“We are committed more than ever to our collective values of fairness, equality and social justice to overcome the economic and social devastation caused by the COVID-19 crisis. And we of course remain committed to the international solidarity needed in the coming months and years.” IUF A/P Regional Secretary Dr Muhammad Hidayat Greenfield, 26 March 2020
in addition to organizing, negotiating and advocating for the protection of rights, livelihoods and health, IUF members in the Asia/Pacific region are assisting workers in some of the most vulnerable communities
home-based women workers in rural communities and agricultural workers in India making & distributing masks; providing essential food & soap; as well as health & hygiene education
Global Housekeeping Campaign team in the Philippines supporting hotel housekeepers sent home without pay and casual hotel workers facing economic hardship
women’s self-organized water, sanitation & health committees on tea plantations in West Bengal and Assam guide workers in physical distancing & using masks, promote health & hygiene awareness; inspect hospital facilities for pandemic preparedness
supporting seafood processing and agri-food workers and their families in Indonesia; facing severe economic hardship at human rights-violators BMI and Great Giant Pineapple’s Umas Jaya
women sharecroppers on farms in Pakistan making & distributing masks; using hand sanitizers; and guiding members in maintaining physical distancing at work
making & distributing masks; promoting public health & hygiene awareness; providing essential foodstuffs in poor fishing & seafood processing communities in General Santos – the tuna capital of the Philippines
hotel union members from temporarily closed hotels in Bagan, Myanmar, making & distributing masks; raising public awareness
food workers’ union members in Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, provide support for contract workers and their families affected by the crisis
distributing masks to banana plantation workers in Mindanao, who are struggling for the right to a safe workplace
supporting the terminated tuna processing & fishing workers at the human rights-violator Citra Mina, one the largest tuna exporters in the Philippines
supporting workers to access their right to paid work in rural areas under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in India; promoting health & hygiene awareness; physical distancing; distributing & using masks