May 23, 2014

“We call for urgent negotiations on a treaty to ban the use, manufacture, stockpiling and possession of nuclear weapons as a first step towards their complete eradication.”

This call was included in the main resolution adopted by International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) World Congress, a gathering of more than 1500 trade unionists from 161 countries, in Berlin on Friday 23 May 2014. In the run-up to the event, several ICAN partner organisations encouraged their national trade union confederation to support the resolution, sponsored by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO).

According to the Norwegian online newspaper Frifagbevelse.no, Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions has worked for several months to have this call included in the ITUC World Congress.

“We envisage a treaty banning nuclear weapons, along the lines of the treaties banning landmines and cluster munitions... in a situation that has only one possible solution, namely that nuclear weapons are prohibited and eliminated for ever”, says Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions’ secretary Renee Rasmussen. Rasmussen added that firefighters, ambulance and health professionals would risk lethal radioactive exposure if they were to provide assistance in the event of a nuclear detonation.

“Fantastic news from International Trade Union Confederation’s Congress in Berlin today!’ said Liv Tørres, General Secretary of ICAN partner Norwegian People’s Aid. Once again the international trade union movement shows that they are a leading force for change. We are proud that it was the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) who spearheaded the resolution. With almost 200 million members around the world, we trust that the ITUC will add major power and energy to the international movement for a ban on nuclear weapons.”