Kuwait Trade Union Federation

Kuwait Trade Union Federation
Kuwait Trade Union Federation
الاتحاد العام لعمال الكويت
Founded1968
HeadquartersKuwait City, Kuwait
Location
Members
60,000 - Most members come from Kuwait Oil Company[citation needed]
AffiliationsInternational Trade Union Confederation[1]

The Kuwait Trade Union Federation (Arabic: الاتحاد العام لعمال الكويت) is the sole national trade union center in Kuwait. It was founded in 1968[2] and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.[3]

As of 2020, there were 38 trade unions in Kuwait, of which 15 are formally members of the Kuwait Trade Union Federation. Outside the oil sector, the federation does not have any trade union affiliates that cover workers in the private sector.[4]

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The freedoms of association and collective bargaining in Kuwait are recognized by law; however, they are strictly regulated. For instance, Article 104 of the Labor Act "prohibits unions from interfering in political, religious, and sectarian issues".[5] In 2021, the International Labour Organization's Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, noted that the Kuwaiti government has failed "to eliminate the total ban on political activities of trade unions that is enshrined in section 104(1)." The committee further said "It notes with regret that the Government has not taken any measures in this regard" and urged the government to revise the Law "to allow for legitimate political activities of trade unions" in the country. [6]

Under Kuwaiti law, the Kuwait Trade Union Federation is the only federation of trade unions permitted to exist on a national level, although the government permits limited trade union pluralism at the local level.[7] However, despite these restrictions, some unions exist outside of the Kuwait Trade Union Federation, including the Kuwait Bank Workers’ Union and the Kuwait Airways Workers’ Union.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Kränkningar av fackliga rättigheter - LO TCO Biståndsnämd". Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  2. ^ ICTUR; et al., eds. (2005). Trade Unions of the World (6th ed.). London, UK: John Harper Publishing. ISBN 0-9543811-5-7.
  3. ^ "Legal Context". International Trade Union Confederation. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. ^ "العقيل: 38 نقابة عمالية بالكويت.. 19 منها تستحق دعماً سنوياً بواقع 271 ألف دينار". Alanba. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Survey of Violations Against Trade Unions". International Trade Union Confederation. International Trade Union Confederation. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022) Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) - Kuwait (Ratification: 1961)". ILO. International Labour Organization. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Custom Report Excerpts: Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho". US Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Retrieved 26 April 2021.


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