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21 October, 2002
The Global Union Federations (GUFs), together with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), will meet to discuss how trade unions should act at the coming World Social Forum (WSF), at the end of January 2003 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
We, at the IMF, have been working hard to convince the other GUFs and the ICFTU to organise such an event, so we welcome this initiative and hope that its outcome will be beneficial to workers and their families.
The World Social Forum came about as a response to the other forum - the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The objective of the WSF is to bring together organisations representing various segments of civil society and provide them with the opportunity to organise a counterweight to the economic power which is in the hands of a few people.
The Forum in Davos is a highly private initiative which aims at making money by arranging discussions and seminars among those who represent the economic power in the world. They do not just represent the power; in fact, they have the economic power to rule the world.
The Davos Forum would be equally important as the World Social Forum, if the organisers and participants were serious about finding the answers to questions people are asking about their future - their jobs, pensions, environment and other fundamental issues. Despite the fact that many prestigious politicians and scientists have been speaking at the Davos Forum, the outcome of these discussions is very poor in terms of concrete measures to improve the working and living conditions of workers and their families.
Our organisation has taken a firm stand on this issue and decided not to participate in Davos.
The IMF will be active in Porto Alegre, however, where we see a great opportunity to discuss and find, along with other progressive organisations, possible answers to the questions people are asking.
The Global Unions - the GUFs, ICFTU and TUAC - have some ideas which need to be considered:
- an alternative economic programme, based on a Tobin Tax on cross-border currency transactions, cancellation of external debt for the poorest countries, a social dimension to trade, and a total reform of the International Financial Institutions;
- international Framework Agreements (codes of conduct) for transnational companies;
- the ILO declaration of basic principles.