the guidelines and drafting
action plans on how the guidelines could be promoted through ASETUC
initiatives.
On
the first day, the panel discussions involved were directed at
introducing to participants on the ASEAN Guidelines for CSR on Labour
including how this guideline was drafted and published. In addition to
that, the One ASEAN Agreement campaign by ASETUC and Draft ASEAN
Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Migrant
Workers by Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT) was also presented
to participants . The presentations and discussions evoked active
participation of the trade union leaders present in the workshop.
On
the second day, more detailed interactions were held with participants
by dividing them into groups to come up with methods on how ASETUC could
promote the guideline. Among the action plans suggested were
conducting tripartite workshops, consultation with government bodies
and employers confederations, consultation meetings with national
working groups, awareness raising seminars on CSR at workplace and
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), capacity building programmes for
ASETUC affiliates, future collaborations with ASEAN CSR Network,
engagements through various channels of social media, drafting of
regional action plan to be submitted to ASEAN Committee on Migrant
Workers (ACMW) or ASEAN Secretariat.
As
a whole, the workshop involved sharing of knowledge on ASEAN Guidelines
for CSR on Labour between trade unionist, employers confederation and
government officials. ASETUC hopes to develop and conduct action plans
towards promoting this guideline with the aim of achieving decent work
agenda and standing for equal rights of workers in the region.
