Thursday, August 30, 2012

Burmese Union Leader Maung Maung returns from Exile

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Thursday, 30 August 2012 13:43 Mizzima News

The ITUC has welcomed the imminent return to Burma of ft  the leader of the country’s trade union movement.

Maung Maung

A long-time leader of Burma’s trade union movement, Maung Maung, will return to Burma, following the removal of his name from the country’s blacklist this week.

Maung Maung is general-secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB), an affiliation of the ITUC.

“We are delighted that after decades of exile, Maung Maung will be able to return to the country to lead the FTUB at this crucial stage in Burma’s history,” said  ITUC General-Secretary Sharan Burrow.

“The international trade union movement has supported the FTUB in organizing Burmese workers, and having Maung Maung inside the country with his union colleagues will help the union movement to grow and play its role to the fullest,” said Burrow.

“I look forward to the day very soon when I will be able to meet with Maung Maung inside his own country, and to talk directly with him and Burmese workers about how to tackle the enormous challenges facing working men and women, and the country as a whole,” Burrow said.

The ITUC said the removal of more than 2,000 names from the blacklist would pave the way for all 6,165 blacklisted persons to be allowed back into the country.

The ITUC will establish an office in Burma, and together with ITUC affiliates and Global Union Federations, support the work of the FTUB, officials said.

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 308 national affiliates.

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