{"id":8032,"date":"2022-09-01T12:12:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T10:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/?post_type=news&p=8032"},"modified":"2022-09-02T11:10:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T09:10:44","slug":"support-new-chilean-constitution","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/support-new-chilean-constitution\/","title":{"rendered":"New Chilean constitution is an inspiration, says UNI"},"content":{"rendered":"
At a time when many democracies are backsliding, the Chilean people are on the verge of ratifying a constitution that sets a new standard for democratic revival.<\/p>\r\n
Chileans will go to the polls Sunday, 4 September, to vote on replacing the country\u2019s current, dictator-imposed legal framework with a document that advances the rights of women, workers, indigenous peoples and the planet.<\/p>\r\n
It guarantees access to collective bargaining and other union rights as well as health, housing, education, decent pensions, non-sexist education, and the right to abortion, all grouped under the concept of a \u201csocial and democratic state<\/a>\u201d that recognizes itself as pluri-national, intercultural, and ecological.<\/p>\r\n Through the union group Unity for Dignified Work (UTD), UNI Global Union affiliates in Chile helped lead the effort for a constitutional overhaul. The unions pushed for the inclusion of a wide range of labour reforms including expanded collective bargaining, the right to strike, workers\u2019 participation in company boards, \u00a0among other changes.<\/p>\r\n \u201cThis new constitution is an inspiration, and its ratification will be a turning point in the struggle for democratic renewal,\u201d said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union<\/strong>. \u201cIt puts people over profits. It puts sustainability over ecological destruction.\u201d<\/p>\r\n \u201cWorkers\u2019 rights and a strong, independent trade union movement are fundamental to a strong democracy, and the new constitution enshrines workers\u2019 ability to speak out and organize,\u201d says Marcio Monzane, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas<\/strong>. \u201cThat is why we are calling for the global union movement to celebrate this document and progress it makes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n