26 May, 2009On Tuesday morning the newly elected IMF President Berthold Huber addressed the delegates to the 32nd IMF World Congress and thanked them for their confidence in him. He also made it clear that what was needed now was to unite forces to meet the challenges confronting unions.
GLOBAL: "This Congress of the International Metalworkers' Federation in Gothenburg is not a normal Congress taking place in normal times," said Berthold Huber, who was elected by the delegates to the Congress as the new IMF President on Monday.
In his statement Huber referred to the devastating effects of finance capitalism in almost every country: "Millions of workers fear for their very existence, and millions have been plunged into dire poverty," he said. The way to the future must therefore be taken together, with genuine international solidarity. "The international community has the obligation to help build decent social safety nets in countries where they are lacking," said Huber in reference to the increasing unemployment in countries where there is no support for the unemployed.
Huber, who is also the President of IG Metall in Germany, called upon political leaders to rein in the financial markets. "They must be democratically regulated and monitored. The gambling casino must be closed!"he said. In addition the IMF President wants to combine the existing regulations of international organizations into a new legal instrument. "If we succeed, the rules of the market will finally take the concerns of labor into account: secure employment, International Labor Organization (ILO) core labor standards, social protection, regulated working conditions and industrial relations, in short: decent work."
The IMF is for solidarity in the fight for prosperity, justice and social security for everyone in this world, not just for the wealthy. The first requirement for that, in Huber's view, is open information among the member organizations. "The IMF is only as strong as we make it," stressed the IMF President, who intends to make a substantial contribution to strengthening the IMF.
To confront the challenges of the future, more global union networks and more effective international framework agreements are urgently needed. With united forces precarious employment must be fought and union rights in every country must be realized. As Huber said, it is also important to strengthen the IMF's regional work and to ensure greater involvement of the unions in countries of the South. As IMF President Berthold Huber put it in his statement on Tuesday, "strength lies in unity, not in division."
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