Brussels. November 13 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): International trade unions are telling the government leaders meeting for the APEC summit in Kuala Lumpur next week that they must take immediate steps to resolve their region's financial and social crisis.

"The time for the sort of complacency shown by APEC leaders at last year’s Conference in Vancouver is over," says the ICFTU in a statement submitted to the APEC leaders. "We challenge them to take radical steps to reorient the APEC work programme so that it addresses the social devastation caused by the economic crisis and the structural adjustment programmes which followed.

"The lessons of the last year should have taught us that sustained growth is not possible without social and political democracy" says the ICFTU, "and if any redevelopment plan in the region is to succeed it must include the voice of civil society".

Among the methods proposed by the ICFTU are:

financial/economic measures: including developing regulatory mechanisms to control hedge funds, prevent speculation and stop the undermining of national currencies; encouraging fresh investment in human and capital resources; setting up exchange rates which are rational, sound and stable; and building a strong economic infrastructure;

including a social and employment dimension: such as establishing social safety nets; ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are fairly distributed; prioritising fundamental workers' rights, health care, education, food security and catering for the needs of the most vulnerable sectors, particularly women and children.

Setting up an APEC Social Action Plan, using a tripartite structure of workers, employers and governments to develop public social and job creation programmes to prevent the millions of workers who have been laid off during the current economic depression in Asia becoming long-term unemployed, or worse, falling into poverty.

The ICFTU stresses that the involvement of the civil society, particularly the trade union movement is vital to the success of any actions.

"It is time to give workers a say in future plans for this region", says the ICFTU. "Every week we learn how the region is rocked by civil discontent, discontent which cannot simply be contained by ill-conceived reconstruction plans which do not take into account the voice of the millions of workers who have been thrown out of their jobs".

Over the years APEC has invested considerable effort in developing the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in order to work with Asia's business community. However, says the ICFTU, it has so far omitted to create a structure for relations with workers' representatives. Now it is time to start working with the Asia and Pacific Labour Network (APLN) which was set up specifically to give unions in the APEC region a means to deal with governments, business, and other groups.

"We challenge you to work with us to bring about positive changes to make APEC an institution which not only looks at economic issues, but also looks at the impact which economic changes have on the labour force and society at large" finishes the trade unions.

The statement of proposals to APEC Ministers, which was drawn up by APLN at their Kuala Lumpur meeting in September this year, is available on this Website. Click here.