Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 2:21:44 to 2:31:31
Witnesses provide evidence of systematic forced labor and the dismantling of worker organizations under military oversight. Senators question the ACTU on their specific advocacy efforts and prioritization of the Myanmar conflict within their international agenda.
Topics: Human rights, Workplace relations
Speakers: Nikhil Singh, Dean Smith, Ellie Whiteaker, Caitlin McCaffrie, Hon Sarah Henderson, Ko Saulsman
chair, and thanks to all of [clears throat] the witnesses uh appearing online today. Uh I have a couple of questions for the ACTU for Mr. Singh. Thank you for that opening statement. Um, I wonder if you could uh provide some detail for us on the engagement that the ACTU and international partners have had with trade unions on the ground uh in Myanmar and what they're telling you about about um the state of of things there.
>> Thank you, Senator. We certainly work very closely with our sister union, the CTUM, as I've um said in my opening statement and more recently um a representative of the ACTU visited the Thai border to get a firsthand of the situation. U what I can say is the crisis is not only ongoing, it is deepening. uh the attacks on the people, the air strikes in villages uh is is really really uh creating the situation where an urgent action is needed. So we continue to work with CTUM and uh partners like the Myanmar campaign network um but the situation is quite
>> You talk in your submission about the specific targeting of trade unions. um I think you um phrased it as a deliberate dismantling of independent trade unions and worker organizations. Could you expand a little bit on what you mean by that and perhaps provide us with some examples?
>> Sure. Well, I think uh to to summarize uh what we said in our submission if you like is um the dismantling of trade union structures where uh not only the curtaining of rights in fact there are no rights for workers in Myanmar um and uh that is reflected in the arbitrary arrests of union leaders and members uh um I don't have the stats on on me right now but I can take that on notice to provide you some stats uh but the sheer volume of this arena address u the detaining of union leaders. Uh I just mentioned in the opening statement the execution of trade unionist. So uh the uh the extent of uh uh the violations on workers rights uh is is is very evident.
>> Thank you. Uh could you talk to um stories of forced
>> Uh yes I can. So u uh very briefly uh we have military uh personnel in fact u you know surrounding garment factories for example where workers are watched uh you know under under the eyes of of the military corps if you like um uh and u uh you know and and labor is done uh mostly without without any payment uh and uh the uh laborious work and long hours uh which is done under the watchful eyes of the military and uh where the workers not had no choice but to uh you know put that slavery on.
>> I wonder if you might um have any comments to make on um the specific impacts on women workers in in Myanmar and you talk in your submission about gender- based violence. Uh and so I I thought it might be useful for us to have some information on the record
>> Uh what I can I will take that on notice, Senator, uh to come back with some uh some some stats on that. But what I would want to cover off is uh the sheer effect about the uh the uh arrest and detaining of uh workers. And uh if I if I go back to the human rights uh watch report of uh 2025 uh 5,700 women have been arrested um and and that also you know that's women and 570 children. So um in terms of uh the rights at work uh uh for workers uh is gone let alone for uh rights for women. uh and the attack uh is is severe, but uh if you allow me to take that on notice, I will definitely provide you with some some steps and and cases.
>> Thank you. Uh that's probably it for me, Chair.
>> Thank you very much, Senator Whiteaker. Uh Senator Smith,
>> thank you very much. Uh chair, just to the Myanmar campaign network, you have identified eight recommendations in your submission. Sorry. 10 recommendations in your submission. Are they in order of priority or are they just 10 recommendations?
>> Caitlyn, do you want to have that
>> Yeah. Thanks, Co. Um, and thank you, Senator. I think um we uh all 10 are um critically important, but I think if we were to highlight a few that we were calling for as most critical, I think um it would be the categorical rejection of the elections as um as illegitimate and the importance of Australia imposing um strong and additional sanctions um probably as the two that would draw the committee's attention to most strongly. Um but but happy to speak to all 10 recommendations as well.
>> That's curious because my experience uh I think the tactical response that uh communities are most interested in is a heightened focus on the issue of aviation fuel and a heightened focus on strengthening humanitarian assistance. A question to the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Of course, in Australia, the ACTU has a very special relationship with the Australian Labor Party. The Australian Labor Party is in government. Can you detail for me how the Australian Council of Trade Unions engages with the Australian government and what your particular successes have been in recent times in shaping the Australian government's response to the conflict in
>> Thank you, Senator. We have written to the foreign affairs minister um last month about the situation and drawing the attention to the to the need for additional sanctions. Um uh you recall that on the uh anniversary of the pool in 2025 there were sanctions announced by the Australian government. So we engage and continue to remain engaged with the Australian government um with the communication channels being open about um what we think uh the Australian government should be doing. Uh and that includes our call for this government to come out and clearly uh in very clear terms uh reject the uh the shame
elections. What a what commitments have been given to you by the foreign affairs minister or the Australian government more generally in terms of greater humanitarian assistance and uh tightening of sanction loopholes and thirdly uh what decisive action it will take in regards to aviation fuel imports
Uh Senator as I said we have written to the foreign foreign affairs minister uh if I can take this on notice because I have not uh uh been aware of not aware of a response that has come through.
>> Writing letters doesn't speak to the very special relationship of the Australian Council of Trade Unions with the Australian Labor Party who is now
>> Senator what I'll say is I I will not get drawn into the politics. I don't this is I don't think this is a polarizing issue uh for us the SCTU this is a this is an issue for us to ensure that uh [snorts] the the rights the labor rights are are actually restored in Myanmar uh and we are open to talking to any um uh uh political uh side uh I I I see that you're stressing Labor Party for the ACTU uh we are not putting politics into this we are looking it at through uh a pure uh lens of uh the labor rights and workers rights and human rights.
>> When the ACTU considers its international advocacy, where does the Myanmar conflict sit on list of priorities? Am I right to assume it is the priority?
>> Uh it is uh absolutely one of one of our priorities, one of our top priorities.
>> Is it one of two priorities? Is it one of 10 priorities? Is it one of 25 priorities? I'm just trying to get an understanding about um level of effort and commitment.
>> Senator, I would say it is a top priority. We have been campaigning on this issue uh for the last 5 years and and it remains a top priority for us.
>> Would you agree that a tactical focus on the importation of aviation fuel and um you know strengthened humanitarian response uh should be immediate priorities.
Yes, I do.
>> Thanks, Senator Smith. Senator Collins, you've just got a couple of questions. Look, I'm obviously very mindful that we're running behind time because of the suspension. So, we are going to be seeking to truncate the time allocated to each witness. So, thank you again uh for your cooperation with that. Senator Collins,