IMF - the last twenty years

In the new millennium, the IMF is also increasingly present at the World Social Forum. At the 2005 meeting, the IMF and its major Brazilian affiliates organized a march for employment that drew more than 4,000 participants. The IMF's Program for Social and Economic Alternatives stresses the forming of alliances with a broad range of democratic organizations that support the labour movement's values.

Integrating new affiliates in this period of vast political and economic change also required the IMF to adapt its own structures. The IMF Regional Office for East Asia based in Tokyo was closed, and new ones in Southeast Asia and the CIS countries were opened. In addition, beginning in 1996, new regional structures for representation and coordination were created. By the end of 2002, this process was completed, resulting in four world regions (Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific) each of which has from 2-4 sub regions, which have a regular schedule of meetings.

Starting in the late 1990's, the IMF began to focus on developing and negotiating International Framework Agreements (IFAs). TNCs and their globe spanning production chains had become increasingly important. IFAs essentially are agreements between a Global Union and a TNC in which the latter agrees to respect the ILO's core labor standards in all of its operations. For the IMF, a requirement for contractors and suppliers to respect the IFA's standards is also a critical provision, as is union participation in IFA implementation. The agreement may also contain other clauses, e.g. requiring a "living" wage", forbidding the hiring of replacements for striking workers, or additional clauses on implementation.

The first IMF IFA was signed in 2002 (with Merloni, now Indesit), but by November 2008, the total had reached 19 including some of the worlds major vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers, aerospace, and steel companies. Several additional IFAs were proposed but not signed, because they fell short of the IMF's principles or minimum standards. Considering that all seven GUFs have now signed a total of 53 IFAs, the IMF's share amounts to a very notable success. Unfortunately, virtually all agreements are with European TNCs, which means that pursuing agreements with Asian and American enterprises remains a priority for the IMF.

IFAs are important instruments for ensuring workers' rights and union building. There has already been several successful application uses, for example, the Daimler-Chrysler agreement helped settle a long-standing dispute at a Turkish parts supplier. The IMF has also developed guidelines for negotiating and implementing IFAs. Because the role of unions and the IMF in negotiating and monitoring agreements is crucial, a World Conference on IFAs was held in 2006 resulting in comprehensive recommendations which were later adopted by the Executive Committee in May 2007 in Spain.