The IUF Executive Committee unanimously approved the creation of the Dairy Division. In this way, the resolution of the IUF Global Dairy Conference, held in Argentina from 9 to 12 March, has been implemented. The Conference had proposed the creation of a forum where the unions representing workers of the dairy industry could reflect and take action.

 

The Executive Committee held its meeting on 14 and 15 April in Geneva, Switzerland, and brought together a large number of delegates from all over the world.

 

James Ritchie, president of the New Zealand Dairy Workers Union  (NZDWU), expressed: "If we want to face the policies of TNCs in the dairy sector, we must work in two ways:  organizing the largest number of workers, and adopting strategies that allow us to implement global actions.

 

It is clear that we cannot focus our efforts in a single company, this sector is very dynamic and we witness TNC mergers every day, or their design and implementation of all sorts of synergies. It is also essential that we act throughout the sector chain. This need was highlighted in the Conference, and the participation of small farmers was very important and illuminating.

 

We are not asking the  IUF to organize the dairy sector, it is our work to get organized, Ritchie emphasized. We have been working on this idea with the Argentinean Association of Dairy Industry Workers  (ATILRA)  and the Latin American Regional Secretariat of the IUF  for several years: organizing the sector to improve its effectiveness, and the influence of the IUF international work”, Ritchie added .

 

In turn, Héctor Ponce, General Secretary of  ATILRA, stated: “To begin with, we need to thank the IUF for having entrusted the organization of the Global Dairy Conference to he Latin American Regional Secretariat and our union. With the attendance of 120 delegates from 22 countries, as stated by Ron (Oswald), our general secretary, it was the major Conference of the dairy sector in the history of the IUF.

 

Dairy is an emerging industry with a great dynamism and potential. As correctly expressed by James (Ritchie), for a long time we have been working jointly because we share the same problems, strengths, weaknesses and challenges.

 

Our approach was to hold a Conference open to all the links in the dairy chain. There, we had the participation of small and mid-size dairy businesses, TNCs, dairy farmers and the Dairy Authority, and all of them conveyed their messages. It is worth mentioning that the Dairy Authority is preparing a strategic plan for the dairy sector,  with the active participation of all players, among them  ATILRA”.

 

Ponce highlighted "We have a lot of work for the defence of workers of this industry, which is very labour-intensive, and we have to work also for the defence and dignification of work in the global dairy industry”.

 

Gerardo Iglesias, regional secretary of the IUF, added: "We are faced with a very interesting experience and process. The idea of creating a dairy division came from the rank and file and it is based on the work developed by several unions during many years. It is not simply a wish, but an aspiration based on working for the future. Some progress has already been made in the identification of the main problems and challenges for the sector.

 

Besides, ATILRA has organized a historical Conference, where the approach was to begin the work before the delegates arrived in Buenos Aires and continuing with materials, as food for thought, once it had finished. This experience is unprecedented, it is still demonstrating its success and the articles and interviews of the Conference participants is one of the most visited ones in our website", informed Iglesias.

 

Likewise, Ron Oswald, general secretary of the IUF, acknowledged ATILRA and the Regional Secretary for the organization and success of the Dairy Sector Global Conference  held in Buenos Aires. “It will be very difficult to equal this Conference in all the kindness and hospitality received from ATILRA”, said the general secretary of the IUF.

He also emphasized that "for the first time the IUF is creating a sector division upon the initiative of affiliates. We have Trade Groups for agriculture or tobacco workers, born as a result of merger processes, but in this case, the coordination in the dairy industry came from the unions, as stated by  Gerardo, and within the IUF itself, which we support very enthusiastically”, he concluded Oswald.

Rel-UITA