No. 102/1 May 2000
Message from Willy Thys, General Secretary of the WCL, on the occasion of 1 May 2000
TopAnd what if the year 2000 started in November 1999? The demonstrations that
punctuated the WTO meeting in Seattle may well mark the beginning of a new
context. The debates on globalisation were held in public, for the first time
ever at that level, as they will be at each future important economic-financial
meeting. Public opinion and the civil society will henceforth force their way in
a discussion that is usually conducted behind closed doors. Many demonstrations
show the courage of the activists, with different intentions indeed, who do not
hesitate to travel up and down the continents.
It has become obvious that the neo-liberal form globalisation has taken is not a
matter of course, that it is not inevitable, that it is just one option among
others and therefore debatable. It is also obvious - and this is new in public
opinion - that this globalisation affects all aspects of our lives: the
employment for sure, but also the access to culture, health and education, the
quality of our food, etc., even if simplistic analyses should be avoided in this
respect.
The trade unions took part in this movement. So, they started the year 2000 with
encouraging motives which, however, should not be deceptive.
Indeed, a lot remains to be done. The logic of what is called worldwide
governance is still the logic of the business world, to the detriment of the
human aspect. Even if it is denounced, the balance of power does not yet allow a
reversal of this logic.
Maybe time has come to go beyond the denunciation and to propose alternative
forms of the world's economic organisation, the priority of which must be social
development. This encompasses decent working conditions for each and everyone, a
collective organisation allowing the satisfaction of the basic needs of each
human being, and a political organisation that guarantees participation and
dignity.
Growth is necessary for employment, but insufficient to guarantee a fair
distribution of its benefits. It is true that wealth is produced in larger
quantities that in the past, but its distribution remains unjust. This is not a
North-South conflict. It is a conflict between the world of globalised
enterprise and a world of work not yet sufficiently globalised.
This is the challenge opening the year 2000. One element of response is
essential: the necessity of invigorating associative life and in particular, as
far as the WCL is concerned, the workers' organisation. This cannot but
materialise through trade union freedom. It is in strong trade unions we will
find a power to counter the strength of the companies and the intolerance of
some governments.
Without sufficient wages poverty will grow and child labour will extend.
But the social orientation of the economy is never a present from the powerful.
It is the result of a struggle. The trade unions have a hundred years' history
in the industrial countries, somewhat less in the developing ones. It is up to
them to show that they have not been outmatched by the globalisation and that
they, too, are capable of constituting a worldwide countervailing power.
Joining a union is certainly not self-evident, less than in the past. The use of
trade unions is less well perceived, which does not mean that it is actually
less, now that the terms and conditions of labour are diversifying and the
predominant ideology is driving to individualism. An arduous task lies ahead of
us: not only restore the conviction that trade unionism is a necessary power of
transformation, but also adapt our structures so that they effectively
constitute this power.
The WCL is committed to this, but is success is necessarily based on solid
national organisations capable of exceeding their institutional interests for
the benefit of an adequate response to today's challenges.
TopThe Indonesian trade union confederation SBSI (Serikat Buruh Sejahtera
Indonesia) has assembled its third Congress since 24 avril, the first one in a
climate of political freedom. The SBSI, the name of which means Indonesian trade
union for prosperity, is a young trade union based on the principles of
democracy and political independence. Willy Thys, general secretary of the World
Confederation of Labour, stressed this double acquisition in his message to the
Congress: the regained freedom at political level on the one hand, and the
importance of trade union pluralism on the other.
Yet, Willy Thys deplored, in front of the minister of Labour who attended the
opening session of the Congress, that this freedom was still suffering from
unacceptable limits. On Monday, a Dutch trade unionist, member of the FNV, was
denied entry into the country because his name figured on a "black
list" that dates back from several years, this despite the steps the WCL
general secretary took with the border authorities at the airport. Despite the
efforts of the new government, practices originating from the old regime
continue to weigh down on the democratic process in Indonesia. The WCL wants
international trade union delegations to be protected against such practices, on
the ILO's initiative.
TopOn 13 April, the WCL's African regional organisation, DOAWTU, applied to the president of Burkina Faso, Mr Blaise Compaoré, to demand the release of all people arrested the week before and penalties for those responsible for the death of journalist Norbert Zongo and his three companions. The civil society of Burkina Faso has been in a turmoil since the assassination of Norbert Zongo in December 1998 and even more since it was revealed in a report that the murderers had to be sought in presidential circles. Strikes and demonstrations against the impunity and for a political change took place at regular intervals, with the participation of the trade unions. This was the case in the past month, during which the police took violent action and arrested several people, who were set free afterwards.
TopColombia: On 7 March, the workers of Telecom in Santafé de Bogota were brutally attacked by the riot police during an information meeting on their platform of demands. They police used tear gas, threw several projectiles, used the water cannon, kicked the workers and threatened them with their firearms. Several people, mostly women, got injured. One of them is an activist of SITTELECOM.
TopOn 13 April 2000, the Central African Parliament adopted Minimum Age Convention (no 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (no 182). The Head of State had to enact them by the end of April.
Top1/5 Workers' Jubilee - Pontifical Council Rome (Italy)
1/5 IYCW Congress Brussels (Belgium)
4-31/5 International training of trade union officials
5-12/5 Mission China Beijing (China)
8-10/5 67 CLAT Executive Committee meeting Caracas (Venezuela)
11-12/5 International Conference "Jubilee 2000 - Foreign Debt" Caracas
(Venezuela)
13-20/5 Wood & Building Congress Namibia
22-25/5 DOAWTU General Council Lomé (Togo)
30-5/15-6 : 88th session International Labour Conference Geneva (Switzerland)
31-5/1-6 : WFCW CEEC Seminar
CMT - WCL - WVA - TELE FLASH is a two-weekly information bulletin
containing brief trade union messages, edited by the press department of the WCL.
Responsible Editor: Willy Thys (e-mail: Willy.Thys@cmt-wcl.org)
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Information Officer: André Linard (Andre.Linard@cmt-wcl.org).
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