London, 25/02/2006
To be checked against delivery
I am glad of the opportunity to share with you today a few thoughts about European trade unions' relations with Latin America, the Caribbean and notably Cuba.
The ETUC's links with trade union organisations in the region has intensified over time. The historic ties of our Spanish and Portuguese members in particular have been a great asset on which to build the relationship for the European trade union Movement as a whole.
The relationship has been encouraged thanks to the European Union's increasingly strong involvement in the region. The EU has encouraged integration at sub-regional level - for example through Mercosur or the Andean Pact - as well as in the Caribbean through the Lomé and successor conventions.
This has given us trade union platforms from which to introduce a social dimension to the economic relationships being established.
Our consistent approach has been to lever-in human and trade union rights on the back of trade deals. That applies to the WTO, to inter-regional agreements, and to bilateral trade preferences schemes.
This is an international trade union priority, and I hope that all of us here can unite around that fundamental objective.
Indeed on 5 April we will be holding in Vienna the 3rd Summit meeting between European Trade Unions and our colleagues in Latin America and the Caribbean. This will give us an opportunity to draw up united positions for social justice for presentation to the summit of political leaders that will be held in May.
The ETUC fully supports the moves towards trade union unity at world level that Brendan mentioned earlier. This is also promoting increasing unity at regional level.
We have worked harmoniously with the regional organisations of the ICFTU (ORIT) and of the WCL (CLAT) which are now well on their way towards unification. And they will be including confederations not currently affiliated to any international, such as the CTA in Argentina, CUT Colombia, CUT Peru and PIT-CNT Uruguay.
So Latin America is increasingly looking like Europe: with stronger regional governance and institutions, and a more united and inclusive trade union movement.
Regional integration at the political level helps construct alternatives to the unipolar world. In clear that means alternatives to American hegemony.
That means alternatives to military adventurism. That means multilateral approaches to resolving conflict.
And that means the need to translate Europe's economic weight into a political force for good. A heavyweight in diplomacy. A soft power for peace.
I welcome the interest shown here in pressing for strong European Union action in defense of Cuba. I very much welcome that interpretation of the position on Europe adopted at the last TUC.
We want Europe to help end Cuba's isolation.
At the moment Cuba is the only country in the Americas without any agreement with the EU. We would wish to see a cooperation agreement signed as soon as possible. We want to see Cuba enter into the ACP (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) Treaty with the EU.
We want dialogue between the EU and Cuba to lead to agreements that reflect the importance of our trade relations as well as our cultural affinity. So the dialogue should include economic, political and social considerations.
We fully support Cuba's sovereign rights.
At the same time, we expect all our partners to respect international standards - on human rights; on trade union rights: freedom of association and collective bargaining; non-discrimination; no child labour; no forced labour. People should not be harassed or jailed for seeking to exercise those rights.
The international community has set those standards. They should be universally applied.
That is also why we unreservedly condemn the American blockade of Cuba, enforced now for forty years, and made even worse by the Helms-Burton Act of 1996.
It is contrary to international law. We say that, the UN says that, the EU says that.
And it is inhuman. The Cuban people are the primary victims of this odious policy.
Our solidarity is with them: the people of Cuba.