aN

e\INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

America’s regional affiliate
oppose ‘free trade’ zones
The International Confederation
of Free Trade Union’s affiliate,
the Interamerican Regional
Organization (ORIT) is speaking
out for fair trade, not “free
trade” agreements. ORIT gener-
al-secretary Victor Baez says that
many governments in the region
support “export processing (‘free
trade’) zones” for the thousands
of new jobs they create. “But
they carefully neglect to mention
6. the kind of
- jobs they
bring,”
says Baez.
“This leads to a race to the bot-
tom at the expense of workers’
rights, especially the rights of
female workers.” Latin American
nations that once gained jobs
are now losing them in droves.
“The fact that Mexico is losing
hundreds of thousands of jobs to
China is proving the time will
come when governments and
employers, together with unions,
will be demanding a social
clause on international trade.”
The ORIT has opposed the Free
Trade Agreement of Americas
and notes that since FTAA talks
have stalled, “other negotiations
are being promoted or forced by
the government of the U.S...”
Brother Baez says that the ORIT
is promoting fair trade deals in
which regulated investment

respects the human rights of
workers in all countries.

IFBWW calls for global
action on women’s rights
On March 8, International
Women’s Day, the International
Federation of Building and
Wood Workers called on all its
affiliates to put women at the
forefront of
trade union
activity.
The federa-
tion said

. that
migrant women workers face
unprotected work in informal
economies. Informal activities
are those that are in small eco-
nomic units or in unregistered,
black mark economies.
Affiliates are encouraged to
struggle to ensure that women
in the informal economy are
covered by labour laws and col-
lective bargaining agreements;
to intervene in order to push for
legislation to promote workers
rights for migrant and ethnic
minorities; push for pay equity
(equal pay for work of equal
value); and exert pressure to
stop sexual harassment and
exploitation and trafficking of
migrant women workers. The
IFBWW noted that many
migrant workers face unregulat-
ed, unhealthy and unsafe condi-
tions of work; require low skill
levels and do not provide train-
ing opportunties; and pay mea-
ger wages for long hours of
work. Around the globe, the
number of migrant workers has
doubled in the past three
decades. More and more
women are being employed in
woodworking, building and
forestry-related industries.

LM

FORESTAL

+ aie

PHOTO COURTESY CTF

= IWA national second vice president Joe da Costa (I.) joins and CTF
president Sergio Gatica (r.) joined a labour rally in Concepcion in March ‘04.

IWA and CTF evaluate joint projects

In March IWA representatives
joined with the CLC and the

IFBWW to assess work in Chile

In early to mid-March, the IWA went

to Chile to assess more than four years

of on-the-ground international solidari-

ty work. National second vice-president

Joe da Costa, officer responsible for the

International

Solidarity _pro-

gram and pro-

gram coordinator

Rolando Quintul

from Local 2693

went on the visit.

They were accompanied by Anna

Nitoslawska, Administrative Assistant

from the Canadian Labour Congress

and Vicente Carrera, regional director

from the International Federation of
Building and Woodworkers.

The main purposes of the visit were
to evaluate the CTF-IWA Education
Project and IFBWW-IWA-CTF pilot
organizing project, which began in
August of 2003.

“Our project in Chile is being exam-
ined as a possible model for future
international solidarity projects, partic-
ularly in Latin America,” says Brother
da Costa. “There are some things we
and the Chileans have done right and
some things we can improve on.”

In the project’s first four years, 446
CIF members, from various affiliate
unions have taken part in courses at the
centre — courses on leadership forma-
tion, activist training, introductory and
intermediate organizing, occupational
health and safety, collective bargaining,
and women’s issues.

“Our assessment of the project went
very well,” says Brother da Costa. “We

have adopted improved reporting and
accountability procedures and 1 ay
both the CLC and IFBWW ae
impressed about the direction of ©
program with the Chileans.” :

The delegation heard testimonials from

courses have taken
leadership roles within
the confederation,
their workplaces and
communities. “We are
- seeing some measur
Rolando Quintul able results in Chile,
adds Brother da Costa.
“The education project is having a”
impact. After fours years we have decided
to continue with the program and our
commitment to Chilean forest workers.

“We had a good opportunity to discuss
important issues and review the CTF's pt
oirites,” says Brother Quintul. “In the next
year we will be assisting the CTF establish
a national publication and develop a com-
munications strategy. We also want to
assist the confederation and its affiliates
union on basic accounting procedures.’

The CIF reported to the IFBWW and
the IWA on its organizing activities. Since
August, two organizers have been making
contacts to organizing workers between
the seventh and tenth regions of the coun-
try, and fifth region. Much survey and ini-
tial contact work has taken place. Some
enterprises are being focussed on for
potential membership drives. ;

The visitors attended International
Women’s Day celebrations in Concepcion
‘on March 8. They also visited three opera-
tions — lumber remanners in Arauco and
Los Alamos and a mechanical and trans-
portation company in Arauco.

A visit was also paid to a workers’ hospi-
tal in Concepcion, which is run by the
Chilean Association for Health and Hygiene

(ACHS). The ACHS assited the CIF and
IWA with information for the joint
Education Centre's OH&S course.

Chinese labour under
total police state rule

IN CHINA STRIKES are illegal.
Unions are controlled by the government,
which in many instances, is also the
employer. Either way, bosses often wind
up at the head of plant committees and
even unions. Workers are not free to orga-
nize or join independent unions. Union
leaders who organize or lead strikes any-
way are often charged with "subversion"
and subject to long prison terms.

In May, 2003, for instance, two labour
activists from Liaoning province received
four and seven year sentences after they
helped organize a peaceful protest by
laid-off workers. Yao Fuxin and Xiao
Yunliang were found guilty of “attempt-
ing to overthrow state power" following a
trial at which neither was allowed to
speak or present a defense, according to
Human Rights Watch.

The same treatment applies to politi-
cal and human rights activists, journal-
ists and even Internet users, 54 of whom
were arrested last year simply for posting
their views. People who speak out are
typically "arrested and imprisoned after
they peacefully exercised their rights to
freedom of expression and association,"

= Chinese police officer standing
guard in Tianennmen Square.

says the human rights organization
Amnesty International. "Many were held
on charges relating to "state secrets" or
"subversion" — vaguely defined offenses
widely used to suppress dissent.”

Thirty-nine reporters are currently in
Chinese prisons.

In China in 2003, Amnesty reports,
“tens of thousands of people continued
to be arbitrarily detained," some receiv-
ing harsh prison terms, others "adminis-
tratively detained without charge or trial."

Earlier this year, for example, 200 peo-
ple were placed under house arrest in

Beijing for signing a petition protesting
illegal evictions and the destruction of
whole neighbourhoods to make way for
the 2008 Summer Olympics.

China, in other words, defines what
we in democratic countries would call a
police state. The country's authoritarian
stance extends to its workplaces, as well
China has no minimum wage, while
labour standards are routinely violated.
Factory bosses bragged that their work-
ers made a fews cents an hour, says CLC
president Ken Georgetti, who toured sey-
eral Chinese factories in 2000.

Compulsory, unpaid overtime is com-
mon. Lax enforcement of safety stan-
dards routinely puts workers at risk: in
the first nine months of 2003, there were
100,227 workplace accidents, resulting
in 11,449 deaths. Enterprise owners
sometimes even failed to report acci.
dents or health problems.

So if China is such an authoritarian
state and has such poor working condi-
tions, why are thousands of firms from
democratic countries spending billions
of dollars to export millions of; jobs there>
The simple answer is profits made from
low wages. Workers generally earn
between $84 and $96 a month,

~ article by Kim Pollock

20° | _ THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2004