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17 April, 2001The International Metalworkers' Federation will add its voice, with a statement to the Quebec meeting.
THE AMERICAS: The top item on the agenda of the third Summit of the Americas, taking place in Quebec City, Canada, on April 20-22, 2001, will be the continued discussion and negotiations for creating the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a trade zone which would extend from Canada in the north to Chile in the south. The 34 heads of state and government attending the Summit intend to step up FTAA talks with a view to concluding an agreement by 2005.
The International Metalworkers' Federation, representing 6 million metalworkers in the Americas, will be present in Quebec, to draw attention to what is believed to be the real objectives of the FTAA negotiations, i.e. to expand corporate rights and constrain the powers of governments. In a prepared statement to the Summit, the IMF says that experience shows how unfettered competition leads to a race to the bottom. Free trade agreements deepen poverty and income inequalities within and between countries, and there is ample evidence that workers in the Americas have not benefited from neo-liberal policies.
Read here the complete English-language version of the IMF Statement to the FTAA Summit of the Americas or go to the associated link. The text in Spanish and Portuguese (found under "Spanish"), as well as English, can be downloaded from the website homepage, under "Publications".
During the Quebec Summit, IMF affiliates in the region will be involved in a number of activities planned around the FTAA negotiations.
The International Metalworkers' Federation, representing 6 million metalworkers in the Americas, will be present in Quebec, to draw attention to what is believed to be the real objectives of the FTAA negotiations, i.e. to expand corporate rights and constrain the powers of governments. In a prepared statement to the Summit, the IMF says that experience shows how unfettered competition leads to a race to the bottom. Free trade agreements deepen poverty and income inequalities within and between countries, and there is ample evidence that workers in the Americas have not benefited from neo-liberal policies.
Read here the complete English-language version of the IMF Statement to the FTAA Summit of the Americas or go to the associated link. The text in Spanish and Portuguese (found under "Spanish"), as well as English, can be downloaded from the website homepage, under "Publications".
During the Quebec Summit, IMF affiliates in the region will be involved in a number of activities planned around the FTAA negotiations.