ICFTU ONLINE... 082/270499/DD
Trade Unions call for European Parliament to delay ratification of EU-Mexico agreement
Brussels April 27 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): International and European trade union organisations, the ICFTU, the ETUC and the WCL, have written to national delegation heads at the European Parliament asking them to delay ratifying the EU-Mexico Agreement at the Parliament’s forthcoming plenary session.
The trade unions believe the EU/Mexico agreement is being presented for ratification without adequate provisions on social, environmental and human rights issues and that more time should be allowed for Parliamentary and public discussion on important key areas. In particular they want social concerns incorporated into the agreement, to give it a social dimension.
The unions are particularly concerned about the final text of the agreement because, as they say in the letter, "This is a pioneering agreement because of its scope and depth and the first of several between the EU and Latin American countries,".
The unions believe that this Agreement should incorporate strong clauses emphasising the commitment of both parties to uphold basic workers’ rights, including freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, non-discrimination in employment and the prohibition of forced and child labour. These are the rights, say the unions which were defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and need to be accompanied by concrete mechanisms to put those rights into effect. These would allow representations to be made by and include the participation of trade unions and employers’ organisations.
The European Union and Mexico are currently engaged in negotiations to establish free trade in a variety of areas within the framework of the Global Agreement negotiated in 1997. Both sides have expressed the wish to reach agreement before the end of June 1999 when the first summit of the European Union and Latin American heads of state and government takes place.
"Respect for basic human rights at work does not alter comparative labour costs but it does enable working men and women to have a voice in how the gains from improved trade performance are shared and enlarged through improved productivity and competitiveness," a 7-page trade union statement points out.
As the Agreement would serve as a model for future agreements between the EU and Latin American countries, the unions are concerned that workers' rights be an accepted part.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B - 1210 Brussels, Belgium. For more information
please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org