500 gather at Trade Union Forum

PORTO ALEGRE: A two-day preparatory Trade Union Forum was held in conjunction with and preceding the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. Being the second trade union gathering of its kind, some 500 people met in a huge tent. During the two days -- the first with temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, the second with rain pouring down -- about 60 interventions were made by trade unionists from countries around the globe, including Japan, Bangladesh, Norway, France, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Canada and Chile. Several IMF affiliates from Latin America took the floor.

Salvatore Castro

Common themes of the short speeches were the issue of war in the Middle East, the crisis in Venezuela, release of debt burden for developing countries, the WTO, and a reform of the international financial institutions (IFIs). Everyone congratulated Brazil on the election of Lula. The Trade Union Forum was organised by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the World Confederation of Labour (WCL) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Jean-François Trogrlic, CFDT, France, said there was a clear risk that trade unionists in Porto Alegre would keep repeating the same things every time, and also asked for more substance. The trade unions should work towards reform of the IFIs, TNCs and free trade.

Marcello Malentacchi

Marcello Malentacchi, IMF general secretary, presented similar thoughts and urged the trade unions to start developing an alternative economic programme. The IMF also proposed that work begin immediately after the conclusion of the 2003 World Social Forum to ensure

• that the Global Unions' Trade Union Forum become a permanent part of the World Social Forum;
• that the Global Unions under the leadership of the ICFTU develop strategies and activities for building effective alliances with other civil society movements;
• that the Global Unions under the leadership of the ICFTU develop a programme of alternatives to neo-liberal globalisation.

"I was not entirely happy about the meeting, I must admit," explains Malentacchi. "There were far too few Global Union Federations present, and during the two days little was said about trade union issues. That's the reason the IMF made this proposal." Several other trade union organisations endorsed the IMF proposal, which will be formally submitted to the ICFTU. "Porto Alegre presents trade unions with a tremendous opportunity to meet, discuss and learn, and to interact with other organisations. It is due time that we all help each other go from talk to action," says Malentacchi.