N° 114 / 1 November 2000
European section
European section
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The European Section of the WCL assembled in Brussels on 6-7 October 2000.
The agenda included items such as the Europe - Latin America relations follow-up group, the preparations for the 6th European regional meeting (ILO - December) which the WCL will attend, training, women, and standards. The Bucharest-based liaison office presented its report. The affiliates from Central and Eastern Europe provided information and a survey of the trade union situation in the respective countries. On the basis of this information it was decided to conduct a mission to Russia, Kazakhstan and Georgia. It goes without saying that the situation in Kosovo and Serbia was discussed in the light of the recent developments in that area. At the suggestion of our Macedonian affiliate the WCL will conduct a meeting in Skopje and involve Bulgaria in it.
The European Section decided to set up a European Union - Latin America working party, composed of the following organisations: ACV-CSC, CFTC, CNV, USO and BASE-FUT; Eduardo Estévez will represent the WCL. In the matter of training, it was decided to organise a workshop to prepare the 25th WCL Congress (Bucharest - October 2001) politically. There was not yet a final decision on the theme of the World Women’s Conference, which will assemble within the framework of the Congress.
Confederal Board
The 204th Confederal Board session took place in Asuncion, Paraguay, on 14-21 October 2000. According to custom, it examined, from the perspective of the implementation of the plan of action 1997-2001, the WCL’s activities in the period under review: the development of social and trade union action in the continents, trade action, the international action in favour of women workers, the action in the field of labour standards, human rights, youths, migrants, training, information, the activities with the international institutions and the trade union relations and co-operation. The Board also discussed the state of affairs regarding the preparations for the 25th Congress. In conclusion of its activities the Board published the "Declaration of Asuncion", in which it reaffirms its commitment to the poorest and expresses its solidarity with the Paraguayan workers en people, particularly with its affiliates CNT and CPT. The Declaration contains several agreements, eg on the strengthening of trade action, the reaffirmation of the policy and actions within the framework of the human rights and standards programme, the approval of the lines of force and principles of the "guidelines" for agreements between companies and representative workers’ unions. The Declaration also contains an expression of solidarity with the Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos - CUTC, affiliated to the CLAT and the WCL, which organised its Congress on 20-21 October. The CUTC general secretary, Pedro Pablo Alvarez, and other leaders were arrested (see below). The Board reiterated its readiness to step up the co-operation with the ICFTU, the ETUC and other international, regional and national workers’ organisations. In preparation for the 25th WCL Congress, the Board organised a broad debate on the policy document "The Workers’ Movement of the 21st Century". The document analyses the globalisation phenomenon and the effects of it on society and the world we are living in.
New affiliations
The Confederal Board approved the affiliation of the following organisations:
From Latin America:
Confederación Obrera Revolucionaria - COR - Mexico; Consejo Nacional de los Trabajadores - CNT - Mexico; Central Autónoma de Trabajadores Salvadoreños - CATS - El Salvador; Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos - CUTC - Cuba
From Africa:
Confédération Libre des Travailleurs de Mauritanie - CLTM - Mauritania
From Central and Eastern Europe:
Extraordinary membership: Confédération des Syndicats Libres du Kazakhstan - CSLK - Kazakhstan.
Cuba
The Confederal Board was informed of the events in Cuba with regard to the Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos, CUTC, affiliated to the CLAT and the WCL. It reacted by letter to ILO general director Juan Somavia, requesting his urgent mediation with the Cuban government to obtain the immediate release of a number of imprisoned people. The WCL insisted on the application of the recommendation made by the Committee on Trade Union Freedom (case no 1961 - approved by the Governing Body at its 277th session) to "see to it that the Consejo Unitario de Trabajadores Cubanos can work freely and that the authorities do not interfere to restrict the basic rights of this organisation".
CUTC general secretary Pedro Pablo Alvarez was arrested a first time on 12 October, but released in the evening of the same day. On 13 October he was arrested again and imprisoned in the "Centro de reclusión de la Calle 100 y Aldabo", Altahabana, in Havana City. Moreover, state security agents intimidated several leaders, demanding them not to attend the CUTC Congress on penalty of arrest. On 13 October several other people were arrested and confined. The obvious purpose of the actions was to prevent the CUTC Congress from taking place.
WCL received Mercosur
On 27 September the WCL received a tripartite delegation of the Advisory Economic and Social Forum of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay). Pedro Parra of the Paraguayan WCL affiliate CNT was part of the delegation. Willy Thys and Eduardo Estévez presented the WCL and stressed the need for a social dimension of regional integration as a prerequisite for benefiting the entire population and not only the companies. During the talks it became clear that there were divergent opinions about the role of Mercosur in the broader Latin American integration process. Should this process, in which four countries are involved, first be extended or rather deepened? In any case the participants appreciated their visit to the WCL.
WFAFW attends ILO meeting on Agriculture
The World Federation of Workers in Agriculture, Food, Hotel and Allied Workers (WFAFW) attended on 18-22 September 2000 the Tripartite Meeting on Sustainable Agricultural Development through the Modernisation of Agriculture and Employment in a Globalised Economy. Government, employers’ and workers’ representatives discussed topics such as the globalisation of agriculture, production and export results, the living standard, child labour in agriculture, gender, safety and health in the matter of child labour, genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The ILO presented its report entitled "Sustainable Agricultural Development in a Globalised Economy", in which it states that the three forces of globalisation are "foreign investment, trade and exchange of views". The proves that this system excludes the "human work" factor.
Martha Trejo from Honduras and E.M. George from Sri Lanka represented the WFAFW affiliates at this ILO meeting.
ACP-EU: Cotonou Convention
The WCL, the DOAWTU and the CLAT attended the 22nd meeting of economic and social circles EU/ACP (Brussels, 13-15 September 2000). The meeting was an opportunity to gain a better insight into the Cotonou Convention, which will substitute for the Lomé IV Convention as from 2001, and into the role of the social actors, including the trade unions, in the application of the Convention. The WCL stressed again the importance of recognising and actively involving the trade unions. The WCL, the ETUC and the ICFTU compiled a guide that reflects the trade union position to the Cotonou Convention. The guide is available at the WCL secretariat.
In conclusion of the meeting the participants passed a resolution on respect for democracy on the Fiji islands.
Human rights violations - Update
Chile
The WCL urged the Chilean authorities to see to it that Chile’s national law is in compliance with the ILO trade union freedom conventions. Last year Chile ratified conventions 87 and 98, but the national law needs adapting without delay because it runs counter to the standards Chile adopted.
The new government set up an advisory economic and social council, but the Central Autónoma de Trabajadores (CAT), affiliated to the WCL-CLAT, was excluded from this tripartite body.
The WCL keeps urging the government to recognise the CAT, a free Chilean workers’ organisation.
Colombia
By letter to the Colombian president the WCL has condemned the murder of Clovis Florez, president of the peasants’ organisation AGROCOSTA, in the department of Cordoba, and blamed the government for again not fulfilling its obligation to ensure respect for the human rights and protection of the trade union leaders.
EU-Mercosur and EU-Chile Conference
On 12 October, the European Commission organised a conference the main purpose of which was to modify the EU-Mercosur and EU-Chile talks. The conference was attended by representatives of the European civil society, companies, trade unions and universities. The WCL, which was invited to the conference, delegated confederal secretary Eduardo Estévez. He stressed the need to advance the corruption issue, an evil that affects the social tissue worldwide, and to work on a tripartite and independent control mechanism that would have the power to apply sanctions in case of human, social and labour rights violations, non-application of the environmental standards and corruption. It must be made sure, however, that the sanctions are not used as a protectionist measure. Juan Moreno, member of the Comisiones Obreras, took the floor on behalf of the WCL-ETUC-ICFTU. On behalf of Social Alert, I. Höferlin stressed the importance of including, and give more weight to, social aspects and basic workers’ rights in the EU-Mercosur and EU-Chile talks.
Schedule of activities
20/11 WFIW Board of Directors Breda Holland
23-26/11 Congress Cartel Alfa Skopje + CEE Seminar Bulgaria
25-29 Mission to Bulgaria
30/11 Meeting of WFIW affiliates Hamburg Germany
1-2/12 ELA-STV Congress Basque Country
2-9/12 ACFTU/WCL/ILO Seminar Brussels Belgium
8/12 ACV-CSC Textiles and Chemicals Merger Seminar
12-15/12 ILO - European regional meeting Geneva (Switzerland)
13-14/12 ETUC Executive Committee
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