ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR (ASIET)
UNIONISTS AGAINST CORPORATE TYRANNY (UACT)
Militant trade unionist to visit Australia, August-September 2000.
Dear friend,
We are writing to let you know of the forthcoming tour of a leader of the
Indonesian National Front for Worker Struggle (FNPBI).
You may not have heard of this trade union confederation which formed last
year and elected former political prisoner Dita Sari to the position of
national chairperson, despite the fact that she was then still in prison.
Dita visited Australia together with Romawaty Sinaga, the union's
international officer, last year soon after Dita's release from jail. She
spoke at trade union rallies across the country against Peter Reith's
anti-union laws and met with workers and union officials.
While Dita is already well known here, her trade union isn't. The
worker organisations took advantage of the increase in democratic
space following the fall of President Suharto in May 1998. Dita
and many of her trade union colleagues were members of other
unions which had been witch-hunted and banned by the regime.
Their decision to set up the FNPBI, rather than join an existing
union, stemmed from their view that unions must struggle not only
around the economic issues but political demands as well. To that
end, the FNPBI advocated self-determination for East Timor, it
calls for a minimum 100% wage rise, no cuts to subsidies for
basic essentials and an end to the military's role in politics.
Additional information that will be sent to you by post provides more
information about the FNPBI.
The FNPBI's international officer, Romawaty Sinaga, will be
speaking at public meetings and seminars in Melbourne (August 27),
Sydney (September 2), Canberra (September 4) and Brisbane
(September 6). In Melbourne and Sydney the seminars are being
jointly organised by ASIET and Unionists Against Corporate
Tyranny (UACT), a network of trade unionists which is campaigning
for global justice (see attached statement).
ASIET would like to invite you to sponsor the FNPBI tour. This
could take the form of a financial contribution, or alternatively
some help to publicise the tour (photocopying, placement of tour
ads and educational material in your organisation's journal,
email networking etc). Please get in touch with either of us if
you'd like to arrange a meeting with the FNPBI representative or
can help out in any way. Roma is particularly interested in speaking at
worksites or shop steward and delegate meetings.
Yours in solidarity,
Pip Hinman Melanie Sjoberg
ASIET National Secretary Unionists Against Corporate Tyranny
ASIET PO Box 458, Broadway NSW 2007 Australia
Tel: 02-9690 1032 or 02-9690 1230 Fax: 02-9690 1381
Homepage: www.asiet.org.au E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
UACT PO Box 348, Broadway, NSW, 2007
email [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unionists Against Corporate Tyranny (UACT)
All out for September 11! Oppose the unjust world economic order of the
IMF, World Bank and WTO!
Today's world economy, dominated by the wealth and power of the
multinational corporations and intensifying global competition, is rapidly
increasing the exploitation of workers. It degrades their working
conditions, forces them to work harder for less and threatens them with
unemployment and a struggle to exist.
In the countries of the Third World (the "South") those lucky enough to find
work face subsistence wages, a working week of up to 60 hours, poisonous and
dangerous conditions and primitive, if any, social security.
For the workers of the advanced industrial countries (the "North") the gains
from a century of trade union and democratic struggles have been seriously
eroded or are under threat from privatisation, labour market deregulation
and dismantling of the welfare state - that is, from the agenda of
neoliberal economic "reform" common to the mainstream parties.
Economic injustice and inequality between the South and the North is stark.
Despite all the talk of "free trade" and a "level playing field" the terms
of trade for the exports from the South continue to decline (1.5 per cent a
year since 1980). They face tariff barriers up to five times as high as
those set for the economies of the North. The debt of the South to the North
stood at $US100 billion in 1970 and now stands at $US2.5 trillion. Had
export prices and interest rates stayed at the 1980 levels this debt would
have been completely paid off: it should now be cancelled.
Increasingly, workers are being forced into ruthless competition within and
between countries, but only the bosses benefit. The International Monetary
Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organisation are the main economic
enforcers of this unjust and unequal system. They make aid and loans
conditional on the implementation of anti-worker and anti-people economic
programmes, jealously guard the multinationals' monopoly of knowledge and
technology ("intellectual property rights"), and are dominated by the United
States and the G-7 club of rich industrial nations.
Trade unionists have only one principle to proclaim against this destructive
and unjust global system - we need to globalise solidarity among working
people. We should reject any call made in the North for increases in tariffs
and subsidies or for global trade agreements that include social and
environmental conditions (social clauses) that block exports from the South.
These only destroy jobs, working conditions and the environment in the South
without creating jobs or increasing people's employment security in the
North.
To counter the social and environmental devastation caused by neoliberal
globalisation we therefore propose the following programme of demands. It is
aimed at easing the burden carried by working peoples and countries of the
South, at reversing the loss of workers' rights and conditions in the North
and at drawing working people North and South into a closer union of
resistance against global corporate tyranny.
In the interests of global economic justice we say:
That the IMF and World Bank should�
1. Cancel all debts owed to them;
2. Stop imposing "structural adjustment programmes" that exacerbate poverty
and inequality through making loans conditional on neoliberal economic
"reform";
3. Pay reparations to the peoples who have suffered from the disastrous
impact of their programmes and cease to channel aid through private sector
investment that further fosters neoliberal programmes;
4. Be made democratic, participatory and transparent, and take full account
of the interests of the peoples most affected by their policies.
�or else be abolished!
And also that the World Trade Organisation should:
5 Overturn the discriminatory and exploitative ground rules for trade it has
imposed on the South and help provide the countries of the South with access
to new technology, knowledge, investment and trade opportunities;
�or else be abolished.
We further demand that the governments of the North, including the
Australian government:
6 Provide the South with equal access to technology, knowledge and
investment so as to boost their development potential;
7 Immediately implement the target assistance at 0.7 per cent of its GDP to
the countries of the South and that this aid be unconditional and directed
to those most in need; and
8 Cease the purchase of World Bank bonds as well as all payments to the IMF;
And that the Australian trade union and environmental movements:
9 Focus their work on solidarity with the unionists and environmentalists of
the South and not on introducing discriminatory "social clauses" into
trading agreements.
We also support the call made by Fidel Castro at the recent South Summit:
10 For the creation of a new development fund through applying a one per
cent tax on all global speculative capital flows, and this fund to be
democratically controlled by the countries of the South.
Signed:
Alana Kerr, delegate DOCS, NSW PSA; Alex Bainbridge, Hobart, State Council,
AEU; Alison Williams, ACA Canberra CPSU; Andy Blunden, Melbourne University
NTEU; Anna Kailis, Perth SSTU; Anthony Benbow, CEPU; Chris Spindler,
delegate Victoria AMWU, Chris Slee, delegate, Melbourne Tax Office, CPSU;
Coral Wynter, Queensland University, NTEU; Daniel Jardine, delegate,
Macquarie University, NTEU; Ian Jamieson, Perth MUA; Jenny Long, delegate,
NSW PSA; Jeremy Smith, Ballarat University, NTEU; Jim McIlroy, delegate
Brisbane Centrelink, CPSU; John McGill, delegate Adelaide Mail Exchange,
CEPU; Judy Swan, President Ballarat Uniiverity NTEU; Katherine Newnam, PSA
SA; Kirsten Cameron, ASU Airlines Branch organiser; Lachlan Malloch,
delegate Department of Fair Trading, NSW PSA; Linda Hansen, Brisbane CPSU;
Lisa Farrance, delegate, RMIT, NTEU; Manrico Moro, AAWL; Marcus Pabian,
member Students Association, Canberra University; Meredith Butler, producer
`Stick Together Show', 3CR; Micheal Amati, organiser, CPSU/CSA; Micheal Bull
CFMEU, Melanie Sjoberg, Mike Byrne, delegate Brisbane Telstra; Pat Brewer,
University of Canberra, NTEU; Paul Oboohov, delegate Canberra DETYA, Paul
Petersen, delegate, Department of Fair Trading, NSW PSA; CPSU; Peter
Johnston, Darwin, ASU; Phillipa Stanford.Brisbane CSA, CPSU; Rebecca
Meckelburg, Darwin CPSU; Rob Graham, delegate Adelaide CRS, CPSU; Rupen
Savoulian, Perth CEPU; Sam Wainwright, Sydney, MUA; Sarah Harris, delegate
Perth Centrelink, CPSU; Sarah Stephens, Perth Centrelink, CPSU; Stan
Thompson, BrisbaneTax Office, CPSU; Stuart Martin, delegate Screensound
Canberra, CPSU; Tim Gooden, Geelong, CFMEU, Tim Stewart, Brisbane, CPSU; Tom
Flanagan, Sydney, MUA; Yvonne Francis, Canberra, CPSU.
For more information contact;
Melbourne: Jeremy Smith 5229 0655, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sydney: Melanie Sjoberg 9690 1230, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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