Issue No 116 | 19 October 2001 | |
InternationalGlobal Day of Action
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US last week, the ICFTU has announced that preparations for the Global Unions Day of Action on November 9 will go ahead. On and around November 9, unions and their members will be calling for a "new globalisation" at work-places throughout the world. The day is set to coincide with the first day of the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be held in Qatar. Mike Moore, the Director-General of the WTO, announced last week that the organisation still plans to hold the ministerial meeting set for Doha despite the terrorist attacks in the United States. In a statement issued today, Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the ICFTU said, "At a time when democracy and open society are under such brutal attack, we need to strengthen democracy and global governance. We must recommit ourselves to building a world where democracy and rights prevail. The Day of Action will not only be a time for protest, but also a time for reflection and discussion. The wave of strong reactions to the recent events we have received from trade unions around the world will serve to strengthen the sense of a global trade union community and solidarity as we put forward the central demands of the Day of Action." The demands made by unions participating in the Day of Action are as follows: - NO to globalisation that drives down workers' rights and job security - NO to globalisation that undermines education and health care - NO to globalisation that helps the rich and hurts the poor - NO to globalisation that stifles and denies democracy - YES to globalisation that benefits all people everywhere - YES to globalisation that delivers true global justice and equality "We remain firm in our conviction that the WTO process must be reformed if it is to foster a fair and just globalisation", asserted Jordan, "We will continue to fight for the right of workers around the world to have a voice in the institutions which are shaping the global economy. The response to international terrorism and criminality must include support for the rule of law and international solidarity, rights and democracy. In this context, as a matter of urgency, intergovernmental processes such as the WTO must be strengthened by making them more open and acountable."
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Interview: The Green Machine Nick Bolkus outlines Labor's environmental stance and lays down the gauntlet to Bob Brown's Greens. Industrial: Regaining Control France�s 35 hour week stems from the program of the Left coalition government which went to the polls in June 1997 with the policy of �worksharing�. Unions: Home Of The Longest Day Australia has a dubious new prize to put in its cluttered national trophy cabinet. We are increasingly the most over-worked nation in the world. Campaign Diary: Week Two: Fightback Labor's doing everything to win a normal campaign - but this is no normal campaign. Economics: Who Will Notice When You Die? Johann Christoph Arnold asks whether the anti-globalisation movement is the answer to an epidemic of loneliness. History: American Terror Incredible revelations about the work of the US National Security Agency through the Cold War years help put the current War of Terror into perspective. International: Global Day of Action In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US last week, the ICFTU has announced that preparations for the Global Unions Day of Action on November 9 will go ahead. Satire: World Gripped by Fear as Howard Third Term Looms The global community has uniformly condemned the recent terrorist attacks, which horrifically helped revive the re-election prospects of John Howard. Review: Flashbacks Cultural theortician Neale Towart consults his record collection in a bid to understand the chaos gripping the earth.
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