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25 April, 2000Globalising the Trade Union Movement
The world's economy is concentrated in the hands of a few. According to the World Bank, 358 groups control 10 times more money than the gross national product of all the countries in the world combined. This means that most of the decisions affecting the lives and living conditions of the world's population are not submitted to any democratic control.
Newspapers, TV news, Internet, etc. are being dominated by two major topics.
One concerns the swings in the stock market. Wall Street, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong -- the daily reports we receive from all these financial centers make me think more of the gambling and slot machines of Las Vegas, rather than how the world economy should be organised to alleviate poverty and create equality across the globe.
The second relates to the mergers, takeovers, acquisitions, etc. etc. of companies in some of the more important economic sectors, such as telecommunications, information technology and automobile. Vital decisions which affect hundreds of thousands of employees and their families and which carry extreme importance for most countries are just being announced and circulated through the mass media without any previous discussion with the people concerned. This applies as well to supposedly democratically-controlled institutions such as governments and organisations which represent the employees, who have been excluded from any form of influence and discussion on matters concerning their interests.
This explains, I believe, the reactions against globalisation which have been expressed so strongly many times and in different forms during the last few years. Banks, financial institutions and transnational companies together with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation are responsible for this opposition to globalisation which is largely spread among people in many countries.
We, in the labour movement, will have to look at the issue more rationally and debate how to bring globalisation to benefit workers and their families. The goal must be to create the conditions for sustainable growth all over the world in order to share the wealth equally among all people.
The institutions which were created in the past to help countries achieve this aim have failed in their purpose. Therefore, they must be reformed. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund cannot go on being dominated only by the interests of the richest countries in the world.
The International Monetary Fund cannot continue to finance countries which are in trouble because of losses due to speculating on stock exchanges.
The World Bank has to stop putting conditions on countries' economic and social policies which create poverty and social unrest, as in many African nations.
The WTO must discuss how to give trade agreements the social dimension needed to make sure that trade benefits everybody and not just the rich and largest nations.
Globalisation has to be a positive tool, if we are serious about creating possibilities for jobs and wealth in all countries of the world.
This also means that efforts must be made by everyone -- but, again, equally shared.
Not like now, where the poorest are paying an unproportionally high price, while the richest are getting even richer.
Newspapers, TV news, Internet, etc. are being dominated by two major topics.
One concerns the swings in the stock market. Wall Street, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong -- the daily reports we receive from all these financial centers make me think more of the gambling and slot machines of Las Vegas, rather than how the world economy should be organised to alleviate poverty and create equality across the globe.
The second relates to the mergers, takeovers, acquisitions, etc. etc. of companies in some of the more important economic sectors, such as telecommunications, information technology and automobile. Vital decisions which affect hundreds of thousands of employees and their families and which carry extreme importance for most countries are just being announced and circulated through the mass media without any previous discussion with the people concerned. This applies as well to supposedly democratically-controlled institutions such as governments and organisations which represent the employees, who have been excluded from any form of influence and discussion on matters concerning their interests.
This explains, I believe, the reactions against globalisation which have been expressed so strongly many times and in different forms during the last few years. Banks, financial institutions and transnational companies together with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation are responsible for this opposition to globalisation which is largely spread among people in many countries.
We, in the labour movement, will have to look at the issue more rationally and debate how to bring globalisation to benefit workers and their families. The goal must be to create the conditions for sustainable growth all over the world in order to share the wealth equally among all people.
The institutions which were created in the past to help countries achieve this aim have failed in their purpose. Therefore, they must be reformed. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund cannot go on being dominated only by the interests of the richest countries in the world.
The International Monetary Fund cannot continue to finance countries which are in trouble because of losses due to speculating on stock exchanges.
The World Bank has to stop putting conditions on countries' economic and social policies which create poverty and social unrest, as in many African nations.
The WTO must discuss how to give trade agreements the social dimension needed to make sure that trade benefits everybody and not just the rich and largest nations.
Globalisation has to be a positive tool, if we are serious about creating possibilities for jobs and wealth in all countries of the world.
This also means that efforts must be made by everyone -- but, again, equally shared.
Not like now, where the poorest are paying an unproportionally high price, while the richest are getting even richer.