¢ The IFBWW meeting was chaired by the organization’s Industrial Relations Secretary Marion Hellman-Theur-
er of Germany, and Gunnar Karlsson, President of the Swedish Wood. Industry Workers’ Union.

ne big issue discussed

and debated at the

Nanaimo meeting of the

IFBWW was that of certi-

fication: how do we devel-
op a universally recognized standard
for sustainable forest practices?

At issue for the I.W.A. is to what
certification procedure it will sub-
scribe.

1.W.A. National President Dave

made it clear that the union

stands behind an environmental cer-

tification process under the auspices

cB the Canadian Standards Associa-
ion.

At the same time European unions
in such countries as Germany, Hol-
land and Sweden are endorsing a
certification procedure under a newly-
formed body known as the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC), initiated
by the World Wildlife Fund and other
international environmental organi-
zations based in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Haggard says the I.W.A. is opposed
to the F'SC process because it is sup-
ported by international green groups,
such as Greenpeace International,
the Vermont-based Rainforest
Alliance and others, which have orga-
nized and supported the boycotting
of Canadian forest products around
the world.

The union does not support FSC’s
agenda which does not support the
interests of workers. The FSC does
not try to improve safety standards
in harvesting while it calls for the
banning of clearcutting.

That ppenition, is unacceptable to
the I.W.A., which supports clearcut-
ting for both health and safety rea-
sons and for reasons of sustainability
of the forests.

“It will be no surprise that we
don’t support the FSC process,” Broth-
er Haggard told the IFBWW dele-

ites.

“We have worked hard and long
on the CSA (certification) process
from the Faas

He said that the union will contin-
ue to push for the acceptance of CSA
standards by the International Stan-
dards Organization (ISO).

“We can not and will not support

(i.e. the FSC) supported by

ple who try to get international
oe
er

ucts,” said Broth-

“J hope that the IFBWW will sup-
port that as well,” he added.

Haggard spoke along the same
lines in an evening address to the
IFBWW on the second day of the con-
ference where he called for federa-
tion affiliates, especially in Europe,
to avoid supporting the FSC certifi-
cation process. He asked them to
understand the I.W.A.’s distrust and
cynicism for “what we call the rabid
environmentalists of this country.”

“T hope that Brothers and Sisters
around the world, instead of support-
ing these things, would stand beside
I.W.A. members and support (what)
we have fought so hard for as you
have fought for in your countries.”

Haggard said that international
environmentalism has become big
business.
In reference to a tour of logging
operations on Vancouver Island the
L.W.A. president mentioned to the
delegates that “you can see that we
ae not deforesting the province of

“Tn fact we are also enhancing the
forests with our government. We are
working to increase employment for
our members,” he said.

Haggard said that, in the previous

month, a U.S.-based environmental
group put on a training camp in B.C.
to teach workplace sabotage to envi-
ronmentalists who oppose logging.
“We as workers aren’t the enemy...”
he said. “We (in the I.W.A.) have
worked since the 1940s to change the
environmental practices in this coun-

try. And I think that we have been
successful.”

INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES SPEAK ON
CERTIFICATION

Delegate Harrie Bijen, from the
affiliate FVN in the Netherlands
said that consumer power has a big
influence on wood producing coun-
tries and predicted that many
importers of forest products will have
certification schemes put into place.
He said that, in the future, employ-
ers and trade unions will operate by
a minimum set of criteria for accept-
ing products.

Gisbert Schlemmer, from the GHK
in Germany said that his union is
beginning to discuss the issue of
importing tropical woods from Asia
and that a trademark association in
his country will be the certifier. He
added that his union “needs to ensure
that criteria is accepted by the con-

° Australian delegate Michael O’Connor (r.) addresses the issue of inter-

tary Terry Smith.

national certification. Left is I.W.A. CANADA National Financial Secre-

sumer.” The GHK’s Frank Schmidt
said that German consumers are
willing to pay added costs of certifi-
cation if necessary.

He said the GHK supports the
FSC process which was expected to
be introduced in early May yet will
not be in effect until 1998.

Roger Gerdin, an economist with
the Swedish Wood Industry Worker’s
Union, emphasized that the FSC
process is voluntary and that the
Swedish government will not be
involved in it.

His union has demanded that
employers, including contractors,
provide their employee with training
for environmental awareness.

He said there is not an agreement
in Sweden that the FSC process is
applicable and that there are dis-
agreements with the organization
over the use of chemicals and the
mixture of tree species for reforesta-
tion. The FSC process has been placed
“on hold” in Sweden as a result.

Gerdin said that Sweden has about
3,500 contractors who cut for mills
and about 240,000 small land own-
ers who make up about 50% of the
country’s annual allowable cut.

He said that even if half of forest
operators in the country participate
in the FSC program, then it will be
difficult to give certification to mills.

Gerdin said that the “whole FSC
is looking for the integrity question”
and that “if it falls apart in Sweden
then it might well be questioned in
other countries as well.”

He said that the FSC could get
agreement with large companies but
won’t have them with small land
owners.

This will be problematic for con-
sumers in Germany, Holland and
Great Britain, where the markets
might be more hesitant about the
certification process, said Gerdin.

Michael O’Connor, of the CFMEU.
in Australia, said that his union is
opposed to the IFBWW’s members
committing to the FSC. He said that
the WWF and Greenpeace have dif-
ferent positions than domestic envi-
ronmental groups do on logging the
native forests of Australia.

O'Connor said that both the WWF
and Greenpeace are pressuring the
federal government in his country to
use FSC certified products for the
Olympic Games in the year 2000,
knowing full-well that no Australian
lumber would be used.

If that occurs, O’Connor predicted
CFMEU members will picket the
wharves as any foreign lumber comes
in the country for use in the Olympics
infrastructure.

He said that the FSC’s work in
Papau New Guinea has ignored work-
er representatives in the develop-
ment of certification standards.

In a question and answer period,
Brother O’Connor called on the
IFBWW to investigate labour’s com-
plaints against the FSC.

U.S. delegate Rod Kelty, of the
Interational Association of Machin-
ists (Woodworkers District Lodge 1)
based in Gladstone, Oregon, spoke in
opposition to the FSC as well.

At the end of the debate, Marion
Hellman-Theurer reiterated the
IFBWW’s position that affiliates sup-
port the certification of their choos-
ing.

Brother Haggard recently told the
Lumberworker that the I.W.A. is
pleased that it had the opportunity
to make its position clear and empha-
size its distrust of the FSC. He said
that this is especially clear in light of
the recent confrontations over Green-
peace’s boycott and blockades.

LUMBERWORKERJJULY 1997/7