The meeting was attended by board members, trade union leaders, and organizational representatives from CGM-UGSR and SINDALIMENTA. Discussions focused on the increasingly severe challenges faced by workers worldwide, particularly the erosion of social rights, the deepening effects of geopolitical instability, growing economic inequalities, and the urgent need for coordinated public policies that protect labour and human dignity.

 Dragoș Frumosu: “The solution lies in stronger cooperation and joint struggle”

Hosting the programme, Dragoș Frumosu, Member of the ILC Executive Board and President of both CGM-UGSR and SINDALIMENTA, emphasized that labour organizations today are confronted not only with economic pressures, but also with multilayered structural problems generating political fragmentation, institutional erosion, and social disintegration. In the face of this reality, he underlined the vital importance of the trade union movement developing stronger unity, more effective strategic coordination, and a clear vision shaped around common goals.

Drawing attention to fragmentation within the trade union field in Romania, Frumosu noted that disunity and competition among labour organizations not only weaken union capacity, but also undermine workers’ ability to defend their rights, erode social solidarity, and diminish the defence of the public good. He stressed that divisions among trade unions ultimately produce outcomes that work not only against workers, but against society as a whole.

Frumosu also pointed to the destructive effects of the neoliberal “divide and rule” approach on the world of labour, stating that it has weakened collective struggle, eroded bonds of solidarity, and reduced the capacity of labour movements to defend the common good. He stated that under current conditions, the trade union movement cannot advance through a fragmented and defensive posture, and affirmed that the solution lies in stronger cooperation, a higher level of strategic alignment, and the renewed consolidation of the will for common struggle.

Emphasizing that the historical responsibility facing the labour movement is not limited to defending existing rights, Frumosu stated that labour must also assume a more effective role in building a future based on social justice, democratic participation, and human dignity. In this regard, he stressed that transnational trade union solidarity and international cooperation are more important than ever.

Ali Yalçın: “Our aim is not competition, but unity around labour”

In his remarks, ILC President Ali Yalçın stated that the ILC was not founded to compete with existing labour organizations, but to strengthen international labour solidarity and to amplify the voice of workers in an increasingly unequal world.

Yalçın noted that in a period marked by deepening inequality, the erosion of social rights, and the disproportionate burden of wars, crises, and poverty being placed on workers, the labour movement can no longer remain confined within narrow institutional boundaries. He stressed that the problems confronting labour today are not temporary disturbances, but reflections of a deeper and more structural crisis affecting the global order.

Pointing out that many international institutions are increasingly constrained by global political pressures and often remain limited to merely alleviating the consequences of an unjust system, Yalçın reaffirmed that the ILC was established with the vision of “a just world for all, together,” and to serve as the voice of the excluded, the unseen, the exploited, and those deprived of their rights.

Ali Yalçın further stated that the current international period is marked by deep instability, institutional erosion, and the weakening of international law. He drew attention to the fact that workers and vulnerable social groups bear the heaviest cost of crises ranging from war and occupation to economic insecurity and social fragmentation.

Emphasizing that in a time when democratic institutions are weakening and fear, insecurity, and lawlessness are being normalized, labour movements must act with greater unity, deeper solidarity, and a clearer commitment to justice, peace, and human dignity, Yalçın stated:

“As capital acts in an organized and coordinated manner to protect its own interests, workers too must act with far stronger unity and around a common purpose. This is no longer a matter of choice; it is an urgent necessity that cannot be postponed.”

Reiterating the vision of the ILC, Yalçın stated that defending workers’ rights today also means defending social peace, democracy, justice, and the future of coming generations.

Hamza Öksüz: “Labour must become one of the founding actors of the new global order”

In his remarks, ILC Secretary General Hamza Öksüz emphasized that labour organizations must correctly assess the multidimensional nature of the current global crisis, while keeping historical memory alive and developing a forward-looking perspective.

Öksüz stated that many developments on a global scale take shape outside the direct will of workers, yet their economic and social consequences are experienced most directly by the working classes. He stressed that organized labour must not remain a passive observer in this period of transformation. On the contrary, he argued that labour must position itself as a guiding, decisive, and agenda-setting actor in the construction of a new global order.

Referring also to the crises in the Middle East, Öksüz highlighted the strategic importance of food security and stated that governments must develop both urgent and long-term policies in this field. He also underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation among trade unions in the face of the structural pressures placed on workers by digital transformation, technological disruptions, and the changing nature of working life.

In this context, Öksüz pointed to the importance of further advancing joint projects, institutional partnerships, and common research and development activities within the ILC, particularly in areas such as digitalization, labour rights, education, and policy development.

 A shared commitment to unity, justice, and coordinated struggle

Other board members and participants who took the floor at the meeting expressed similar assessments. The discussions revealed a common understanding that the labour movement is currently under twofold pressure: on the one hand, the destructive effects of political and economic crises; on the other, the profound transformations brought about by digitalization and new production regimes.

Participants agreed that in the face of these multilayered pressures, the labour movement must act in a more integrated manner, develop a more strategic and coherent discourse, and position itself not merely as a reactive force, but as an effective and agenda-shaping actor in decision-making processes.

At this meeting held in Bucharest, the ILC once again reaffirmed its determination to strengthen global labour solidarity, deepen cooperation, and advance a labour-centred common vision placing social justice, peace, and democratic dignity at its core.