-----Original Message----- From: Chris Keene <chris.keene@which.net> To: Public Citizen MAI-NOT <mai-not@essential.org>; OPIRG MAI-NOT <mai-not@flora.org>; StopWTORound <StopWTORound@onelist.com>; ADHOC list <adhoc-L@undp.org> Date: Wednesday, November 10, 1999 12:41 AM Subject: [StopWTORound] [Fwd: WFTU memorandum] > >Attn: Christopher Keene >______________________________________________ > >WFTU memorandum > >No.23 >2 November 1999 >WFTU MEMORANDUM TO THIRD MINISTERIAL MEETING OF >WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION >Seattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999 > >1. The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) and its affiliates in >all continents are greatly interested on all the issues before the Third Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organisation since they directly affect the jobs, working conditions and the well-being of the working people in all Member States of the United Nations. >2. For all those who expected that the Uruguay Round and the establishment of the WTO would promote equitable and just international economic relations, trade and economic growth, there are now growing misgivings. Established structures such as the transnational corporations >continue to dominate world trade. Already a larger part of world trade takes place as internal transactions within the transnational corporations >and outside the framework of national or international regulation ? an aspect which should be seriously examined by the III Ministerial Meeting of the WTO. >3. It is widely felt that the multilateral trade agreements which are supposed to create a level playing field for all trading partners have >apparently failed to impose a sense of equity and fairness in the global market. >4.Evidently, world trade does not measure up to its actual potential mainly because demand is inhibited by the falling purchasing power of the vast majority of the world population. As UN reports show, one-half of the world population has an income per capita of less than two dollars a day. The purchasing power of developing countries as a whole has been declining because of the low prices their peasant producers and small undertakings get from the transnational corporations. Moreover, the outflow of resources from the developing countries resulting from declining terms of trade and the high cost of debt service to the foreign banks show up in their declining import capacity. Most developed countries have not fulfilled their commitment to devote 0.70 per cent of their GDP as Official Development Assistance (ODA). >5. Moreover, the overall purchasing power of the working people, both in developed countries and developing countries is declining because of the decline in real wages. This is a major reason for the recession in several industrial sectors, which affects trade growth as well. >6. Therefore, there should be a comprehensive review of these negative effects of the ongoing "globalisation? under the auspices of the transnational corporations and banks and, in particular, over the negative >impact of trade liberalisation on employment and living standards of the working people in many sectors and the consequent deterioration in the world social situation. >7. Such a comprehensive review should cover all the trade agreements negotiated and to assess the gains and losses in order to provide necessary relief to those negatively affected by these agreements. >8. While the solemn commitments undertaken by member States of the United Nations at the World Summit for Social Development which was held in Copenhagen five years ago are not acted upon, tremendous economic and political pressures are applied on countries to liquidate the social >safety net and hand over the vital public services to the private sector and foreign capital. The central point of the Copenhagen Programme of Action that all economic decisions should be aimed at the eradication of poverty and unemployment and should have a social dimension is thus totally ignored. >9. The WFTU wishes to reiterate that the basic issues outlined in the international development strategies and the General Assembly Declaration and Programme of Action for the establishment of a New International Economic Order (NIEO) which was adopted a quarter of a century ago, it appears, are being sidelined - if not ignored. That is why the WFTU wishes >to emphasise that Member States reiterate their commitment to the NIEO to work towards an international order "based on equity, sovereignty, >equality, interdependence, common interest and cooperation between states . . . which shall correct inequalities and redress existing injustices (and) make it possible to eliminate the widening gap between the developed >and developing countries.? >10. The trade unions are of the opinion that in the last 25 years, no serious efforts were taken to eliminate the distortions, inequalities and the pernicious influence of monopolies and cartels on vital sectors of world trade. As a result, the grim statistics of the Human Development Reports produced by the UNDP are now all the more glaring and scandalous. >For instance, some 250 financial tycoons have more wealth than the combined assets of almost one-half of the world population. The other side >of the global picture shows that one-third of the labour force is either unemployed or under-employed, that more than one billion people are unable >to meet even their most basic human needs, over 800 million are >undernourished and hungry and that nearly 60 per cent of the population of developing >countries ? more than 2.5 billion people ? have no access to basic sanitation and 30 per cent cannot get safe, drinkable water. >11. It has to be pointed out that the current priority to impose privatisation can only further strengthen the stranglehold exercised by the monopolies and cartels and undermine the goal of the international development strategies adopted by the UN. It was specifically stated in UN documents that economic order should be founded on several guiding principles, among them recognition that all states had "full permanent sovereignty" over their natural resources and economic activities. It was >specifically stated that states were entitled to exercise control over them, including the right of nationalisation - and should be free of economic or political coercion for exercising those rights. >12. It was also widely agreed that steps should be taken to establish a "just and equitable? relationship between the prices of products, raw materials and primary commodities exported by developing countries, and the prices of capital and manufactured goods and equipment imported by >them with the aim of bringing about improvement in their "unsatisfactory terms of trade? >13. In other words, the WTO is called upon to take energetic measures to eliminate the unequal trade and economic relations which lies at the root of the vast belt of poverty and exploitation of the working people and blocks the normal development of world trade and economic exchanges. >14. The events which led to the Great Depression of the 1930s must alert all those formulating strategies for the 21st century to the grave dangers of market manipulation, domination and control exercised by the monopolies and cartels and their modern incarnations as transnational corporations, trading companies, banks and finance cartels. Recent turmoil in the capital and currency markets has already created a huge social crisis. >15. The proposed multilateral discussions on services should draw the right lessons from the recent financial turmoil, which undermined the economies of several countries and regions. While capital transfers for productive purposes and to finance trade should be encouraged, strict measures should be taken to eliminate all forms of illegal practices and economic crimes. >16. The WFTU reiterates its submission to the earlier Ministerial Meetings that WTO should act upon the basic issues and ensure that international trading systems are based on principles of equality, >sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. In particular, the WFTU draws attention to the non-implementation of the resolution of the UN >General Assembly asking the US Administration to lift sanctions on Cuba. The Helms Burton Act who claims extra-territorial jurisdiction has not been repealed as yet. From a humanitarian point of view, the WFTU has repeatedly called for the lifting of all trade sanctions against countries >such as Cuba, Libya, Iraq and Iran, which deprive working people of access >to food, medicines and other essential commodities. The WFTU hopes that the Third Ministerial Meeting will impress upon all Member States of the WTO to uphold the basic principles of international trade law and cancel all trade bans and other such measures which affect the free flow of international trade. States, which have imposed arbitrary sanctions and boycotts, should be obliged to pay compensation to the countries and peoples who were victimised in this manner. >17. The WFTU believes that effective mechanisms exist within the tripartite structures of the ILO to oversee the implementation of international labour standards and investigate complaints related to >violations of ILO conventions. The ILO Declaration ON Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-Up adopted by the 86th Session of the International Labour Conference (1998) notes the consensus, >which exists on this issue. >18. National and international programmes of action should be put in place to ensure the universal implementation of international labour standards. In this connection, laws on corporate governance should be updated, to include provisions requiring all undertakings to include in >their annual reports all facts concerning the implementation of >international labour standards. Institutions should be established for a "Social Audit" with authority to look into the social consequences of all economic >decisions by all private and public sector enterprises, the transnational corporations as well as governmental institutions. >19. In all these matters, the WTO should further strengthen its cooperation with the ILO and the world trade union movement, calling on member States and all those concerned to coordinate efforts to secure the implementation of these international labour standards. >20. In this spirit, the WFTU reiterates its position that the World Trade Organisation should establish a system of regular consultations between the WTO and the international and regional trade union >organisations as well as other NGOs concerned with trade and development, in order to find effective ways of dealing with all trade issues which have a bearing on jobs and living standards and the enforcement of international labour standards and social justice. >____________________________________________________________ >Unsubscribe or access your membership settings at: >http://listserver.ilo.org:81/Unity/ctrlpanel/0/2/8 > >Altavista Babelfish translation: http://babelfish.altavista.com > > > > > >[Attachments have been removed from this message] > >--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > > GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU! >Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? 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