Background
document
Trade Unions in the ASEM process
37. Union involvement with ASEM has thus far consisted of an ICFTU-APRO Statement to ASEM1 in Bangkok, and a small delegation which met with the UK Foreign Secretary just prior to ASEM2 and delivered a Statement to be submitted to the Summit. Since ASEM2, unions made a contribution to the above-mentioned ASEF seminar on labour relations, and to another ASEM seminar on states and markets in Copenhagen in March 1999. The Statement to ASEM1 was distributed to affiliates in member countries, for submission to their governments. Some labour figures put forward labour concerns and recommendations in the corresponding people's summit, but there was no organised union network present.
38. In May 1997, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung held a Workshop for Asian and European trade unions in Bangkok on how to promote a dialogue between Asian and European trade unions around the framework of ASEM. The Workshop suggested that if trade unions were to make any progress in the ASEM framework, more effort would be needed, which in turn would require a deepening of contacts and a broadening of interest in the issues underlying ASEM on the union side. However, it was agreed that ASEM was likely to develop in importance and impact on workers, and that unions should therefore aim to establish their role in the process so as to ensure that their concerns were taken into account.
39. There was more of a union presence at the London Summit than at ASEM1. A small delegation met the UK Foreign Secretary on the eve of the Summit, and presented him with their recommendations for ASEM responses to the Asian Financial Crisis, as well as recommendations for an increased social dimension to the ASEM process as a whole. The Foreign Secretary expressed his belief in the need for a broader discussion at ASEM, to include the social elements of the recovery strategy, and he agreed that unions should be fully involved in such a strategy.
40. The Foreign Secretary agreed to pass the union views on to the Leaders at the Summit, but the ensuing Chairman's Statement and Financial Crisis Response statement do not reflect much of what was included in the union recommendations. The Chairman's Statement does nothing more than include employment as a global issue that warrants further co-operation, and mentions ASEM's support for dozens of upcoming initiatives, one of which is the ASEF labour relations seminar.
41. The financial crisis response statement, in the first line of which the leaders were ˇ°stressing their concern about the human cost to the people of Asiaˇ±, devotes only two of seventeen paragraphs to the social impact. The Leaders agreed to adopt an approach to recovery that is balanced between social and economic policies, but the only specific prescription of this given is that, in order to develop affordable social safety nets for the poor, they must ensure to protect, where possible, public spending from the comprehensive reform programmes that would be the mainstay of the response plan. There is no mention of civil society consultation; very little indication that the Leaders devoted much attention to social concerns; no mention of employment protection, let alone regeneration; and no mention of trade union involvement.
42. The Asia Europe Foundation(ASEF) seminar on labour relations, hosted by the Dutch Foreign Ministry, was primarily academic in character, but was attended by eight unionists and employers. The ICFTU was represented at the meeting, and put forward the recommendation of tripartite social dialogue, with full trade union consultation. The ASEF Chair was seen as being responsive to the ICFTU's invitation that ASEF contribute to this process in its capacity as a forum for social dialogue, and thus expand its role in ASEM. However in the foreword to the published report, while there was a reference to the place of ASEF as a forum for increased social dialogue, and a consensus support of tripartism, there was a critical tone to the treatment of unions and core labour standards.
43. The Foreword concentrated on points of convergence among participants, among which were the positive impact trade unions have historically had and support of the role of the ILO in establishing universal norms and standards; a universality which did not extend, to some participants, to the ILO's core labour standards. The points of divergence were concerned with the relationship of core labour standards and trade, and presented the suggestion that there is an inverse relationship between the number of ILO conventions ratified and economic prosperity of workers. There was also disagreement over the means of addressing child labour, with the argument being raised that child labour would disappear as a result of poverty being addressed. This in contrast with the ICFTU position, which holds that the eradication of child labour is one way of escaping the poverty trap.
44. The concluding statements were that both trade unions and the ILO were useful institutions, but this was qualified to indicate that their usefulness was more historical than current. Both were seen to be in need of re-invention, in the face of changes in how business in now carried out, and that such a re-invention was essential if they were to escape obsolescence.
45. The seminar in March 1999 in Copenhagen on ˇ°States and Marketsˇ±, including representatives of governments, parliaments, research institutions, the social partners and others, may be considered a part of a cautious process of widening participation in ASEM to include a number of civil society groups.
46. A number of trade union representatives took part in this meeting. The ICFTU was not itself invited, although the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and ICFTU Asian and Pacific Regional Organisation (ICFTU-APRO) were invited in their capacity as the regional trade union organisations for the two respective sides of ASEM.
47. The seminar was structured according to three main topics: Setting public regulations and norms for the functioning of markets, Ensuring market opportunities and economic participation, and Correcting the inequalities generated by the interplay of market forces. The trade union representatives contributed to each topic, and put forward recommendations that focused on the importance of accountability, human rights and democracy to economic success.
48. In the conclusion of the ICFTU Statement to the seminar, it was reiterated that the conference should constitute a first step in opening up ASEM to the voices of civil society and ought to be the first of many such encounters. ASEM needed to greatly expand the social and labour element of its work programme, with its agenda set by regular Labour Ministerial meetings. The expertise and the tripartite authority of the ILO should be utilised to the full in this process.
49. The Statement clarified that, while they are a vibrant part of civil society and are pleased to have this opportunity to present their views in this forum, at the same time unions have their own distinct concerns, mandate and responsibilities, stemming from trade unions' own contract with the workers they represent to improve their living standards and working conditions. It was to be hoped, therefore, that ASEM could create the space and the opportunity for dialogue with the trade union movement of the ASEM region through a more focused encounter of ASEM trade unions with ASEM governments and with ASEM employers.
50. Thus the ICFTU-APRO Conference in Seoul just prior to ASEM3 is the next step in a process which is intended to bring social issues, and particularly labour issues, more into the heart of the ASEM dialogue. The business community has already established itself as a partner to the governmental discussions, and on the basis of tripartism, trade unions must press their claim to a central role in ASEM discussions. This goal of having a tripartite system incorporated into ASEM comes when there are growing pressures for broader civil society consultations in all high-level international agreements.
© Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung I October 2000
Draft
statement
to
ASEM 3