ILO’s corporate partnerships put global standards at risk

The IUF and ITUC have requested an urgent meeting with the ILO Director General to discuss corporate partnerships following the ILO decision to partner with Fast Food giant McDonald’s through the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth.

IUF General Secretary Sue Longley reacted to the announcement with the following statement:

“McDonald’s is openly hostile to trade unions around the world. There are very few places in the company’s global operations where the rights to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining are respected.”

The fight against rights abuses committed by McDonalds has included affiliate campaigns in the U.S., the UK, the Philippines, Korea, New Zealand and Brazil and a global overview of their anti-union practices was published by the IUF and US affiliate SEIU in 2015. The company’s tax avoidance practices are also well documented.