Press Release
Afro-Asian NGO Coalition Condemns the Reintroduction of Labor Standards on the Ministerial Agenda
Doha, November 12, 2001. The attempt to re-introduce core labor standards in the WTO negotiations was widely condemned by a number of NGOs-from Africa and Asia--who are in Doha for the 4th ministerial conference of WTO.
In a statement released here today a coalition of NGOs from Africa and Asia stated: “Introduction of core labor standards in WTO agenda would once again sabotage the success of the ministerial, as it happened at Seattle. We are not surprised at all. The European Union and other supporting countries are foisting an agenda with the clear intention of annoying the poor countries.
Poverty is the major problem in our countries. There are millions of families in Africa and Asia who are depending on the income that their children generate. In Bangladesh they tried to stop child labor and the result was that the working children turned into street beggars and prostitutes.
Why do they think that one size can fit all. Their issues are entirely different from our issues. I appreciate that they take care of their citizens and are trying to improve the working conditions in their countries. In most of the cases their social security system is strong enough to protect the livelihood of a family if a person leave the job. However, in our case it is entirely opposite. It is not the matter of choosing the best work conditions. It is the matter of subsistence and livelihood. In a country like Nepal, India, or Pakistan where 40-50% people live below poverty line the main problem is finding a job. If the rich countries are really that sincere in improving the work conditions then their first priority should be to eradicate the poverty not by loans but by better terms of trade etc.
The proponents of the revised effort: EU, New Zealand, Canada etc are not sincere in improving the condition of labor. They just need another excuse to block the entry of developing countries into their markets. The idea of labor standards is too premature to be considered in the new round of issues. The WTO should give top priority to other main issues, such as implementation of the Uruguay Round commitments, better terms of trade, TRIPs and concerns of the poor.
The statement asserted that: “Core labor standards are very important. However, the WTO is not the right forum to deal with the issue. The DSU of the WTO would penalize countries deemed to operate below the agreed standards. This approach would make the situation worse; especially the least developed countries would suffer the more because the penalty from the WTO will be punitive where as the ILO will try to assist the country reach to an acceptable labor standards”.
Responding to the statement of ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) that introduction of core labor standards would put an end to the WTO’s isolationism from the other bodies of the United Nations, and most notably the ILO, the statement noted: “EU and Canada are hypocrites and have double standards. We are advocating that patenting of life forms under TRIPs should be made compatible with Convention of Biological Diversity .On the issue of patents of medicine we are demanding that WHO should decide when the situation arises in a country to give her exemption from TRIPs. Similarly we are trying our hard that FAO should decide when a country’s food security is under threat to give her exemptions from tariff reduction, but the developed countries do not pay any heed and now when their own interest is involved they are supporting the proposal of core labor standards. It is simply unethical and we reject it categorically”.
The statement has been issued by:
For further information contact:
Pradeep S Mehta, (974) 539 5487, em: psm_cuts@rediffmail.com