Brussels, 07/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 7 May, European trade ministers approved the EU's participation in a plurilateral initiative to promote fundamental labour rights in Burma/Myanmar. The European Commission adopted its decision on this on 26 March. The initiative was launched by Burma/Myanmar, the US, Japan, Denmark and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in November 2014.
“We all very much welcome the Council's decision (…) It is an important stepping stone in our engagement for decent work and responsible business conduct in that country. By joining the initiative, we aim to contribute to the promotion of fundamental rights for Myanmar workers, create opportunities for Myanmar businesses and help transform the country into an attractive trading and investment partner”, said High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioners Cecilia Malmström (Trade), Neven Mimica (Cooperation and Development) and Marianne Thyssen (Social Affairs) in a press release.
As part of the multi-annual strategy for Burma/Myanmar's sustainable development and integration into the world economy, the EU wants to support Burma/Myanmar's ongoing labour law reform, its alignment with international labour standards and the development of its enforcement capacity. “This will - among others - require the fostering of strong relations between the government, businesses, workers, civil society and other stakeholders in Myanmar”, the press release states.
The EU will take an active part in the upcoming stakeholders' forum in Yangon on 18-19 May, where it will set out its views on the further development of the initiative, including the creation of a collaborative system for all parties interested in Burma/Myanmar's labour law reform.
As part of this work, the Commission will build upon previous experiences, including the sustainability compact for Bangladesh. (Emmanuel Hagry)