Brussels, 01/10/2008
The ETUC conference on fundamental rights and trade aimed to contribute to the implementation of a high-level multipartite dialogue leading to proposals. The conference brought together trade unions, research fellows, legal experts and representatives of public and international institutions.
In his conclusions, ETUC Confederal Secretary Joël Decaillon declared: "There must be a global governance. Today's financial crisis demonstrates the need for international and European regulation. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been in a state of crisis since 1995, the date of its founding. Today, claiming to want to develop world trade while taking development into account is tantamount to saying that we must implement a global governance that involves international agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Considering the financial crisis and climate change, it is becoming urgent to integrate social and environmental standards into world trade."
ETUC suggests building a global citizenship which should be based on universal law and human rights, as well as on the control and enforceability of these rights. Accordingly, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) must play a role in the applicability of all these rights. The ETUC also proposes that the ILO be included as a party to trade negotiations. The trade unions must also participate in negotiations so as to contribute their extensive expertise in this respect.
Likewise, concerning standards and labels in multinational firms, the ETUC demands the establishment of a trade union inspectorate to check their applicability.
For further information, see the conference outcome and report.