FACCyR presented at ILO

FACCyR was present at the International Labor Conference organized by ILO.

Our colleague and general secretary of the Federación Argentina de Cartoneros, Carreros y Recicladores, Jackie Flores, gave a speech at the International Conference, organized every year by the International Labor Organization (ILO), which this year was once again held virtually. Jackie was also selected as a delegate for GlobalRec, the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers.

“We aspire to make corporations pay for the work we do for free today, through a policy of Extended Producer Responsibility, which can be translated into better working conditions, wages and social protection,” said Jackie in closing her speech, with a clear emphasis on the Recycling Law that will be presented in the coming weeks.

The work done every day by the more than 15 million waste pickers around the world must continue with the process of recognition that, for 20 years now, has been built by the FACCyR and various organizations that, in each country, fight for more rights for the cartoneros and cartoneras.

For the first time in its history, the 109th International Labour Conference (ILC) is being held virtually due to restrictions and changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The items of the ILC agenda this year have been divided into two parts. The items on the 3-19 June segment include a special outcome document on the ILO response to COVID-19 and a recurrent discussion on social protection. After the meetings in June, the ILC will resume its work in November.

Globalrec, alongside WIEGO and its Network Partners, has been working since the onset of the pandemic, across sectors and with a range of people and organizations, to organize affiliates at national and regional levels to call on governments to accelerate investments in worker protections as a central component of economic recovery plans.

During the ILC two-week sessions, a delegation of workers representing the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), HomeNet International, SEWA, StreetNet International, and WIEGO will participate during the virtual meetings to bring the voices and experiences of the most marginalized workers.

The representant of the waste sector was Jacquelina Flores, a waste picker and general secretary of the Argentinian Federation of Waste Pickers y Recicladores (FACCyR).

You can listen to Jacquelina’s speech below.