(L to R): Abdul Rahman Al-Ghanim, Vice-President of Kuwait Trade Union Federation and Head of Migrant Workers Office; Mitri Mokbel, Administrative Director, Kuwait Trade Union Federation; Walter D. Andrews; Laurie Clements, Solidarity Center Field Representative; and Mark Gaffney.

The Gulf State of Kuwait is a leading member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the first Gulf country to recognize trade union rights. Kuwait’s economy, once based on fishing, pearl diving, and trading, now counts on oil for 95 percent of its export revenue. The 34,000-member Kuwaiti Trade Union Confederation, formed in 1964 to represent workers in the civil service and oil industry, is fighting for a voice for workers in the privatization process, which KTUF leaders fear will lead to lower wages and fewer protections for workers. In May 2008, a four-member U.S. labor delegation traveled to Kuwait on a Solidarity Center exchange visit to learn more about the challenges of being a union leader in an environment where migrant workers outnumber Kuwaiti nationals two to one, union officers are volunteers with full-time outside jobs, and unions are not sufficiently involved in economic policy decisions.

On the delegation were Michigan State AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney, Georgia State AFL-CIO Vice President and CWA Local 3204 President Walter D. Andrews, Office and Professional Employees International Union Organization and Field Services Director Kevin A. Kistler, and Solidarity Center Program Officer Tom Egan. The KTUF published an article about the visit in its union magazine.  

“I learned that Kuwait unions, like unions in the United States, are facing significant challenges of globalization,” said Gaffney, who became a Solidarity Center Trustee in December 2008. “It is important that we work together in the struggle for decent jobs and employment security and a better understanding of each others’ areas of concern.”