Trade Unions Fight for Trade Justice at WTO Negotiations
10 Sep 2003
As the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference starts today, an estimated 43 million workers (mainly young women) around the world are labouring in Economic Processing Zones in the name of 'economic development'. In these zones textiles, garments and footwear are manufactured. These workers are forced to work in appalling conditions - many are locked into factories to carry out forced, often unpaid overtime work; they are fired for getting pregnant; and have been fed amphetamines by managers to keep them going through excruciatingly long shifts. These workers are denied basic human rights including forming a trade union.
According to Congress Development Officer Alisa Keane attending the WTO Conference
"WTO members are promoting a crude free market globalisation that has no respect for human rights- free trade does not alleviate poverty. It only exacerbates it."
In the eyes of the WTO trade panels, a product made illegally under hazardous conditions by children, or by a sweatshop worker on a 48 hour non-stop shift, is identical to one made under legal, safe and humane working conditions. The WTO's neutrality on this point is effectively an incentive to undermine international labour standards.
We are calling on WTO members-including the ROI and UK governments to commit themselves to defend fundamental workers' rights by ensuring that international trade promotes instead of undermining labour standards. The WTO must promote a trade system which works for people, eradicates poverty and promotes sustainable development.
Every day 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 while rich countries spend $1 billion on agricultural subsidies. Trade could play a significant role in reducing poverty but not while international trade rules are so biased against the poor and against developing countries. For years poor countries have been pressured to open their markets to competition. The historical evidence shows that no country has developed through indiscriminate liberalisation.
At the WTO Conference Trade Unions are calling for:
- Trade policy and practice must be consistent with international human rights, labour and environmental standards, with both states and corporations accountable. WTO rules must not over-ride international developmental, human rights and environmental agreements.
- Trade policy at the WTO must be fair, transparent and democratic.
- Poor countries must have the right to manage their own economies, allowing them the flexibility to set trade policies most suited to their development priorities.
- Rich countries must end all subsidies (including agriculture) which result in dumping of surpluses in poor countries, and remove all unfair barriers which prevent poor countries selling goods to rich countries.
- Any agreement on The General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) must exclude the opening up of public services.
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