Dow DuPont North American Labor Council President Kent Holsing (12075), BASF Council Chair Derricki Smith (13-620), and Local 10-00086 President Michael Gauger attended the 2023 IndustriALL Global Conference of the Chemical and Pharmaceuticals Industries on Sept. 26-27 in Istanbul, Turkey.
There were more than 200 delegates from 40 different countries representing various unions in the chemical industry around the world. The conference was held at the headquarters of the Turkish chemical union Petrol-İş, one of two chemical unions in Turkey.
“I believe that the partnership we have with IndustriALL is key to strengthening our inter-company and industry networks,” said Holsing. “As corporations operate on a global basis, we too must operate on a global platform in order to survive.”
Participants discussed a number of topics and issues throughout the conference such as the global overview of the chemical industry; trade union actions; battery supply chain issues in the chemical industry; digitalization of the global chemical industry; union networking and its effect in the global chemical industry; along with empowering women, youth and pushing decent work along with worker health and safety.
Gauger and Holsing also visited the Lastik-Is Turkish union to discuss current organizing activity in Turkey and the importance of global solidarity. They also exchanged ideas on future joint training and projects. Additionally, they toured several chemical manufacturing sites on September 27.