focus on health and safety || unions lobby for social justice

International Centre for Trade Union Rights

Unions lobby for social justiceAuthor(s): ANNIE WATSONSource: International Union Rights, Vol. 6, No. 4, Focus on health and safety (1999), pp. 24-25Published by: International Centre for Trade Union RightsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41935814 .

Accessed: 12/06/2014 19:22

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

International Centre for Trade Union Rights is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extendaccess to International Union Rights.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.44 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 19:22:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ictur

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41935814?origin=JSTOR-pdf

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp


OPINION □ GLOBALISATION AND THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

Unions lobby for

social justice

ANNIE WATSON is director of the Commonwealth TUC

This report was written before the Commonwealth Heads of

Government meeting

THE Government Durban,

1999

South

British Meeting Africa

Commonwealth

from will

12-5 be

November.

Heads held

of in Government Meeting will be held in

Durban, South Africa from 12-5 November. The theme of the CHOGM is "Globalisation" and the Commonwealth Trade Union Council will be represented in Durban by the Director, Annie Watson, and a delegation from the UK, South Africa and Swaziland. The CTUC has submitted a memorandum entitled "Globalisation and social justice - a trade union view" which is sum- marised here.

The concerns which member organisations of the Commonwealth Trade Union Council bring to the attention of the CHOGM fall into three main areas: ■ ensuring that globalisation leads to tangible benefits for the poorest people - the roles of governments, international financial institutions and trade unions; ■ need for Commonwealth governments to improve their record on ratification and implementation of ILO Conventions; ■ abuses of human and trade union rights in many Commonwealth countries.

Effects of globalisation Globalisation is a word with which trade unionists are probably more familiar than many Commonwealth NGOs. Trade unions have been dealing with global issues throughout their exis- tence and are determined that globalisation should lead to greater social justice. Globalisation and market forces are transforming the social and economic environment and raising questions about the relevance of established methods of income distribution. The values espoused by unions - equity, justice and social cohesion - are under threat. Women are bearing an unfair share of the burden - they do not have equal access to education, health care or basic services. If globalisation is to improve the lives of working people rather than increase their poverty we need economic and social policies which are socially inclusive.

We believe that these social values should be translated into changes in the actions of the major institutions of globalisation - the IMF and World Bank and the World Trade Organisation - and would urge Commonwealth governments to support this. In particular:

IMF/World Bank meetings should include a greater social dimension in their policies. This could include: ■ providing social safety nets; ■ maintaining and enhancing school participation, particularly for girls, and eliminating child labour; ■ creating jobs; ■ respecting core labour standards;

■ promoting the participation of trade unions and other NGOs and employers' organisations in developing and implementing economic and social policies.

The challenge to the WTO at Seattle is to secure a much stronger political mandate to build a system of multilateral rules that commands broad popular support. In particular, the WTO must address the question of how to ensure the fair division of the benefits from world trade both between and within countries. Its agenda should include supporting internationally-accepted standards on workers' fundamental rights, on the environment and on improved market access for developing countries.

Need for ratification of ILO Conventions The ILO Core Conventions reflect the level of labour standards which member states across the world should aim to achieve. Forty-six of the 54 Commonwealth countries are members of the ILO, the exceptions being Brunei Darussalam, Kiribati, Maldives, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. For the first time, the CTUC has compiled and published a list of the conventions ratified by each Commonwealth ILO member. Trade unionists throughout the Commonwealth are campaigning for ratification and observance of the seven key conventions by Governments and the information will be up-dated on a bienni- al basis by the CTUC. Fifty ILO member countries have ratified all the Core Conventions but only six of these are Commonwealth countries (Bots- wana, Cyprus, Dominica, Guyana, Malta and Zambia).

Trade unionists will lobby governments to ratify the new Convention No. 182 aimed at eliminating the most hazardous forms of child labour and in future years this will be included in the list of key conventions.

Abuses of human and trade union rights in Commonwealth countries Ratification of the ILO Core Conventions is one step towards demonstrating commitment to observance of core labour standards. In many countries, despite ratification of conventions, governments do not take the measures necessary for their implementation. In its memorandum, the CTUC publishes extracts relating to Common- wealth countries from the International Confed- eration of Free Trade Unions 1999 survey of trade union and human rights abuses. Although there have been improvements in some countries, the survey illustrates a very bleak picture in others. In particular, the CTUC draws attention to the shameful exploitation of workers, mainly young women, in Export Processing Zones in many Commonwealth countries.

INTERNATIONAL union rights 4 Volume 6 Issue 4 1999



Conclusion Trade unionists throughout the Commonwealth respect the principles outlined in the 1971 Singa- pore and 1991 Harare Declarations and reaffirm their willingness to play a full part in promoting them. The CTUC is calling on governments to promote these principles and to: ■ seek to ensure that the benefits of globalisation are equitable and sustainable; ■ ratify and enforce the ILO Core Conventions, including the new child labour convention No. 182; ■ demonstrate respect for core labour standards and protect workers from exploitation; ■ work with trade unions to advance the princi- ple of social justice; ■ endorse the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

About the CTUC For 50 years, the trade unions in the Common- wealth have interacted, supported one another, and built a considerable solidarity network. The Commonwealth Trade Union Council links trade union national centres, representing over 30 mil- lion trade union members, in 51 of the 54 countries. It seeks to promote a democratic and pros- perous Commonwealth in which international labour standards are observed and operates in close co-operation with other international trade union organisations. The Chairperson is Gibson Sibanda, president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.

For further information contact Annie Watson, Director, Commonwealth Trade Union Council, Congress House, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3LS; email: [email protected]

The wisdom of Solomon

IN Earthmovers in the

the

courts

Solomon Ine - even

continue Islands

though

the to each keep lawyers

decision the workers

for

over

the Earthmovers Ine continue to keep the workers in the courts - even though each decision over

the last two years has been in the workers' favour. Meanwhile, at least one child has died of malnutrition.

Striking workers are without food for their families. With support from many unions and organisations in Australia and around the region, the Solomon Islands National Union of Workers has been able to provide subsistence level supplies and many people have established small food gardens.

Even these small gardens are problematic. Most of the workers are Malaitams who have come to the main island of Guadalcanal so many are plant- ing on other people's customary land. As the economic situation in the Solomon Islands comes under pressure there is mounting ethnic tension which recently erupted into violence.

The striking workers are asking for a new col- lective agreement and for an increase of 11.8 per cent on the US25c per hour they were paid by the Malaysian company which sends round logs directly out of the Solomon Islands. The company is logging virgin forests. It pays minimal tax and royalties. No wonder they are opposing trade unionism.

The impact of the nearly two year long strike is being felt by over 400 families. In the early stages, SINUW reached agreement with many schools to waive fees because education is not freely provided in the Solomon Islands. Children are paying the price of Earthmovers Ine unwill- ingness to recognise the union and to pay even the little more the workers are asking. Many of the children are now out of school. The company can calculate freely on there being extra pressure on the workers from families who are in desper- ate straits, seeing their children's need. Family units suffer under such pressure. Domestic violence can increase, there can be calls to forget

the long term gains of trade unionism and go for the short fix.

In a range of tactics, Earthmovers Ine had evict- ed many workers from even the slum houses they previously inhabited. Management has been "cleaned out" so many Malaysian workers have left the country - and they have left behind the Solomon Islander women whom they had taken as wives - and the children they had fathered. The very basis of local culture had been attacked. An old man died in one of the logging camps. This company worth millions and millions of dol- lars would not pay for the body of the elderly worker to be taken back to his home for burial.

The company has been able to afford this long battle because, with the Asian economic crisis, prices were down and it had a massive stockpile of logs to move.

The company can afford it. The children, families and workers cannot.

Australians are ranged on both sides of the legal battles. Earthmovers Ine have been employ- ing expensive high profile barristers and solici- tors. There are many rumours of bribery and pressure on local officials in the Solomon Islands.

Now, Stephen Howells and Judith Bornstein, barristers from Melbourne are volunteering support for the workers, Labour lawyers Orm Thomas and Bob Whyburn are representing SINUW and have, together with the CFMEU, been fundraising to help cover costs and provide food.

Many unions within Australia have contributed to help supply food and basic medical supplies over the past two years. The International Federa- tion of Building and Wood Workers to which SINUW is affiliated wishes to thank all those who have responded to its call for solidarity.

A disturbing case from the Pacific where corporate lawyers are

" playing a deadly

I

playing a deadly

SARAH FITZPATRICK works for the IFBWW South Pacific

Article from Workers Online: http://www.labor.net.au/ workers/magazine

Page 25 Volume 6 Issue 4 1999 INTERNATIONAL union rights



focus on health and safety || unions lobby for social justice

Documents