Asia
About the International Textile, Garment & Leather Workers' Federation – Asia/TWARO
TWARO is the Asian and Pacific Regional Organisation of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation ( ITGLWF ) which groups together the free and democratic trade unions of textile, garment, shoe and leather workers in Asia and the Pacific.
Please scroll to bottom of this page for latest TWARO publications.
TWARO was established on 3rd November 1960 by the Manila Conference, which formally adopted its Constitution and elected its first Executive Committee. But the idea of forming TWARO goes back to November 1958 when the First Asian Textile Workers’ Conference was convened in Tokyo jointly by the ICFTU and the International Federation of Textile Workers’ Association, which was the predecessor of ITGLWF. The conference - attended by delegates from Hongkong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan and the Philippines - was convened in response to the ICFTU-ARO’s call for regional industrial conferences to further intensify trade union activities in Asia.
Among the major resolutions adopted by the conference was one calling for the creation of some permanent machinery to ensure that the textile workers’ standard of living and interests were safeguarded and advanced. 
To implement the resolution, a preparatory committee comprising of 1 representative from each national trade union centre was established with Mr. Minoru Takita ( the former President of ZENSEN - Japan as well as TWARO ) as the Chairman and the late Mr. G. Mapara ( the former ICFTU-ARO Secretary ) as Secretary.
In January 1960 Mr. Takita, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, undertook an extensive tour of many Asian countries to promote solidarity among textile workers organisations in the region. Based on the report of Mr. Takita after his Asian tour, the Preparatory Committee which met on 3rd November 1960 in Manila, Philippines, and attended by delegates from 8 Asian countries representing 860,000 members, formally adopted the Constitution of TWARO.
Today TWARO has a membership of some 2.4 million textile, garment, shoe and leather workers from 67 affiliated organisations in 22 Asian and Pacific countries. For instance, we have affiliates in Australia, Bangladesh, Rep. of China ( Taiwan ), Fiji, Hongkong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Objectives
To secure the cooperation of textile, garment, shoe and leather workers organisations in Asia and the Pacific and to foster consciousness of fellowship among all workers in the trades, without distinction of nationality, race, sex, religious denomination, creed or sect.
1. To preserve and further the economic, social and cultural interests of textile, garment, shoe and leather workers.
2. To secure the reduction in hours of work and to improve wages, conditions of work and employment, to achieve the maximum protection of workers and to eliminate adverse discrimination on grounds of race, sex, nationality or creed.
3. To ensure the integration of women into trade union organisations and to promote their participation in activities and decision - making bodies at all levels.
Please click on titles for:
2008
Summary of TWARO Young Leaders Training Course, 5 - 8 August 2008
Photograph Album - TWARO Young Leaders Training Course, 5 - 8 August 2008
2007
TWARO 53rd EC Meeting 26 - 27 September 2007, Pondicherry, India
Photograph Album - TWARO Young Leaders Training Course, 5 - 8 August 2008
2006
TWARO 13th Regional Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, December 2006
TWARO General Documents
TWARO Constitution (amended by the 13th Regional Conference)
TWARO Resolutions (adopted by the 13th Regional Conference)
TWARO Country Reports
Structure
TWARO has two governing bodies, namely, the Regional Conference, which takes place once in four years and the Executive Committee,which is to be held once a year.
Regional Conference
a) elects the Executive Committee members and their substitutes;
b) confirms the appointment of the Secretary; and
c) considers reports on activities, amendments to the Constitutions, financial reports and other items placed before the Conference by the Executive Committee.
Executive Committee
a) It is the highest authority between 2 Regional Conferences.
b) The Executive Committee meeting, held during or immediately following the Regional Conference, shall elect the President and the Vice-President.
c) The Executive Committee’s other functions are to supervise TWARO’s activities, approve the annual budget and make recommendations to the Regional Conference.
d) It is composed of 9 members and the Secretary who is an ex-officio member.
e) Present TWARO Officers are as follows:-
President Mr. Hisanobu Shimada (Japan)
Vice-President Mr. Kenneth Stephen Perkins (Malaysia)
Secretary Ms. Akiko Gono
Members Mr. Tony Woolgar (Australia), Mr. Jen Chen Tsung (Rep. of China), Mr. V. R. Jaganathan (India), Mr. Fathalla Al Omrani (Jordan), Mr. B. Batchuluun (Mongolia), Mr. Zaheer Ahmed Taj (Pakistan), Mr. Norberto Alensuela (Philippines), Ms. Noorlaila Aslah (Malaysia), Ms. Kaoru Akimoto (Japan), Ms. Annie Adviento (TWARO Women’s Committee)
Auditors Mr. Haruo Ikeda (Japan), Ms. Cheung Lai Ha (Hongkong )
TWARO Secretariat
The TWARO Secretariat is located in Tokyo and its work is administered by the Secretary and the Executive Officer with the help of a part-time staff.
Finances
A question which you might ask and which people outside the TWARO family always ask is how TWARO is able to finance its wide-ranging operations. The cost of running TWARO is met out of an annual affiliation fees at the rate ranging from US$ 12 to US$ 24 per 1,000 members per annum depending on the wage levels prevailing in the different member countries. In addition to this, those affiliates which are financially in a better position are also requested to contribute a special levy based on 5 to 20% of ITGLWF levies or approximately US$ 12 to US$ 48 per 1,000 members per annum to assist TWARO’s general finances. Since the income derived from affiliation fees and special levies are inadequate even to meet its administration cost, the ITGLWF, our parent organisation, makes an annual grant to TWARO. With regard to the special projects organised by TWARO they are financed by voluntary contributions from its affiliates (TWARO Solidarity Fund) and external funding organisations such as FES, LO/TCO Sweden and Japan ILO Association.
Membership
TWARO has a membership of 2.4 million from 68 textile, garment, shoe and leather workers’ organisations in 22 Asian and Pacific countries.
