Bahrain Mirror: Hans Christian, the vice-president of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, attended the opening session of the third general conference of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) that kicked off on Saturday (March 5, 2016).

In a speech he delivered, Christian said: "It is an honour for me to be here today together with so many brave and hardworking trade unionists who are fighting tirelessly to defend and promote workers' rights."

"We are proud of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions and their achievements. GFBTU has shown itself as a strong independent confederation with both the ability and strength to represent workers' interests, nationally as well as internationally," he added.

Christian further stated that: "The contact and cooperation between GFBTU and LO-Norway has, since the establishment of the GFBTU, been based on mutual understanding, cooperation and solidarity," adding that "the decade long cooperation, consisting of joint activities and various training programs, was such a positive experience that it encouraged us to start a more in depth, long-term program cooperation."

"LO Norway stand by you and support your work, and we look forward to following your congress," Christian streeded.

He aslo presented a small token of appreciation to Salman Al-Mahfood, Secretary General of GFBTU, as a symbol of the good cooperation between the GFBTU and LO Norway, and he presented another one to  the assistant Secretary-General to the international and Arab relations, Abdallah Hussein, on his retirement.

"LO Norway has more than 100 years of experience, and the principle of social dialogue, including collective bargaining, is an essential building block for Norwegian relations," noted the vice-president.

He recalled that even when it comes to politics, the LO Norway tries to find common ground, "employment policies related to refugees and migrants in Norway are just a couple of examples of recent date" he said.

Christian also highlighted that millions of workers around the globe find themselves subjected to unfair treatment and harassment and as many as 21 million people are victims of forced labour.

He considered that conventions and laws; however, are of little relevance without defenders and that unionists are often at the forefront of the battle for Human rights, "these rights are our safeguard for human autonomy and dignity."

Arabic Version