ICFTU ONLINE...

254/201198/JH

Brussels. November 19 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): APEC has missed a vital opportunity to learn the lessons of the economic and financial crisis, recognise the need for democratic consultation and so lay the basis for restoring social development and economic growth, says the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, in its response to the Kuala Lumpur APEC Leaders’ Declaration issued yesterday.

The Kuala Lumpur meeting failed to take up the momentum from previous APEC Leaders’ Meetings, which had shown growing awareness of the importance of building popular support and addressing equity concerns if APEC was to succeed in achieving economic co-operation in the region. But social concerns receive minimal attention in the Leaders’ 35-paragraph declaration, and nothing in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration covers consultation with trade unions or any other members of civil society.

On the positive side, APEC’s views on the financial crisis echo many of the recommendations made by the summit of APEC’s trade union leaders held in Kuala Lumpur in September. The trade union summit had itself proposed similar measures to achieve transparency and disclosure by banks and hedge funds and the establishment of a task force and working group on the strengthening of financial systems - measures now endorsed by the APEC Leaders’ Meeting.

However, in terms of action the Declaration is very much a disappointment. There is little by way of real financial commitment to address the problems caused by the crisis. Japan’s initiative to provide $30 billion to support recovery in Asia was matched by little comparable support from other APEC countries. Beyond the barest of references to social safety nets, there is nothing in the Declaration about setting up an APEC Social Action Plan, to develop public social and job creation programmes to stop millions of unemployed people falling into dire poverty.

"The Kuala Lumpur Declaration says nothing about working with the people of the APEC region and their trade unions", say the trade unions. "We maintain our challenge to APEC Leaders 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" finish the trade unions.

The statement of trade union proposals to APEC Ministers, which was drawn up by the ICFTU Asia Pacific Labour Network (APLN) at their Kuala Lumpur meeting in September this year, is available on this Website.  Click here.

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