INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS
ICFTU OnLine...
092/250504
Brussels, 25th May 2004 (ICFTU Online): "The World Trade Organisation
(WTO) cannot afford to miss this opportunity to address the social
deficit that globalisation has opened up. Confidence in a fair
globalisation is waning. By reforming itself in line with the
recommendations of the World Commission report on the Social Dimension
of Globalisation, the WTO could help set a new course for a
globalisation which enfranchises the many rather than the few" said Guy
Ryder, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions.
A fairer globalisation is the theme of the Global Unions (1) panel
discussion at the WTO's Public Symposium which opened today (25th May)
in Geneva, running until 27th May. The symposium takes place against
the backdrop of poverty increasing over the last 20 years in sub-Saharan
Africa, Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The international trade union movement is calling on the WTO to
implement key recommendations from the World Commission's report on the
Social Dimension of Globalisation. Two years in the making, the report
proposes a Globalisation Policy Forum to bring about better cohesion
between the international institutions on social issues. In reality,
this would mean better synergy between the policies of the WTO, the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with that of agencies
including the United Nations Development Programme, the International
Labour Organisation, the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development, the World Health Organisation, United Nations Environment
Programme, and other UN agencies closely linked to the international
trading system, but which have so far been given no role in the WTO.
"This is the best way for social and labour issues to be dealt with in a
more consistent manner," said Ryder.
Speaking alongside representatives from Mauritius and other developing
country missions to the WTO, from the European Commission, Global
Unions, Oxfam, and Solidar, Ryder raised the point that "increasingly,
trade is resulting in governments reducing workers' rights to make their
labour cheaper and more attractive rather than providing resources for
improving living and working conditions of their citizens. One just has
to look at countries such as Malaysia, Mexico, Turkey and Kenya for
examples of this".
The General Secretary of the world's largest trade union organisation
used the example of export processing zones, where 50 million people,
mostly women, work under punishing work schedules, are frequently denied
their fundamental trade union rights, barely paid a living wage and
exposed to discrimination and sexual harassment. "If governments are
failing to ensure that the rights of their workers are properly
respected, then it is up to international bodies to do so," he
continued.
The European Union's proposals to eliminate agricultural export
subsidies were welcomed by the international trade union movement.
Equally, dropping the Singapore issues (2) from its negotiating
proposals for the Doha round has received trade union support.
However, Ryder warned that the lack of commitment to special and
differential treatment for developing countries could steer negotiations
off course, adding, "The textiles sector is a perfect example of why the
trading system is in need of urgent reform. Millions of jobs in the
textile sector are expected to be lost in Asia, Central America and the
Caribbean, when the textiles quota system stops at the end of 2004. 1
million jobs stand to be lost in Bangladesh alone". The governments of
twelve developing countries (3) have now formed a pressure group to call
for a multi-year extension to the textiles quota system. The fact that
they are aware, belatedly, that they cannot survive without the quota
system shows the failure of globalisation to bring benefits to all
people. This makes a compelling case for the WTO to assume the
responsibility of redressing the inequities that the current
international trade system creates. The international trade union
movement supports the significant strengthening of WTO provisions on
Special and Differential treatment, echoing the recommendations of the
World Commission.
As well as the proposals for a Globalisation Policy Forum, greater
coherence in international organisations' policies and better conditions
for workers in export processing zones, the international trade union
movement reaffirmed its commitment to other recommendations of the World
Commission. These include the setting up of formal consultative
structures to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and
the WTO to ensure that the voice of trade union s and others in civil
society is heard properly. To make the recommendations a reality, trade
union organisations across the world are calling for the implementation
of the measures needed to ensure that core labour standards are
respected worldwide.
1. Global Unions is made up of the ICFTU, the ten Global Union
Federations (GUFs), the international representatives of unions
organising in specific industry sectors or occupational groups and the
Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD.
2. The Singapore Issues, also called the new issues, were
introduced into the WTO agenda during the Ministerial conference in
Singapore in 1996. They are part of the Doha (the current negotiation
round) work programme and consist of four issues: trade facilitation,
transparency in government procurement, competition and investment.
3. The twelve countries are Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey, Tunisia,
Indonesia, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Jordan, Malaysia, Mauritius
and Laos.
The ICFTU represents over 151 million workers in 233 affiliated
organisations in 152 countries and territories. ICFTU is also a member
of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org
Mr Hadi Ali, the Vice-president of the IFTU and Abdullah Muhsin, foreign representative of the new and independent Iraqi trade union movement, addressed MPs and journalists at a successful cross-party briefing meeting in the House of Commons on the 18th May.
The briefing was organised by Labour MP Harry Barnes, who has long championed workers' rights in Iraq and the new democratic trade unionism of the IFTU.
Mr Ali extensively briefed participants on the current political and security situation, the need to transfer power to Iraqis on 30th June and the progress being made by the IFTU in rebuilding itself as part of a wider, secular civil society.
The meetings was chaired by Harry Barnes and attended by the Conservative Shadow Secretary of State Tim Collins, the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Jean Corston and fellow Labour MPs, Jim Murphy (who is part of the Commons soccer team playing the Iraqi side this week), Ernie Ross, Mike Connarty and Louise Ellman.
Also in attendance were a representative of the Foreign Office and the Labor Counsellor of the American Embassy in London as well as John Slinger of Julia Drown MP's office and representatives of the Financial Times and Guardian newspapers.
Apologies for absence were received from several MPs who were elsewhere on parliamentary business.
The meeting stood in silence in memory of the head of the Iraqi Interim Governing Council who was killed in a car bomb earlier in the week.
The IFTU representatives later held talks with Foreign Office Minister Dennis MacShane who led the Foreign Office initiative in support of independent trade unions in Iraq.
Mr. Ali, Mr Muhsin and Mr. Majeed held a fruitful meeting with TUC's assistance General Secretary, Kay Carberry on 17th May in which the TUC pledged continuing support for the IFTU.
Mr Ali was interviewed on the Politics Show on Sunday 16th May and made the point that the trade unions are helping to rebuild civil society from below and this was echoed in adebate on the Today programme on Monday morning.
Abdullah Muhsin was later interviewed on several local radio programmes.
Abdullah Muhsin commented: "it was very important to make sure that parliamentarians and journalists alike are made aware of the work we are doing to rebuild a decent civil society and to understand the vital need for power to be transferred to Iraqis on 30th June. This was the second of our briefings and we will continue to make sure that the trade union perspective is made a bigger part of the picture in parliament and elsewhere. We are grateful to Harry Barnes MP for all his assistance"
posted by abdullah 20 May 2004
As part of an effort to build support for and solidarity with the newly formed IFTU, Mr Hadi Ali the vice president and Abdullah Muhsin, its foreign representative visited Spain, Belgium and the UK.
Spain
Hadi Ali and Abdullah Muhsin participated in the 8th conference of the Confederacion Sindical Comisiones Obreas (CCOO) one of the two Main Spanish trade union confederations, from 20-25 April 2004 Madrid. The IFTU vice president addressed a meeting of 120 international trade union organizations from 60 countries.
The IFTU is very grateful to our Spanish colleagues for organizing a brief meeting with the second major Spanish confederacione, the Union Generale De Trabajadors (UGT). The IFTU delegation briefly met Mr. Manuel Bonmati , The International Secretary of the UGT.
The Spanish Labour Minister addressed the CCOO 8th conference and the Spanish Prime Minister phoned a message of support to the conference.
The IFTU delegation held a number of; meetings with various trade union organizations present at the 8th conference, including the Indian General Secretary of the Centre of Indian trade Unions Mr. P.R Krishnan and the International Secretary of the Federation of the Korean Trade Unions Mr Kang, Choong-Ho. Both trade union organizations invited the IFTU to visit their countries and meet with their trade union centres.
Italy
The IFTU delegation was invited to Italy from 26-29th April by the Confederacione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) and the Federacione Impiegati Operais Metallugici Nationale (FIOM). The IFTU delegation held fruitful meetings with the International Secretary of the CGIL, Titti Di Salvo and the General Secretary of FIOM and its International Secretary Alesandra Mecozzi and the Diretor of CISL Lugi Cal the second major trade union confederation and Gabriele Stamegna from the international department of UIL, the third major trade union federation in Italy.
The IFTU also held talks with the Democrats of the Left (DS) International Secretary Marina Sereni MP who issued a supportive news release.
Belgium
The IFTU delegation then travelled to Brussels on the 30th of April and met Mr. Guy Ryder, the General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).
Mr Ryder pledged support and further co-operation.
Mr Ryder’s office has had arranged a meeting with Fred Higgs, the General Secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Worker’s Unions (ICEM) and Jim Cafferson Director of the ICEM also in Brussels. Mr Higgs has invited four leaders of the Iraqi Oil and Gas Union to visit Brussels to examine further co-operation.
The IFTU delegates then met Jon Greenwald, the vice- president of the International Crisis Group.
Britain
The IFTU delegation visited Britain 13-18th May 2004 and held a meeting with the assistant General Secretary Kay Carberry of the TUC and several meetings with union leaders including Tony Donaghy, the President of the RMT, Paul Mackney and Paul Bennett of NATFHE.
Mr Hadi Ali the Vice President of the IFTU held a meeting with Harry Barnes Labour MP.
Mr Harry Barnes organized a highly successful meeting in the House of Commons for Mr Hadi Ali, the IFTU Vice-President. Mr Ali briefed cross party Parliamentarians and British journalists on the current political situation, the 30th June transfer of power to the Iraqis and the end of occupation and the progress of the IFTU. Representatives of the Foreign Office and the Labour attaché of the American Embassy were also present at the meeting.
Mr Ali and the IFTU delegation held a brief meeting with Mr Denis MacShane, Minister for Europe.
IFTU condemns human rights violation against detainees in Abu Ghraib prison
In a statement published in 'Workers Unity', the newspaper of the IFTU, on May 11 2004, the IFTU executive committee condemned human right abuses against Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison.
The IFTU staement denounced these atrocities and called upon international human rights agencies, and in particular Amnesty International and the Red Crescent to investigate these violation of human rights and to bring to justice the perpetrators of these crimes whether they are carried by troops or private contractors.
The IFTU re-iterates its position of demanding an end to the occupation of Iraq and for the United Nations to act to assist the Iraqi people to build a democratic Iraq and rebuild the shattered country.
Meeting with Vice-President of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU)
Tuesday 18th May from 2.30-4pm, House of Commons Committee Room 18
A briefing meeting has been organised by Mr. Harry Barnes MP on Tuesday 18th May, from 2.30-4pm, in committee Room 18, to hear first-hand from Mr. Hadi Ali, the Vice-President of the IFTU, the new and independent trade union movement that has emerged since the fall of Saddam Hussein and replaces his old discredited 'yellow' unions.
Mr Ali will brief the meeting on the current political situation: the wave of violence, the role of the United Nations after the handover on 30th June and the progress being made by trade unions in helping to build civil society in Iraq.
The foreign representative of the IFTU in Lndon, Abdullah Muhsin will also be present. Abdullah has recently returned from Iraq where he accompained a delegation of British trade unionists.
There will an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Mr Ali was interviewed on the Politics Show on Sunday and argued that trade unions in Iraq are helping to rebuild civil society from below, a point that was echoed in a debate on Radio 4's Today programme on Monday morning.
posted by abdullah 18 May 2004
ICFTU OnLine...
080/060504
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS
Brussels, 6th May 2004 (ICFTU Online): The ICFTU today condemned acts of
abuse and violence by coalition forces against prisoners detained in
Iraq. Allegations of violence, humiliation and even killing of
prisoners must be fully and openly investigated, and any persons
responsible for carrying out such extreme violations of international
law must be brought to justice, according to the world's largest
international trade union confederation.
Inhuman and degrading treatment of this sort is totally unacceptable,
and discredits not only the perpetrators, but also those in positions of
responsibility, who must bear the consequences for acts committed by
persons under their authority.
The ICFTU calls for full cooperation by all parties with the
investigation being undertaken by the UN Human Rights Commission
(UNHRC). The Confederation also fully supports Acting UNHRC
Commissioner Bertrand Ramcharan's appeal last month for greater scrutiny
of the situation in Iraq.
The ICFTU represents over 151 million workers in 233 affiliated
organisations in 152 countries and territories. ICFTU is also a member
of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org
For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2
224 0232 or +32 476 621 018.
Thabit al-Harron met Abdullah Muhsin of the IFTU and Brian Joyce a member of the National Executive Committee of the British Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on 18th April 2004 to discuss the recent success of the FBU's humanitarian mission to Basra and to pledge further support for the IFTU.
The support of the Kuwait trade union movement was instrumental to the success of the FBU mission and demonstrates the closeness of relations between Iraqi and Kuwaiti trade unionists.
The FBU delivered a large container of essential firefighting equipment to the IFTU. Brian Joyce made good the promise which he made to Iraqi firefighters on the occasion of the first delegation of British trade unionists to visit the new democratic Iraqi trade union movement in October 2003 following the collapse of the Ba'ath regime.
At that time the FBU delegation expressed anger and shock that these men were expected to tackle blazes from housefires to oil refineries wearing nothing but sandals and moth-eaten boilersuits. One firefighter had lost an eye; most displayed horrific and easily preventable burns. Before we left Brian made a promise to them:
"I will do what I can to help you, I WILL be back."
Back at home Brian began to write to every FBU region in the country to see what they could donate to these men to help them save lives while reducing the risk to their own. By January of this year over 600 "fire kits" (boots, leggings, tunic & helmet) had been put into a container along with chemical suits and some computers thrown in for good measure.
The FBU has a proud tradition of practical solidarity with its comrades abroad, with equipment being sent as far afield as Columbia and Cuba. The national union took care of the shipping costs and the IFTU began the task of organising security and distribution. The preparations for our visit finally reached completion when the Kuwaiti Trade Union Federation (KTUF) organised visas and a route into Basra for us in conjunction with a local NGO.
The container was unloaded on the dusty forecourt of a building used by the Basra branch of the IFTU with a great sense of relief that the life-saving equipment all made it from the port in Umm Qasr. Iraqi firefighters warmly greeted Brian. One of them showed him some nasty burns on his legs recently sustained whilst tackling an oil fire. For many present the gratitude is mixed with disbelief that this man has travelled all the way from Bristol to honour a promise made during a half-hour encounter last year.
Things have improved for them since then. In October 2003 firefighters were denied the right to join a union by the 1987 Labour laws of Saddam Hussein and still not yet repealed by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Now, with the help of the IFTU, firefighters have their own union and are voting for their representatives for the first time in three decades.
At a rapidly convened meeting Brian (through a translator) spends an hour explaining to the firefighters how the kits are used and how to maintain them. The IFTU are busy taking notes to ensure these instructions and other health & safety tips follow the kits wherever they are distributed.
The upstairs walls of the IFTU's building in Basra are a shrine to Iraqi trade unionists and communists murdered under the Saddam regime. Their photographs stretch down the corridors for a depressing distance; these people had it as bad as anyone during those years and yet all of them oppose the recent invasion and ongoing occupation.
The FBU also opposed the war as did most of the key trade unions in Britain. Vocal condemnation did not stop the war, any more than comradely lip-service will help Iraq's fledgling trade unions. This achievement by Brian and the FBU has shown what is possible if our unions can concentrate on making the solidarity practical as well as symbolic. These people need money, computers, fax machines, mobile phones, training, information....the list is endless. With much of Iraq's workforce operating at the behest of well known and infamous corporations like Jarvis and Bechtel, there is no time like the present for real, practical solidarity with Iraq's new, democratic trade union movement.