one world placard international global solidarity

Congress is very conscious of being part of the global labour movement and is affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to promote Decent Work and highlight the important role trade unions play in reducing poverty, achieving equality and meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We represent workers at international labour institutions and engage in advocacy work with the Irish and overseas governments to promote the right to freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining as enabling rights to achieve decent work.

We build our relationships with unions around the world, building solidarity where workers are facing repression and joining together against the far right and divisive narratives.

Internationalism sits at the heart of the Irish trade union movement and our key goals include work to:

  • Help build stronger unions
  • Hold multinational corporations and governments to account, secure social justice, equality, human rights, a political framework and global rules that guarantee the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and a new deal for workers

Our work is guided by the Congress Global Solidarity Committee.

Millions of workers around the world are living in poverty. This is no accident. It’s a political choice that puts increasing corporate power above protecting workers’ rights, decent work and having universal access to free quality public services.

We’re standing with workers in the Global South to demand an end to poverty and inequality, and for decent work to be put at the heart of development. We work closely with both on international matters that have an impact on working people both here and around the world.

Our work includes supporting ITUC headline campaigns, including:

  • A new social contract;
  • Climate and Employment Proof our workplaces with just transition campaign
  • And, Democracies for People, with a focus on supporting workers on the frontlines of increasingly autocratic governments and the extreme right. Where governments repress workers’ rights, and where exploitation of workers, denial of freedom of association and collective bargaining is part of a companies’ business model, we aim to support and international response. 

Our work also includes:

  • working with trade unions across the world and through ITUC and ETUC to push for trade unions to be involved in trade negotiations and monitoring the impact of trade deals to ensure they promote workers’ rights, human rights, gender equality, Sustainable Development Goals, good jobs and redress inequalities between the Global North and Global South;
  • standing for workers from all countries. Migrant workers are valued members of our trade unions and part of our struggle for decent work for all. Migrant workers play a vital role in our economy, society and communities, and help to keep our public services running and work in key roles in industry.
  • We believe in a rights-based approach towards asylum and immigration policy which enforces the terms of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 protocol - to which the Irish government is a signatory - as well as International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards on workers’ rights.