LABOUR: WTO Shuns World’s Workers Once Again, Say Unionists

By Gustavo Capdevila Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Sep 28 2001 (IPS) - The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is once again ignoring labour unions’ endeavours to make sure that international trade accords include rules guaranteeing respect for the fundamental rights of workers, complain activists.

The draft of the declaration drawn up by the WTO for debate at its fourth ministerial conference, to be held in Doha, Qatar, Nov 9-13, contains only a vague reference to the issue, known as “the social clause,” without incorporating any new commitments.

The draft is limited to reaffirming the declaration that came out of the WTO’s first ministerial conference, held in Singapore in 1996, with respect to internationally recognised labour standards.

The Singapore conference rejected the initiative put forth by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) to create a working group on core labour standards within the WTO, though the Singapore declaration indicated that labour rules do constituted a matter of discussion within the WTO – which the unions at the time considered a victory.

At the 1996 conference, the ministers recognised the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as the competent entity for establishing labour norms and for following up on compliance.

But the matter was largely ignored at the two subsequent WTO ministerial conferences, in Geneva in May 1998, and in Seattle in December 1999.

Unions worldwide have now renewed their campaign on the issue, with sights on the upcoming WTO conference in the Qatar capital.

Another leading international union organisation, the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), joined the ICFTU in issuing an appeal to include the social clause on the agenda of the Qatar ministerial meet.

“The introduction of these labour standards is a key means of establishing minimum ground rules within the framework of globalisation and progressively improving working and living conditions worldwide,” asserts the WCL.

But the aspirations of the labour unions have run up against the staunch opposition of most developing countries, which reject the inclusion of the matter on the WTO agenda in general.

The Geneva-based South Centre, a research institution linked to developing countries, reckons that the social clause is being promoted by the “governments of a few advanced countries, as well as their unions and some parts of the business sector.”

They have been pressing to establish multilateral rules that would permit punitive trade measures to be taken against countries they say fail to uphold core labour standards, according to the South Centre.

The non-governmental group points out that the countries most likely to be accused of violating the labour rules would be developing countries, which are generally opposed to the social clause because they see it as “protectionist both in intent and in effect.”

The inclusion of the social clause in multilateral trade agreements would be intended to guarantee the right of importing countries to deny entry of goods produced by countries or corporations that violate internationally recognised minimum labour standards.

An ILO document prepared for a symposium held this week in Geneva reflects these discrepancies, stating that one of the most prominent “North-South fault lines at Qatar” will be labour standards.

The social clause is openly being promoted by some countries of the industrialised North, while the developing South continues its “vehement” resistance, says the ILO text, titled “Trade Unions and the Global Economy: An Unfinished Story.”

The study concludes that “trade unions have only been modestly successful in advancing their globalising social justice agenda.”

One aim of the symposium participants was press the WTO to be more responsive to the needs and demands of the world’s workers.

In a conversation with the unionists attending the symposium, Mike Moore, WTO director-general, explained that consensus does not exist within the organisation to approve the creation of consultative bodies on the matter that would include the participation of the trade unions.

Moore pointed out that some union delegations could attend the Doha conference, and would be included among the 647 non- governmental organisations (NGOs) that were invited to participate, of which half represent business interests.

In his statements at the symposium, Moore said many of the NGOs that create problems for the WTO are motivated by vested interests. Among them, there are many people “who are dangerous and undemocratic,” he commented.

The ICFTU admitted during the symposium that, from the trade union perspective, the draft agenda for the WTO’s new round of multilateral trade talks “does not look promising.”

But the need for urgent action on core labour standards is underscored by the fact that the number of export processing zones (also known as maquiladoras) has nearly doubled in just five years, says the organisation.

It is a particularly pressing matter, says the ICFTU, because China, “a huge country that systematically violates fundamental workers’ rights,” is soon to become a full-fledged WTO member.

Core labour standards refer to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, and the effective abolition of child labour.