INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

America’s regional affiliate
oppose ‘free trade’ zones
The IFBWW, the IWA Council's
international trade union affiliate
has developed a list of inaliable
workers' rights which it is champi-
oning into international labour
standards (ILS).

IWA Council Officer Joe da
Costa says it is important for
union mem-
bers in
Canada and
elsewhere to
be aware of
basic rights,
which must be extended to work-
ers of the world.

“In Canada we have gained
many of these rights due to gen-
erations of struggle," he says.
“But in most other countries,
basic rights are still a pipe
dream." He notes that the joint
project with
| the National
Confederation
of Forest
Workers of
Chile (see arti-
Gy} cle right) inte-

_| grates
J demands for
many of these
rights into
jointly developed educational
course materials delivered at the
Education Centre. “Chilean work-
ers, for example, still do not have
the right to freedom of associa-
tion - that is - the right to form the
organization of their own choos-
ing. Chilean union representatives
and workers still suffer a great
deal of persecution and discrim-
minaton for attempting to freely
exercise the rights that they
should have,” adds Brother da
Costa.

Here is the short list of rights
put together by the international
federation: the right of all work-
ers, without any distinction, to
form and join organizations of
their own choosing without previ-
ous authorization; the right of
unions, without any interference
from the public authorities, to
draw up their own constitutions
and rules, to elect their represen-
tatives in full freedom, to orga-
nize their administration and
activities and to formulate pro-
grammes; the right of unions to
establish and join federations and
confederations and to affiliate
with international trade union
organizations; protection for
unions against dissolution or sus-
pension by administrative action;
protection for workers against
acts of anti-union discrimmina-
tion in respect of their employ-
ment; the right to protection of
union funds and assets against
intervention by the public author-
ities; the right of trade unions to

Joe da Costa

Two CTF representatives visit
Canada to help compose new

course and develop newspaper
In July the IWA played host to a
brief visit of two trade unionists
from the National Confederation of
Forest Workers of Chile (CTF) when
confederation

president Sergio

Gatica and office

manager Rosa
Arias were in
Canada. The

two guests visit-
ed from July 11-22 to work on a new
communications course for the CTF,
which is the principal umbrella orga-
nization for some 6,700 workers in
the South American nation. Brother
Gatica, with assistance from Local

CTF - IWA Council Education Project _

PHOTO COURTESY BETTY ENGEMOEN — RIVERSIDE FOREST PRODUCTS

= Ona tour of a Riverside sawmill in Williams Lake were (I. to r.) Local 1-425’s
Terry Tate, Local 2693’s Rolando Quintul, the CTF’s Rosa Arias, the IWA national
office’s Norman Garcia and CTF president Sergio Gatica.

A communications course for Chileans

2693's Rolando Quintul, the IWA’s
International Solidarity Coordinator,
and IWA national staff member
Norman Garcia, co-wrote a new
course which will be presented at the
joint CTF-IWA Education Centre in
Concepcion, in the not-too-distant
future. Meanwhile Sister Arias
worked intensively with deskop tech-
nician and graphic designer Dafne
Blanco, to learn some desktop publi-
cation basics. Sister Blanco, in con-
sultation with the CTF, designed a
new newspaper for the confederation
which will be entitled “El Forestal.”
That publication, to include news
from CTF affiliate unions, the
Chilean labour movement, and topics
such as health and safety, forest and
the environment, and organizing and
growth, will be launched later this

year following the ase of a
MacIntosh desktop system, complete
with software and a new printer.

The new course will be entitled
“Course 8 - Communications.” Since
March of 2000 the joint education
project has developed eight courses,
seven of which haye been delivered to
446 students.

“We think our visit to Canada was a
very useful and educational experi-
ence,” commented Brother Gatica.
“In Chile today we don’t have much
of a communications system for the
labour movement although we are
making improvements.” Media con-
centration in that country and lack of
access to it, have further isolated trade
unionists from getting their message
out to their fledgling membership
through mainstream means.

Course 8, which invokes direct par-
ticipation from students, has the CTF
looking at what it leaders and members
do today at the national and individual
union level, in terms of communicat-
ing effectively. The two-day course also
examines freedom of expression laws
in Chile, which are among the most
repressive in Latin America.

The course has a section on
improved oral communication skills,
and how to put together media advi-
sories, press releases, and media back-
grounders. Most importantly, the
course teaches that itis important to try
to utilize various methods of commu-
nication — internal methods, the main-
stream electronic and print media and
the growing alternative media in Chile.
“The course instructs CIF members on
conducting interviews with television,
radio and newspapers,” says Brother
Quintul. “We think the course materal is
very practical.” It concludes with a section
about future directions for the CTF and it
affiliates, induding producing a website,
setting up an electronic communications
system and, of course, promoting par-
ticipation and use of “El Forestal.”

Cariboo Local 1-425
plays host to guests

DURING THEIR BRIEF stintin B.C.
(see above article) CTF president Sergio
Gatica and office manager Rosa Arias
visited one of the IWA’s most active local
unions — especially when it come to deal-
ing with the media. The guests were
taken to Williams Lake Local 1-425 where
they, along with Intemational Solidarity
Fund Coordinator Rolando Quintul and
national staffer Norman Garcia got the
red carpet treatment. During their day-
and-a half visit, set-up by the local
union’s financial-secretary Terry Tate,
our Chilean guests met with local media,
were given tours of three IWA mills, met
with local president Bill Derbyshire, local

= Left, Local 1-425 president Bill
Derbyshire takes delegation on a visit
to the Weldwood plywood mill.

production facilities. Brother Gatica
remarked on the positive labour relations
that the local has with employers and the

high wages, benefits and programs that

where several local union executive
board members, rank and file members
and union supporters were in atten-
dance.

Also present at the BBQ was Williams
Lake and District Chamber of
Commerce president Ken Wilson. In the
spring of 2003, Local 1-425 joined the
chamber and has since been working to
influence it decision-making.

Brother Gatica remarked that, in
Chile, the chamber of commerces are
very different to approach. He regards
the local union’s move as “a very innova-
tive approach” which has brought posi-
tive exposure to the union.

On the final day of the tour, Brother
Derbyshire gave the delegation a tour of
his home plant — Weldwood plywood.

bargain collectively on terms and A amen) . S z 4 : if
cations of Eaple ment and all union reps and other dignitaries andhad the union has negotiated over time. Beer gie Bacar ee
other matters affecting the liveli- a barbecue put on in their honour. Brother Tate set up interviews with ( aes Abe Hie es plant
hood of their members; the right Brother Tate welcomed the guestsand, reporters from the Williams Lake eer Tita of erp ) and
of trade unions to exercise their on the first day, assisted by guides Eric Tribune, the Cariboo Observer, and AM base Ade tions based on
activities in the enterprise; protec- Bischoff and Kara MacDonald, accompa- Radio CFFM to publicize the visit and decades ane ei sabi te cal
tion for representatives against nied them on a tour of the Riverside draw attention to the working relation. U20R- “We to % e local union for
detention and arrest for trade Forest Products (West) mill (formerly ship that the union has cultivated with their kindness and hospitality and hope
union activities; the right of work- Lignum). In the afternoon the group got the local media. Articles appeared in all to be able to ee pecs Brother
ers and their unions to strike, as to travel the back roads down to 100 Mile three media. Gatica told Allied We a The visi-
an essential means for promotion House where they were taken ona full _—_ Local third vice president Bob Macnair tors graciously accepted local union jack.
andidetence: Ofte secon or tour of the Ainsworth Oriented and his wife Leanne hosted a special “> coffee cea haar: aii
and social interests. Standhoand! fea Wathen sae 3 saibah lege other memoral during visit,

—]

20 | THE ALLIED WoRKER

SEPTEMBER 2004