making-decisions.gif (5262 bytes) SESSION FIVE: RESPONDING TO GLOBALISATION

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Moderator’s Comments on Session Five:

1. THE IMPACT OF OTHER EVENTS ON THE ISC

I have not received the report from our colleagues in Korea as yet. Possibly the events in Korea at the moment are making it difficult for them to convene Study Circle meetings at this stage. The fact that there is a programme of strikes in Korea can certainly overtake the discussions in the ISC programme but I hope that we can find in their next report a reflection of how the strike campaign carried over into the discussions in the Study Circle.

The struggle of the Korean workers against the effects of globalisation may well be the most immediate way we can all understand globalisation and its effects on our own countries. But lets wait and see what their next report says.

Similarly Don’s report on the Australian ISC chose to address an immediate problem - the threat of job loss of 24 workers - as a way of looking at union responses rather than sticking rigidly to the programme. This is an issue, like the impact of the struggles in Korea, that I think we should discuss at the Evaluation Meeting in July.

2. THE CONCERNS RAISED BY PILER

The points raised by Musadiq are important ones. He draws our attention to the fact that other groups have stopped trying to answer the questions raised at the end of each session. If we lose this point then the ISC stops having an interactive nature.

Remember as facilitators that an important part of the ISC methodology is that each session should have a link with the previous session so that participants can build on previous knowledge gained. If questions are left unanswered or not even responded to then frustration can build up and learning suffers. I think part of the problem is that the questions are sometimes too many and too general but there is also a problem with the moderation. With reports arriving at different times it is hard to keep track of issues raised in previous sessions and build on them in time for the next session. This is a problem which we must seriously discuss at the Evaluation Meeting. But if any colleagues have ideas on this matter now already please let me know.

3. THE QUESTION OF INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

The participants in all the groups all seem to agree that there is a need for greater international solidarity. A common theme is that of building regional and international unions, trying to get collective agreements for a TNC internationally and of strengthening the ITSs etc. From Pakistan we hear the call that the workers’ federations should be part of all trade agreements. In the Philippines there is a view that there should be social clauses in trade agreements.

Underlying this is the feeling that unions must respond to globalisation by increasing international activity and organisation. The colleagues in Pakistan even feel that access to computers is vital. Yet does more international union structures not also pose problems for workers ? Is it not possible that decisions can be made affecting workers’ livelihood by people who are far removed from the daily lives of workers in their workplace or community ? Is it also not possible that local struggles by workers to defend themselves can be undermined by lengthy bureaucratic processes which decisions must go through in huge international structures ?

In short how do the trade unions give meaning to the slogan of the labour movement :" Think global act local "?

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