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1 June, 2000
At the IMF's last Congress it was decided to give high priority to education. Education should also include a great portion of international issues. The IMF Secretariat was instructed to do its best to get all its affiliates to include in their educational programmes at all levels topics dealing with international questions such as globalisation, transnational companies, international organisations/agencies such as the International Labour Organisation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc.
The goal is to train and educate people and also give to trade union leaders within the IMF an international dimension which is missing today. This can be achieved only if IMF affiliates begin to work hard at getting international questions dealt with at all levels of their structures.
Honestly, how many of the IMF's affiliates discuss international matters at their ordinary meetings of the Executive and/or decision-making bodies, except when they have to select a delegation to go abroad to represent their own organization?
There is nothing wrong with this, but we must try to get every trade union leader to deal with the fundamental issue of finding the links between his or her union work at shop-floor level and the ones at another company at the other end of the world.
And the IMF has to do its own share of the job if we are to succeed.
This is why I welcome the initiative taken on May 29, 2000, by the general secretary of the FIM/CISL, Giorgio Caprioli, a member of the IMF's Executive Committee. He called together the General Council of his federation and let them discuss international affairs for a full day. 130 trade union leaders from all Italian regions gathered and debated, after an introduction made by Bruno Manghi and the new international secretary of the FIM/CISL, Beppe Lazzaro.
After the debate, which lasted for more than five hours, I could express my appreciation not just for the quality of the debate but also for some of the concrete proposals made by some of the delegates.
It shows that international affairs should not be the exclusive property of a few linguistic experts, but everybody should deal with this in his or her daily work.
This is a great initiative, which should be followed by others.
I also hope the Italians of the FIM/CISL will not let this remain as just one isolated event. It must be followed up by others and by more intensive discussion at local level.
Grazie, Compagni !!
The goal is to train and educate people and also give to trade union leaders within the IMF an international dimension which is missing today. This can be achieved only if IMF affiliates begin to work hard at getting international questions dealt with at all levels of their structures.
Honestly, how many of the IMF's affiliates discuss international matters at their ordinary meetings of the Executive and/or decision-making bodies, except when they have to select a delegation to go abroad to represent their own organization?
There is nothing wrong with this, but we must try to get every trade union leader to deal with the fundamental issue of finding the links between his or her union work at shop-floor level and the ones at another company at the other end of the world.
And the IMF has to do its own share of the job if we are to succeed.
This is why I welcome the initiative taken on May 29, 2000, by the general secretary of the FIM/CISL, Giorgio Caprioli, a member of the IMF's Executive Committee. He called together the General Council of his federation and let them discuss international affairs for a full day. 130 trade union leaders from all Italian regions gathered and debated, after an introduction made by Bruno Manghi and the new international secretary of the FIM/CISL, Beppe Lazzaro.
After the debate, which lasted for more than five hours, I could express my appreciation not just for the quality of the debate but also for some of the concrete proposals made by some of the delegates.
It shows that international affairs should not be the exclusive property of a few linguistic experts, but everybody should deal with this in his or her daily work.
This is a great initiative, which should be followed by others.
I also hope the Italians of the FIM/CISL will not let this remain as just one isolated event. It must be followed up by others and by more intensive discussion at local level.
Grazie, Compagni !!