Independent trade unions are democratic, self-organizing institutions of working people wishing to advance their rights as workers and citizens. Despite the denial of the right to organize in many countries, the international trade union movement is the world’s largest and most representative organization based on voluntary membership. Trade unions are key civil society institutions in most democratic countries. In a rapidly globalizing world, the challenge of securing decent work, safe conditions of work, living wages, basic social security, gender equality and fair income distribution calls for better global governance and universal application and enforcement of international labour standards. The ILO's Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) cooperates with workers' organizations at the national, regional and international levels, assisting them in being an effective voice of working people and their families. At the national and regional levels, ACTRAV works through the ILO field offices to develop and strengthen workers' organizations and their education programmes as well as strengthen the capacity of trade unions to respond to the new challenges posed by globalization. Support provided by the ILO to the workers' organizations in the Caribbean have included:
Subregional Workshop on Developing Campaigns for the Ratification of ILO Conventions for Trade Unions in the Agriculture and Hotel Sectors in the Caribbean, 5-7 March 2007.
ILO-CCL Round Table for Caribbean Workers’ Organizations to discuss “Globalization, Regional Integration and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): the Social and Labour Dimensions", 23-25 May 2008 in Barbados.
Distance Training programme on Information technology and the Internet from January 2005 through December 2007 with workshops and certification held in December 2005 and 2007.
Trade union consultations on Seeking Solutions to the Crisis in the Banana and Sugar Industries on 4-6 July 2005 in Barbados.
The hosting of a seminar on Regional Integration and Implications for the Labour Movement on 18-20 October 2004 in Suriname, in collaboration with the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL).
The development of a series of three Caribbean Workers' Education Guides - an output of the ILO/Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) Project for strengthening trade unions in selected countries.
