SOCIAL CLAUSES AND FAIR TRADE: World trade is a women's issue! What is happening to world trade? The expansion of the world market economy involves the decontrol of trade relationships. This gives more power to multinationals, produces greater inequality and threatens the rights of workers. As a supposedly flexible and dispensible workforce women are particularly affected, often being employed for long hours with no basic rights or fired from jobs at a moment's notice. How can the rights of women workers be protected? For workers everywhere the urgent issue is how to protect their rights in a global economy. In Europe trade unions and many NGOs are campaigning for social clauses which guarantee basic rights in line with ILO conventions. A social clause in a trade agreement would allow economic sanctions to be taken against exporters who fail to observe these standards. However such measures are highly controversial and the motivation has often been the protection of jobs for workers in Europe. It is important to look at how and why particular proposals are made and whose interests they would serve. One thing that is certain is that the voices of women workers in the South have not been heard in debates on social clause agreements. Women Working Worldwide is therefore promoting the exchange of information and opinion on this issue and preparing to lobby appropriate bodies. ( e.g. EU Trade Committee) Campaigning for Fair Trade in Garments WWW is coordinating 'The Labour Behind the Label', a UK network of NGOs and others who are concerned to improve working conditions in the garment industry. We are also interested in the promotion of direct trading networks as ways of developing alternative trading opportunities. So what can you do? please let us know:- Have social clauses been discussed within your own group or trade union? Are you are interested in working together to lobby appropriate bodies? Do you want to work with us on the Labour Behind the Label campaign ? (If you are already working on social clauses please send relevant documents) Reply to : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Angela Hale - Women Working Worldwide Centre for Employment Research Room 126 MMU Humanities Building Rosamond Street West Manchester M15 6LL UK Tel: 0161 247 1760 Fax: 0161 247 6333
