I didn't realize that Papandreou was president of the Socialist International. That is too funny. This again illustrates why it's so important to call yourself a "socialist."
On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 7:25 AM, c b <[email protected]> wrote: > [INTRO NOTE: The following report is reprinted from > Issue No. 21 (October 28, 2010) of the International > Liaison Committee newsletter, in preparation of the Open > World Conference that will be held in Algeria on > November 27-29.] > "It's Necessary to Return to Trade Union Fundamentals" > -- Report on ITUC Congress by Julio Turra (CUT-Brazil) > and Tetevi Gbikpi-Benissan (UNSIT-Togo), in their > personal capacity > > ILC <[email protected] > > It's Necessary to Return to Trade Union Fundamentals > > (A contribution from trade union officers Julio Turra > (CUT-Brazil) and Tetevi Gbikpi-Benissan (UNSIT-Togo), in > their personal capacity. Both are supporters of the > International Liaison Committee of Workers and Peoples > and were delegates to the Second Congress of the > International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in > Vancouver, Canada, on June 21 to 25, 2010.) > > We were present -- as delegates from the Unified Workers > Central of Brazil (CUT) and the National Union of > Independent Trade Unions of Togo (the UNSIT) -- at the > Second Congress of the International Trade Union > Confederation (ITUC), the first since its foundation in > November 2006 in Vienna, Austria. > > Let us remind you that this body was formed on the > November 1, 2006, as the product of a merger between the > International Confederation of Free Trade Unions > (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), of > Christian origin. The ITUC represents 166 million > members in 309 organisations from 156 countries. During > its founding congress, the ITUC adopted statutes in line > with the framework of "democratic governance of > globalisation". > > With nearly 1,400 participants (including nearly 1,000 > delegates), the Second Congress opened with a special > guest. To our great astonishment, George Papandreou, the > prime minister of Greece, addressed the congress by > video from Brussels. Introduced by the chairperson of > the congress as "an old friend of labour", Papandreou > explained that he was compelled to apply the policy that > he was applying because "the right had led Greece to > bankruptcy". Papandreou's policies caused the sharp > reaction of Greek workers, expressed in several > demonstrations and general strikes, as these policies > attacked basic social rights and gains. > > Amidst the applause coming from one part of the audience > (while another part waited, dumbfounded and in vain, for > a reaction from the Greek union leaders of the GSEE), > Papandreou reasserted his "respect for the trade unions" > and stated that he would work to reduce these rights "as > little as possible." > > In the general discussions that followed (one or two > speakers for each union confederation, with five minutes > each), Michael Sommer of the Confederation of German > Trade Unions (DGB), who will assume the presidency of > the ITUC for the coming four years, said that > "Papandreou is not only the Prime Minister of Greece, > but is also president of the Socialist International" > and that "the SI parties in power are applying plans > against the rights of workers and against employment, > without challenging high finance and speculation." That > is why the ITUC is going to have to play, he said, "the > political role that the IS -- only a shadow of its > former self -- is no longer playing." > > Apart from the thanks addressed to Guy Ryder, who is > leaving his position as Secretary General (he will be > replaced by Sharron Burrow from Australia, who will then > be passing on the presidency to Sommer), most of the > speeches defended "the democratic governance of > globalisation", the agenda of "decent work" and "green > jobs" and especially the need for trade unions to put > pressure on the IMF, the WTO and the G20, in favour of > taxing financial transactions (of the Tobin Tax type), > whilst others demanded taxes to supply the funds for > assistance to the victims of the crisis (the unemployed, > the countries of the South, etc.) > > Few dared to do what a Tunisian delegate did -- and this > is to speak of "global capitalism". Instead everyone > hammered home the message that the enemy is "market > fundamentalism" (a total abstraction). Stress was placed > on the G20 being a "hope". > > Sommer, who we already quoted, even held forth that the > ITUC should be "the voice of those who are not directly > represented by the G20" (but the results of the meeting > in Toronto several days later would be a disappointment > for the ITUC - see below). > > In his speech, Brother Gbikpi-Benissan addressed the > congress and asserted: > > "We in Africa, as on other continents where the > populations are being decimated by poverty, have been in > crisis over long decades now. From the beginning of the > 1990s, we have warned that the face of Africa, smashed > to pieces by the consequences of the SAPs (Structural > Adjustment Plans) and the so-called ethnic wars, will > soon become the face of the world, if nothing is done to > stop the ravages of neo-liberal globalisation. That is > where we are today and 'budgetary adjustment' is not > very far from 'structural adjustment'. > > "Among the six strategic priorities identified in the > report and the main resolution of the Congress, the last > two (a new model for development; the governance of > globalisation) appear -- correctly -- to be the most > difficult to achieve because they mean a frontal > collision with the very structures of capitalism. > > "We are obviously pleased to hear speeches on the > Welfare State, on the 'consistency of policies', > speeches denouncing deregulation, liberalisation, > privatisation, 'market fundamentalism', employment > insecurity, informal economy, etc. But the African trade > union leader that I am cannot help but have serious > doubts. And to tell the truth, I am not the only one. > Can it be otherwise when we see Finance Capital, for > example, having been saved by public money, return to > its congenital perversions? ... > > "For us, if the trade unions want to continue defending > the real interests of labour, isn't it primordial to > fight, step by step, to preserve the independence of our > organisations? In this regard, we are more than somewhat > preoccupied with the attempts at co-opting them, along > with the ILO also, into what is called the 'new > governance'? > > "The ILO agreements must be ratified and respected. We > continue to demand the pure and simple cancelling of the > debt for our countries, not its reduction. We continue > to demand the increasing of public aid to development. > And, worldwide, in order to stop the appalling > destruction of jobs -- which we all denounce -- why not > fight all together for the pure and simple banning of > lay-offs? It is indispensable that we come back to the > fundamentals of trade unionism." > > On the second day of the Congress, the guests of honour > were no less than the General Director of the IMF, > Dominique Strauss-Kahn (also introduced as an "old > friend of labour") and Pascal Lamy of the WTO, who is > one of the directors of the Davos World Economic Forum > (which gathers the multinationals who control the world > economy and the governments). > > The room was half-empty for Dominique Strauss-Kahn's > speech, thus indicating the negative reaction of many of > the delegates -- particularly those from Africa, Asia > and Latin America -- to the presence, at a congress that > is supposedly for trade unions, of the head of a > multilateral institution of global capitalism whose > recipes, applied in diverse countries, have been a > disaster in terms of privatisation, attacks against > social rights and labour law, all in the name of paying > back the illegitimate foreign debt. > > Also invited to the congress was the President of > Argentina, Cristina de Kirchner who, until then, had > never before mentioned the words "trade union" or > "working class". She stated that the IMF had destroyed > her country and that another policy was needed, one > which would strengthen the domestic market and see to > salaries. > > A delegate from the Federation of Argentine Workers > (CTA) commented on this speech for us and said that it > "wasn't quite like that" and that the Kirchner > government had "taken measures against the workers and > their rights". > > While the ITUC Congress was being held in Vancouver, we > noted that in Toronto, way on the other side of Canada, > 10,000 demonstrators were mobilised against the world > leaders of the G8 and the G20. At the same time, > Canadian civil servant unions were organising > significant movements against the cutting back of > rights. Nonetheless, unperturbed, the leadership of the > ITUC went on preaching about the need to "democratise" > the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, etc. > > As to perspectives, several different leaders of the > ITUC asserted to the congress that measures -- which > they called "historic" -- would be adopted by the G20 in > Toronto, at the request of U.S. President Barack Obama, > against the speculators and the banks who were > responsible for the global financial crisis. What Obama > had actually announced was that he would pursue, on all > fronts, the permanent trade wars in favour of the > multinationals, who are mainly all U.S.-based > multinationals. > > In fact, Obama declared in Toronto that, "Every economy > is unique" that "every country will chart its own unique > course" but "make no mistake -- we are moving in the > same direction"... meaning that all countries, even at > differing paces, must apply the austerity measures and > structural adjustment of the IMF in order to preserve > the interests of the U.S. financial groups. > > The calls made from the podium by the leaders of the > ITUC in Vancouver for "regulation of the global > financial market", for the "democratic governance of > globalisation", of "assistance to victims of the > crisis", or for taking into account "those who are not > directly represented by the G20", etc., were not heard > at the G20 summit. All the talk at this G20 summit was > about the reduction of the public deficit. As workers > and trade unionists, we know full well what they mean > when they talk about "reducing the public deficit." They > mean the destruction of employment in the public sector, > attacks on social rights, employment insecurity, > worsening of mass unemployment, increased degradation in > the standard of living for workers and the peoples as > whole, the generalisation of poverty, etc. > > This is what the governments, the multinationals, the > IMF, the EU, etc., are demanding in order to save the > capitalist system, as the crisis goes on in the > developed countries and economic growth, according to > the G20, is to continue to be sluggish in the future. > ... > > Yes, there is a need for returning to the fundamentals > of trade unionism. The trade unions were born to defend > the interests and the rights of the working class, today > threatened by austerity measures said to be > "compulsory". We must resist and fight back against all > attempts to be co- opted by the institutions charged > with the application of those measures. These are > policies that lead to the weakening and then to the > disappearance of trade unions by destroying the very > bases of their existence: the workers, their salaries, > their rights and their social gains. > > Julio Turra (CUT, Brazil) > Gbikpi-.Benissan (UNSIT, Togo) > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
