IDC Call for Inquiry Submissions 2024

UNISON is the UK’s largest trade union; we serve more than 1.3 million members who provide public services. UNISON also works with individual unions and global union federations around the world to defend public services and defend human and trade union rights wherever they are under attack.

We propose the IDC investigate the UK’s support to and impact on human rights defenders (HRDs). We propose this investigation to follow on from the previous inquiry on FCDO and civil societies, which closed due to the 2024 General Election.

As the 2023 International Development White Paper recognises (6.19), “challenges to open societies and human rights are increasing”. HRDs, including trade unions are facing unprecedented repression in every region of the world. For 11 years, the International Trades Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index has tracked a rapid decline in workers’ rights. This is an urgent wake-up call that the democratic values and fundamental human and labour rights agreed upon by most countries globally are crumbling.

The government has lacked a strategic and comprehensive approach in this area. It should urgently examine the impact this has had on its support to developing countries and revise its approach to the enabling ‘freedoms’.  Examination should include who, how, what and where it supports human rights defenders and on what basis. This should include the role of trade unions and trade unionists (who were alienated by the last government), as “development change agents”.

The FCDO’s lack of a strategic and comprehensive approach to strengthening civil society and meaningfully partnering with HRDs, trade unions and civil society is a serious weakness. We join the call with other HRD groups for the government to
 

• Implement effective diplomatic strategies to recognise and protect HRDs;
• Transform the nature and scale of funding for civil society and trade unions to be sustainable & flexible;
• Develop protection mechanisms, respite schemes and rapid response support.

We welcome the FCDO’s commitment to revise the UK’s guidance to diplomatic posts on supporting HRDs. From our experience working with the previous Labour Government however, we do not underestimate the effort to fill the cultural, policy and implementation deficit needed to genuinely support trade union HRDs. This is because the role of labour rights and social dialogue in development is not properly understood, and trade unions are ignored as development actors. They are viewed as ‘too difficult and/or political’ to work vis a vis business and how the benefits of engagement outweigh the costs is unknown.

We support the previous Government’s commitment to publishing an Open Societies and Human Rights Strategy. The draft strategy should be reviewed in consultation with UNISON and the TUC to align it with the Labour Government’s values. Trade unions and legitimate HRD groups should be consulted on the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the final Strategy.

UNISON engages with Parliament on a regular basis. We work with trade union partners in developing countries on issues related to international development. The relevant representative from UNISON is London based.