China again!

The relationship to the Chinese official "Union" have been subject for long and sometime hard and emotional debate among IMF affiliates but also other international organisations as well as national trade unions. Rightly so. China is potentially one of the largest market in the world and is attractive for business of all kind. This represent an opportunity that if well used can create jobs and welfare in China and in the rest of the world as well. Especially for metalworkers it is extremely important that we follow closely what happens in the Chinese economy and also take all opportunity to influence the working conditions of the Chinese workers. We estimate that there are almost 1 million Chinese workers employed in American, Japanese and west-European TNC operating in China today. Many of our affiliates have direct bilateral contacts with the workers at company level. Few months ago we went to China in an official visit. A report from the mission was given to the Executive Committee that also decided, after an intensive and sometime tough discussion, to have exchange of informations with the Chinese Trade Union. During the visit we also gave the ACFTU a list of imprisoned trade union leaders that we believe have been detained unjustly because of their Trade Union Activities. The IMF has asked the Chinese trade union leaders to follow up the promise they make to us to do everything possible to release them. I do not have any illusion about that. I know that the Government considers any trade union activity out of the control of the ACFTU as offence to the law and will continue to do so. The latest news from China is not encouraging, on the contrary is very disturbing. In the region of Funing workers in several workplaces, textile-factories, brewery, and fertiliser-plant, have in vain tried to apply to form their own independent unions. At one silk factory the 1800 workers have been on strike since mi-november because of the refusal of the Authorities to permit the workers to form an Independent Union. The workers fear a crack down by the Government. And what is the ACFTU doing? This is the question we like to have an answer to because on this depend what kind of relationship free trade unions in the West can b have with them. China has accepted that core labour standards in the ILO-declaration are the basic principle on which national labour laws have to be building. Although China has not ratified convention 87 on freedom of association and 98 on collective bargaining and is only considering ratifying the one on child labour and forced labour the Government has accepted the principles. Furthermore China is entering the WTO as full member. This also implies the moral obligation to respect universal human values and trade union standards. The IMF is expecting that the two Metalworkers' Federations of the ACFTU do everything possible to put pressure on the leadership of the ACFTU as well as the Government to apply all this principles.