Report of the Labour and Globalisation network meeting

Istanbul, 30 November 2007

The European group of the network Labour and Globalisation (L&G) in the WSF held its third working meeting at the Istanbul EPA on 30 November 2007. The meeting was attended by more than 60 people and was a follow-up of the meeting held at the previous Stockholm EPA. At the centre of discussion was how to proceed with the three issues discussed there:

- EU external trade agenda and its impact on labour;
- The European social model and the welfare state;
- The growth of ‘precarity’ (casualisation) in Europe.

Focus was on how to enlarge the network, which new initiatives could be taken, and how to prepare the next ESF. A proposal for a network meeting next spring, hosted by the German metal workers’ union IG Metall, was also discussed.

The following is a short summary of points which were made during the discussion:

EU external trade agenda and its impact on labour

The EU trade agenda is today essential in shaping EU policies – externally as well as internally. In its 2006 communication, “Global Europe: competing in the world”, improved competitiveness for European companies is made the focal point. This can today be seen in the on-going trade negotiations in the WTO and regarding the so-called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The results will be more aggressive imperialist policies against particularly developing countries, as well as continued attacks on social and labour rights and regulations internally.

At the next ESF, it will be important to focus on the role of Europe in the world, with a special emphasis on the effects of EU trade policies and EU corporations on workers and trade unions in Europe as well as in the Global South. This should be done in co-operation with other networks and organisations, such as the Our World Is Not For Sale Network (and its European arm, the Seattle to Brussels network) and the EU-Latin America Bi-regional network. Experiences of the North-American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) and the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area should also be included.

Up to and during the next ESF, a work programme should be developed along the following axis – in order to better understand and to building broad resistance against Global Europe and promoting people centred alternatives to the corporate “free trade” agenda:

• Global Europe, free trade and a social Europe.
• Trade liberalisation, migration and labour rights.
• Growth and job creation through trade liberalisation – a suitable economic and social model?


The European social model and the welfare state

Public services and the European social model has for a long time been at the centre of trade union and political struggles in Europe. The following will be important in the ESF process:

1. Analyses

Since there is no common understanding of the history of the welfare state, it will be important to collect different existing analyses of this social model and to further develop our concept of the European social model. This should be done in co-operation with researchers.

2. Link and politicise struggles

There are many struggles and campaigns going on at local and national level in Europe and elsewhere. These are important and a precondition for further development. However, it is important to link these struggles across sectors and national borders, to politicise and develop them into a more general struggle for another social model. This means linking struggles against the Reform Treaty, the Lisbon strategy, flexicurity and the ever on-going liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation of public services. The network should also discuss strategies and tactics – including experiences with the current, dominant focus on social dialogue and corporate social responsibility in the international trade union movement.

3. Broaden the network – build alliances

This means to reach out to more local, national and regional trade unions and campaigns, as well as other networks like the European Network for Public Services, the Charter of principle for another Europe network – and other social movements.

4. Meetings at the ESF

The network should initiate a number of meetings, where possible in co-operation with other groups on the following issues: a power analysis of the welfare state; The Lisbon strategy; Co-ordination of actual struggles; Flexibility (included its dressed-up version of flexicurity).

The growth of ‘precarity’ (casualisation) in Europe

Precarious work is a rapidly growing tendency internationally as well as in Europe – in all sectors and industries – in the form of more fixed term contracts, more part-time work, more self-employed workers and more informal work. To make this a central point of discussion in the network means to focus on how the entire concept of work is changing – particularly under pressure of the neo-liberal restructuring of capitalist production which is going on at the global level. It will also involve a more thorough discussion of the role and contents of the labour contract.

Two axes of work are important:

Alternatives

What does it mean to fight for a full time job? What should be the minimum contents of a secure job contract?

Strategy

How do we fight precarious work – both in terms of self-organisation of precarious workers at the local level, and in terms of joint campaigns and demands at the European level? Which alliances are important and possible to build?

A global meeting of the network

The German metal workers’ union, IG Metall, has offered to host a meeting of the L&G network in the spring of 2008. This will be an important step in order to further develop the network. It will be an open one and a half day conference in which we at least will secure that 50 participant will be there – from different parts of the world, different unions, different industries and sectors, including researchers, different networks, etc.

The focus of the meeting should be to discuss challenges and strategies related to the way neo-liberal globalisation changes society and work; Exchange experiences, initiatives and ideas; Discuss aims and methods of the L&G network.

A working group is being set up to further plan the conference in co-operation with IG Metall.


Asbjørn Wahl

Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees/

Campaign for the Welfare State
Box 7003 St. Olavsplass
N-0130 Oslo
Norway

Mobile: +47 91611312

Web sites: www.fagforbundet.no – www.velferdsstaten.no
Private web site: www.aswahl.net

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