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42 years of autocratic rule in Libya decimated its trade union culture. The government outlawed independent unions, and according to the International Trade Unions Congress (ITUC) annual survey of trade union rights*, as of 2012 there was still a lot of work to be done.
Thanks to the ITF Arab World office’s ongoing work in Libya, the General Union of Air Transport Workers and the General Union of Dockers & Seafarers formally became ITF’s newest affiliates last week.
Bilal Malkawi, ITF Arab world regional secretary, was delighted with the new additions. “With Libya undergoing political reconstruction, it’s reassuring to see that worker organising is playing a part in the new political landscape. We’re extremely pleased that our work in the region is having such an effect – and that the ITF now has an affiliate presence in Libya”.
* International Trade Union Confederation, 2012 Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights - Libya, 6 June 2012, available here.