The visit is in response to the observations of the Standards Bodies of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to the Ecuadorian State, particularly in relation to Convention 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, presented during the 110th International Labour Conference (ILC), held in Geneva last June.

Pavanelli will hold meetings with authorities of the Executive and the National Assembly to advance a process of social dialogue aimed at the restoration, restitution, reparation, and advancement of trade union rights, as well as the defence of public services in the country. It will also request that a date be set for the visit of the ILO Direct Contact Mission to the country, as defined at the last session of the ILC.

"We hope that this visit can represent the consolidation of a process of social dialogue with the government of Guillermo Lasso for the re-establishment of the rights of trade union organisation, freedom of association and collective bargaining of public sector workers, fundamental elements of a strong and participative democracy, as well as for the strengthening of public services. It will be an opportunity for President Lasso and his Minister of Labour, Patricio Donoso, to present to the international community the role of the Ecuadorian State as an employer in harmony with the International Labour Conventions. This will also be an opportunity to ratify the leadership of the government of Ecuador in the international discussion on the Binding Treaty on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations supported by PSI since 2015," said the general secretary.

Rosa Pavanelli's presence comes at a time when the Ecuadorian government is carrying out a labour reform, which will be an opportunity for PSI to contribute to its harmonisation with international labour standards.

The PSI delegation to Ecuador will also include Marcelo Di Stefano, an Argentinean trade union leader; Camilo Rubiano, PSI's trade union rights officer; and Susana Barría, the PSI's sub-regional secretary for the Andean countries, who said that "workers in Ecuador have seen setbacks in their rights over several decades and this has reached a critical point that urgently needs a change of course. This mission aims to strengthen these collective efforts, bringing the voice of the 30 million workers that PSI represents through more than 700 affiliated organisations to say it is time to restore trade union rights in Ecuador.”