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20 June, 2000The president and general secretary of the IMF will express their concern for and dedication to human and trade union rights in China.
BIRMINGHAM: In July this year, the president of the International Metalworkers' Federation, Klaus Zwickel, and general secretary, Marcello Malentacchi, will for the first time make an official IMF visit to the People's Republic of China. They will meet with the trade union confederation of China and the two metalworkers' unions -- the Machinery and Metallurgical Workers' Trade Union and the National Defence Industry Workers' Union. There are about 22 million metalworkers in China.
In his report to the IMF Central Committee in Birmingham, Malentacchi said that it now seems certain that China will be granted entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)and that this will have a significant impact on the IMF's future work.
"Many of the companies we deal with -- Ford, Volkswagen, Boeing, ABB, Matsushita and Fiat -- already have extensive operations in the Chinese People's Republic," Malentacchi said. "One could say that there are only two types of multinationals today, those which have already invested in China and those which are going to do so."
According to Malentacchi, these developments raise many questions for the IMF. "Given the same employers, what kind of working conditions are usual in China today? What about workers' representation and health and safety provisions? What recourse could we have if work is transferred?"
Of course, there are no immediate answers. For this and other reasons, not least to express the IMF's concern and dedication to human and trade union rights, the organisation's president and general secretary will be making this official visit to China.
In his report to the IMF Central Committee in Birmingham, Malentacchi said that it now seems certain that China will be granted entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)and that this will have a significant impact on the IMF's future work.
"Many of the companies we deal with -- Ford, Volkswagen, Boeing, ABB, Matsushita and Fiat -- already have extensive operations in the Chinese People's Republic," Malentacchi said. "One could say that there are only two types of multinationals today, those which have already invested in China and those which are going to do so."
According to Malentacchi, these developments raise many questions for the IMF. "Given the same employers, what kind of working conditions are usual in China today? What about workers' representation and health and safety provisions? What recourse could we have if work is transferred?"
Of course, there are no immediate answers. For this and other reasons, not least to express the IMF's concern and dedication to human and trade union rights, the organisation's president and general secretary will be making this official visit to China.