Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general G Rajasekaran has been elected president of the newly-founded Asia Pacific organisation of the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

ITUC Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) was created with its founding congress taking place Sept 5-6 in Bangalore, India.

Beside Rajasekaran, about 300 delegates from 44 national trade centres voted Noriyuki Suzuki from Japan to be ITUC-AP General Secretary and Necie Lucero from the Philippines as Deputy General Secretary.

Its office in Singapore represents 18.6 million members with 48 affiliates from 29 countries and territories in the region.

MTUC's contribution

"We see the election of Rajasekaran (photo) as the first president of ITUC-AP as recognition of MTUC's contribution to the international trade union movement," said MTUC deputy secretary-general Abdul Halim Mansor in a statement.

Along with the adoption of the ITUC-AP constitution and action programme, resolutions were adopted on Burma, where a new wave of repression by the military regime is taking place, and on Israel/Palestine, calling for peace and an end to the violence.

Delegates also stressed that globalisation, as currently experienced, is threatening job security, healthcare and old age benefits. They called for the observance and respect of corporate social responsibility.

The congress also elected the ITUC-AP general council and executive bureau, which will serve as the governing bodies of the organisation between congresses.