REPORTS ETC. FROM OTHER GROUPS

Reports were received from four other groups so were also responses to questions asked by our own group. The documents were discussed and gave reasons to send further questions to our comrades in other groups, namely:

Estonia Question about eventual participation by trade unions in the planning of foreign investments particularly in infrasructure initiated by the Governments of countries around the Baltic Sea.

Germany Asking for further information about the trend to employ people on limited time base and if this system was applicable also in the private sector.

France Explanation about the MAI

Belgium Information about the EWC:s and ongoing negotiations about increased involvement by the workers

ABOUT WORKERS´RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC CONTROL

We found a good starting point in the article 23 of the Decalation of Human Rights saying:

• Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable renumeration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests

It ought to an easy task to defend this article in countries who have ratified the Declaration.It may therefore look a little bit odd that the trade unions litterally have to fight for it. The situation is obviously different in countries who have not accepted the document.

We believe that the road to democratic control in the TNC:s is a long and tough one. We further believe that the road starts in the mother company and from there will continue to the affiliates. We also agree that the agenda for these negotiations has to be a rather neutral one avoiding controversial issues. What is said may sound rather pessimistic, but is actually based on facts and realities. Are there any possibilities to speed up the process and pave the road. Yes, we think so!

One such short-cut could be some kind of mobilization of the consumers.

Every TNC has something to sell and if nobody buys the company will react spontaneously. The influence of the consumers shall not be under-estimated, but can nevertheless be strengthened by the support of the media.

The process aiming at democratic control can also be assisted by the use of the EWC:s now being set up in great number within the European Union.

As shown in our documents it is possible to include representatives of the workers from affiliates operating outside the EU in the EWC. This invitation can be extended to all parts of a certain TNC, thus constituting a Global Works Council (GWC?) We noted however that the EWC:s seem to a rather tooth-less instrument although under development, and that the european employers have expressed unwillingness to go on with the negotiations on further involvement by the workers. The european trade unions are however optimistic, and so are we!

In our documents is mentioned the importance of power to be exercised or anyway made known to the employers. Sufficient power gives a good platform for negotiations, but is almost non-existing in developing countries where the TNC:s are operating.

Important as the ratification of the Declaration of Human Rights is, the acceptance of many of the ILO conventions is of equal interest. Very much so as they deal specifically with labour relations and workers´ rights. Even in this case we have to note that many countries have not been able - or willing - to sign the conventions, or if signing thereafter not caring about the full implementation.

GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS

We share the views expressed by the Swedish Study Circle SWE 1 that the time is not yet ripe for global negotiations. Reasons for that are given in the previous part of this summary. They can be summed up by saying that the first priority must be to establish a good negotiation climate in cooperation with the employers. Having achieved that the time has come to bring up renumeration matters etc.

FINAL VIEWS ON THE MAI

The Multilateral Agreement on Investments - MAI - will give protection for foreign investors through international agreements. So far the objectives are acceptable. But there are many good reasons to critizise the MAI.

The very thought that about 30 rich countries shall formulate an agreement to be implemented basically in the other 150+ poor countries is outrageous. It is furthermore quite unacceptable that the forthcoming agreement does not include one single clause on the important issue of Workers´Rights och other labour relation matters. No government with concern about the Human Rights should be able to sign such an agreement.

We found it from this point of view somewhat embarrassing that so many socialdemocratic governments take an active part in the negotiations.

According to available information the MAI will also provide for a possibility for the TNC to take the Government in the host country to an international tribunal if the TN feels that measures taken by the Government will hinder the company´s full utilization of the investment

And this regardless of the fact that the measure taken is based on decisions taken by the Government in true constitutional order. Unbelievable!

We think that trade unions all over the world should try to convince their governments not to accept the MAI in its present form and that goes for the Swedish Trade Unions as well.