Global Unions joint statement: historic summit on poverty threatened by wrangling

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All Global Unions have signed on to support the following statement issued yesterday by ICFTU, TUAC and EI. (See the complete list below)

"HISTORIC SUMMIT ON POVERTY THREATENED BY WRANGLING"

When 170 leaders of nations meet at the UN in New York next week, they must act on poverty in the world. Never before has the world seen so many people mobilized with one message: we must act on poverty and we must do it now!

155 million people are united in the Global Campaign against Poverty, joined by millions more around the globe, who watched the Live 8 concerts that brought young and old together under an enormous media spotlight. Major figures from sport, entertainment and business have joined the cause. G8 leaders meeting in Scotland this July made new commitments. Whiteband has become a symbol of human solidarity, from play-grounds to TV talk-shows.

Don’t let the UN Summit next week be stripped of all meaning for working people!

And yet, after all this, never before has the scene been set for such a dramatic cold shower. As leaders prepare to leave for New York, negotiators are working around the clock, all due to last minute moves by the US administration to wreck the planned global blueprint for tackling poverty, and strip it of all meaning.

So many hopes were invested in this summit, so much work had gone into persuading governments that this is the time to achieve key development goals – the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Now, in one fell swoop, all that is under threat. The new Ambassador to the UN, appointed by US President George W. Bush, claims the US never committed to specific development targets.

The working people of this world are no strangers to poverty. In this day and age, a job does not mean that you can feed your family, afford to send your kids to school or even get clean water. And this is not only the situation in impoverished countries, it is the reality in many industrialized ones as well. The working poor have become entrenched in most societies. More and more, jobs are precarious and conditions are often dangerous. When the global trade union movement calls for decent work, we mean a job that is free from harassment and discrimination, a job that provides enough to live and a job that does not endanger health or life. These things may seem basic, but the reality of today's global economy is that the majority of working people don't have these basic rights. This is why the global trade union movement is a part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. It affects us all.

Call to trade unions to mobilize around the world!

At the heart of the battle of words going on before the Summit in New York is a profound difference of views about how to tackle poverty in the world. From the time world leaders met at the UN 5 years ago – in the year 2000 – a great consensus has emerged, bringing together governments, the international community, leading economists and thinkers and civil society, including the trade unions, business, development organizations, and well-known personalities. That consensus calls for increasing aid resources, forgiving or restructuring debt and agreeing to fair trade. The focus for this consensus has been the vision contained in 8 clearly stated Millennium Development Goals.

But there is another view, that says compassionate rhetoric and calls to voluntary effort can be combined with privatization, replacement of government responsibility by the free market, and trade liberalization. The US Administration has chosen in these last days to reject the worldwide consensus of the last 5 years, rejecting a vision of clear goals and measurable indicators of progress. Instead, the new Ambassador to the UN has told the representatives of 190 other countries to set aside their work, and focus instead on US demands for UN reform.

The trade union movement also wants a more effective UN. The trade union movement wants a better response to violations of human rights, and in particular the rights of exploited men and women. The trade union movement wants more effective action on terror and security – for ordinary working people are most often the victims.

But throwing out the MDGs will achieve none of these things. The worldwide consensus has mobilized people around the planet precisely because it presents a vision able to tackle all these pressing issues together, and to do it realistically and with widespread public support. Our members have demonstrated their capacity to mobilize in great coalitions against poverty – within the US, and in countries around the world. Our nations’ leaders must know that if they show political will and resolve in New York, they will get the support of the people, and that our organizations will play their part in mobilizing that support.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
General Secretary: Guy Ryder
Note: Guy Ryder has been invited to address leaders at the UN Summit.

Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC)
General Secretary: John Evans

Education International (EI)
General Secretary: Fred van Leeuwen
Note: Fred van Leeuwen currently chairs the Conference of Global Union Federations.

International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Union (ICEM)
General Secretary: Fred Higgs

International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW)
General Secretary: Anita Normark

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
General Secretary: Aidan White

International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF)
General Secretary: Marcello Malentacchi

International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF)
General Secretary: Neil Kearney

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)
General Secretary: David Cockroft

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Association (IUF)
General Secretary: Ron Oswald

Public Services International (PSI)
General Secretary: Hans Engelberts

Union Network International (UNI)
General Secretary: Philip Jennings

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