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The participation
of a very large delegation of Brazil’s National Confederation of
Tourism and Hospitality Workers (CONTRATUH) at the IUF’s 14th
Regional Conference was instrumental in the unanimous decision of
the Confederation’s Board of Representatives, gathered on Thursday,
Nov. 17, to join our international federation.
Moacyr Roberto Tesch
Auersvald, president of the Confederation, talks of the importance
of this decision.
-The
discussion over joining the IUF marked a significant moment in your
meeting, right?
-No doubt
about it. I’m of the idea that developments only occur when the time
is right, when conditions are ready. We went through a process of
maturing, of getting to know each other. You participated in this
Board meeting and in our 7th National Congress held in
Salvador, Bahía last year, and we have been at several events of
yours, where we initiated a fruitful dialogue. In this sense, I
would like to thank Artur Bueno de Camargo, president of
CNTA (National Confederation of Food and Related Industry
Workers), who approached us about the IUF on several
occasions. This process is the reason why both our Governing Council
and our Board of Representatives unanimously approved the decision
to join the IUF.
This comes
as a great satisfaction to us. We live in a globalized world and
CONTRATUH needs to accompany that globalization and globalize
its struggle too, taking on new realities and experiences and
forging new alliances.
-Your
participation in our 14th Regional Conference was a key
step towards your joining…
-As we met
with you more and more we were able to see how serious the IUF
was about its labor agenda, and a great affinity emerged between us.
When we were invited to participate in the Mar del Plata Conference,
we tried to take as many leaders with us as we could, so that they
would see first hand how the IUF conducts its debates, what
challenges it faces and how the organization is managed.
Our leaders
were very satisfied with what they saw, with your solidarity and the
democratic and fraternal way everyone treated us, and that was
instrumental in our decision to join.
-You’ve
just spoken with Norberto Latorre, who’s very happy with your
Confederation’s decision…
-Norberto
is a dear friend we met at the
Conference. He’s very knowledgeable about our sector, and together
with other fellow unionists he heads UTHGRA (Union of
Tourism, Hotel and Food Service Workers of Argentina), a union with
which we’ve now taken on the challenge of working together in
Argentina and Brazil.
Our people also view
as very positive the fact that the IUF has decided to lend
its support and backing to our campaign against slave work in
McDonald's
and to the campaign that we’re planning to launch prior to the World
Cup that will be hosted by Brazil in 2014, to demand better
working conditions, better pay, a reduction of the workday and
training for our workers.
I would like to be
very clear about something: CONTRATUH will never fight for
positions in the IUF. We’re joining as soldiers; we’re coming
here to contribute, to help, to collaborate wherever we’re needed.
You can count on us for anything.
We warmly salute
everyone in the IUF family!
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