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18 March, 2001
Some time ago, I wrote about the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Now I am following this up, with a concrete and realistic proposal which I would like to launch for all trade unions worldwide.
I think the time has come for global unions to take a leading role in the debate on globalisation. In Davos and in Porto Alegre, the debate has not focused on labour issues but on aspects which, although important, are not central to our trade union activities.
Trade unions all over the world face enormous challenges: basic trade union rights, jobs, changes in production systems, production transfers from one country to another, mergers that takes place without involvement of the workers or their unions, introducing core labour standards into trade and investment agreements, sustainable growth and fair distribution of wealth. These issues are the primary concerns of workers and their organisations, and they must be addressed by them.
Two years ago, the ILO launched the idea of a new social dialogue based on a tripartite system. But it seems that employers are not interested in this very important initiative and prefer to ignore both the ILO and the trade unions.
This happens to occur at the same time as the employers and their associations invite trade unions to roundtable discussions in Davos.
But, in my opinion, the debate in Davos did not focus on this aspect. On the contrary, it looks more like the organisers of the World Economic Forum want to divert the debate towards objectives which are the opposite to our own.
The Porto Alegre initiative, while important in my view, only partially addressed the agenda and objectives set out by the global labour movement.
We should not exclude the possibilities of working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organisations having the same objectives as ourselves.
I do believe, however, that if we are to achieve our objectives we have to take the lead not only in theory but also through our actions.
The fact that many of our affiliates from unions in the South were well represented at Porto Alegre should give us something to ponder. They clearly viewed the initiative as a strong force against what was happening in Davos.
On the other hand, the presence of some of our global unions at the World Economic Forum in Davos indicates that within the global union movement we have differing views on how to most effectively oppose the ill effects of globalisation on our members.
Such divisions must be urgently dealt with. We need to do this prior to taking any initiatives to either a follow-up to Porto Alegre or to continue attending the World Economic Forum.
To make an impact and to achieve our goals at the national and international level, we need to act decisively and swiftly.
The IMF, therefore, calls for an urgent meeting of the global labour movement to debate and discuss these matters.
The final outcome must be a united approach to combating the negative impact of globalisation on our members.
Now I am following this up, with a concrete and realistic proposal which I would like to launch for all trade unions worldwide.
I think the time has come for global unions to take a leading role in the debate on globalisation. In Davos and in Porto Alegre, the debate has not focused on labour issues but on aspects which, although important, are not central to our trade union activities.
Trade unions all over the world face enormous challenges: basic trade union rights, jobs, changes in production systems, production transfers from one country to another, mergers that takes place without involvement of the workers or their unions, introducing core labour standards into trade and investment agreements, sustainable growth and fair distribution of wealth. These issues are the primary concerns of workers and their organisations, and they must be addressed by them.
Two years ago, the ILO launched the idea of a new social dialogue based on a tripartite system. But it seems that employers are not interested in this very important initiative and prefer to ignore both the ILO and the trade unions.
This happens to occur at the same time as the employers and their associations invite trade unions to roundtable discussions in Davos.
But, in my opinion, the debate in Davos did not focus on this aspect. On the contrary, it looks more like the organisers of the World Economic Forum want to divert the debate towards objectives which are the opposite to our own.
The Porto Alegre initiative, while important in my view, only partially addressed the agenda and objectives set out by the global labour movement.
We should not exclude the possibilities of working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other organisations having the same objectives as ourselves.
I do believe, however, that if we are to achieve our objectives we have to take the lead not only in theory but also through our actions.
The fact that many of our affiliates from unions in the South were well represented at Porto Alegre should give us something to ponder. They clearly viewed the initiative as a strong force against what was happening in Davos.
On the other hand, the presence of some of our global unions at the World Economic Forum in Davos indicates that within the global union movement we have differing views on how to most effectively oppose the ill effects of globalisation on our members.
Such divisions must be urgently dealt with. We need to do this prior to taking any initiatives to either a follow-up to Porto Alegre or to continue attending the World Economic Forum.
To make an impact and to achieve our goals at the national and international level, we need to act decisively and swiftly.
The IMF, therefore, calls for an urgent meeting of the global labour movement to debate and discuss these matters.
The final outcome must be a united approach to combating the negative impact of globalisation on our members.