(23 September 2014) Trade unions from Europe and across the globe took part in the Public Services International (PSI) Global Trade Summit 2014, 15-17 September in Washington, D.C., to discuss growing concerns about the effects of current trade policies on public services and workers’ rights.
The Summit was hosted by the US trade union the Teamsters. Participants in the Summit also met with US politicians to raise joint trade union concerns.
The discussion in the Summit focused on the problems brought by the ‘noodle soup’ of bilateral and plurilateral trade negotiations taking place – TTIP, CETA, TiSA, TPP to name just a few - that are going well beyond the traditional trade remit of addressing tariffs. As put by PSI’s General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli “These trade agreements are about far more than trade. They enshrine the power of corporations in ways only loosely related to trade. They lock in liberalisation, promote privatisation, and restrict governments' right to regulate. The global financial crisis made clear the catastrophic results of failing to adequately regulate the financial markets.” In many of these agreements there are unacceptable provisions for investor to state dispute settlement (ISDS) that effectively privatises the justice system and gives special rights to companies to avoid risk and to protect their investments.
Participants discussed the PSI research document about the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), "The really good friends of transnational corporations agreements" which complement the earlier study 'TISA versus Public Services'.
The Summit agreed a ‘statement of outcomes’ calling for:
- widespread communication with our members to explain the harmful effects of these agreements
- alliance-building on the dangers of these agreements with other trade unions, national centres, and civil society
- mobilisation and coordinated action across the globe
- targeted lobbying at national level of political parties.
EPSU’s contribution to the Summit gave examples of recent successful campaigns and lobbying activities, including on CETA which will serve as a template for TTIP. EPSU Secretariat, affiliates and the Canadian unions are putting pressure on governments arguing that CETA is not ready to be signed. As the leaked texts stand, it should not be adopted.
For further details about the Summit see the PSI website
and EPSU website.
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