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We Demand Employment, Equal Labour Standards and Participation in Decision Making for All Women Workers
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This is Category: Letters
Following are the News Items published under this Category.
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Letters: Open Letter to ASEAN Leaders on the EU-ASEAN FTA
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 08:30 PM
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2191 Reads
A Call to ASEAN Leaders regarding the proposed EU-ASEAN Free TradeAgreement negotiations
To the ASEAN Leaders and the ASEAN Secretariat:The undersigned civil society movements and organisations from ASEANwish to express their strong concerns about the proposed EU-ASEAN FreeTrade Agreement (FTA) slated to be concluded within the next two years.We are aware that the trade negotiations are already ongoing, and theseare done without prior meaningful public consultation, either withelected representatives or civil society in any of the countriesconcerned. Any agreement as far-reaching in its consequences and asbroad in scope as the proposed EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement shouldinvolve at the very least a wide-ranging and on-going consultationprocess, in addition to full disclosure of all texts being considered.We view access to information and process as vital components for themeaningful participation of civilsociety in all stages of the discussion. We view with concern as well that in processes that are being opened tocivil society, for instance, the Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment(SIA), organizations' contribution in the consultation is being limitedby the frame of only looking for mitigating and "flanking" measures,andnot addressing the fundamental issues that govern any free tradeagreement. We believe that the voice of the sectors in any trade negotiations andagreements is particularly important in the light of the experience withexisting EU FTAs where significant negative outcomes have occurred whilemany of the promised benefits have failed to materialise. For example,assessments of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement show a doubling ofMexico's trade deficit with the EU since the FTA came into force. Andcontrary to the predicted benefits to employment and labour conditionssince the signing of the EU-Mexico Agreement unemployment has risen andworkers are increasingly facing precarious labour conditions andtemporary employment contracts, below-standard wages and no socialsecurity. While foreign investments have increased, this has resultedmainly in foreign takeovers of domestic industries, without generatingadditional employment or increases in remuneration.The EU-ASEAN FTA negotiations are happening at a time when the ASEANregion is facing food, fuel, environment and employment crises. Thesecrises have exposed the weaknesses of the policy of trade liberalizationpursued by countries across the region and the cornerstone of theprocess of ASEAN economic integration. There have been calls forgovernments to revisit trade and development policies in the wake of thecrisis. Unfortunately, instead of a strong critique of the existing freetrade policies, the calls forreform tend to move towards more of the same market-oriented reforms. As a result of this continued push for the same market-driven economyand aggressive liberalization, farmers continue to be threatened withland conversion, shifting from planting food to cash crops andproduction of biofuels or converting irrigated lands to accommodate realestate development; fishers' fishing area are encroached upon by bigcommercial corporations and continued importation of cheap fish productscontinue to threaten their livelihood; indigenous peoples continue to bedisplaced from their lands in the name of extractive industries likemining; workers'tenure continue to be threatened, if not, altogether gone, and thosethat continue to work have to deal with cheap wages in unsafe workingconditions; and the burden of women, who bear the brunt of jobinsecurity, low-productivity and limited resource-allocation for basicsocial services is exacerbated by further deregulation, liberalizationand privatization as these FTAs push for opening up markets ingovernment procurement and public utilities.In this light, the undersigned civil society organisations are highlyconcerned that:Your browser may not support display of this image. The EU appears to bepromoting anti-development policies with its push to incorporate thecontroversial Singapore issues already rejected at the WTO by variousASEAN members;Your browser may not support display of this image. The vastsocio-economic disparities in ASEAN are not being taken into account asthe EU is demanding full reciprocity and maximum frontloading ofcommitments without meaningful special and differential treatment beyondmere transition periods - which even the WTO allows;Your browser may not support display of this image. The liberalisationof services at a WTO-plus level, given the dominance of EU servicescompanies, will tend to outcompete ASEAN services providers;* The accompanying limitations on the ability of nationalgovernmentsto regulate in the public interest will jeopardise access to essentialservices, and have far-reaching implications for the poor and ruralpopulations in both regions. Experiences with previous FTAs and ourreading of EU policy heightens our concern that services negotiationswill include essential services and public utilities like water, health,education, public transport, culture, etc.; * Any EU-ASEAN FTA will leave the ASEAN countries worse off thanthecurrent GSP treatment, while demanding from these asymmetrical partnersextensive WTO-plus liberalisation without allowing adequate specialsafeguard measures; * Any EU-ASEAN FTA in these directions that pushes ASEAN to focusmoreon primary products as its major export in exchange for developing itscapacity in manufacturing and processed products will render ASEANeconomies to backtrack on its industrialization drive; Your browser may not support display of this image. EU requirements thatASEAN substantially lower its tariffs will result in a significant lossof revenue to developing countries which can not easily raise similarfunds from other taxation sources;Your browser may not support display of this image. The EU's highpriority on access to raw materials as expressed in its key documentsetting out the future direction of its trade policy - 'Global Europe:Competing in the World' - will seriously undermine ASEAN countries'capacity to maintain sovereignty over their natural resources, includingrestrictions on exports, investment and intellectual property rights;Your browser may not support display of this image. The EU will push formarket access commitments with regard to government procurement, whichwill encroach on vital policy space needed for equitable wealthredistribution and social coherence necessary for nation-building;Your browser may not support display of this image.Intellectual propertyprotection is already reducing access to affordable medicine andeducation in developing countries; and that the EU will require ASEANcountries to join additional intellectual property treaties, which willfurther increase the level of intellectual property protection - to thedetriment of the right to health, education and other basic humanrights.Given the above, the undersigned civil society groups from ASEAN comingtogether in the Southeast Asian Peoples Caucus on EU-ASEAN FTA held inQuezon City, Philippines on 23 - 24 June 2008, call on the leaders ofASEAN:
1. To place people's needs and rights at the heart of any economicdevelopment including trade arrangements through instituting andpracticing political accountability on all economic decision-makingprocesses, including bringing in civil society to participate as a fullstakeholder, in order to arrive at equitable and sustainable
developmentand trade systems;
2. To provide access to information and process both at theregionaland national levels by making all documents relevant to the EU-ASEAN FTAnegotiations available to the public (including but not limited to thefollowing: a) Terms of Reference and negotiating framework/ mandate;drafts of the proposed agreement; studies and memoranda with regard tospecific areas of negotiation or sectors under consideration, etc.);
3. To create mandatory spaces for public scrutiny of agreements,andinputs to the negotiation process through a) reporting by and peopleinterface with Joint Committee Meetings and negotiation rounds; b) broadconsultation at the national, sectoral, and regional levels on thesubstance of the negotiation;
4. To ensure that voices of the sectors both at the national andregional levels are reflected in the official reports and presented bythe negotiators to
the relevant discussion forums and negotiations;We believe that only through a people-centered economy and practice ofdemocracy can the ASEAN peoples and economies reach its full potentialand reap the benefits of an equitable and empowering development.The undersigned,EU-ASEAN FTA Campaign Network Indonesia (Institute for Global Justice, KASBI (Carrefour Trade Union )Malaysia (Monitoring Sustainability of Globalization (MSN), NationalUnion of Bank Employees-Malaysia, National Union of Drink IndustryWorkers)Thailand ( FTA Watch-Thailand, Alternative Agriculture Network, Assemblyof the Poor, Consumer Federation of Thailand, People Living with HIVNetwork)Vietnam (Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, Vietnam GeneralConfederation of Labour, National Committee for the Advancement of Womenin Vietnam, Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers)Philippines (EU-ASEAN Campaign Network - Alab Katipunan, Alliance ofProgressive Labor, Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura, Action andSolidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers, Alyansa Tigil Mina,Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, Bukluranng Manggagawang Pilipino, Coalition Against Trafficking of Women, CentroSaka, Inc., Freedom from Debt Coalition, Focus on the Global South,International Gender Trade Network-Asia, Institute for opularDemocracy, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission, JubileeSouth-Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development, Kalayaan, Kalipunanng Maliliit na Magninyog ng Pilipinas, Kilusang Kababaihang Mangingisda,Kilusang Mangingisda, Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, Kongreso ngPagkakaisa ng Maralitang Tagalunsod, Koalisyon Pabahay ng Pilipinas,Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan-Friends ofthe Earth, Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan, Makabayang Alyansa ngMagbubukid ng Pilipinas, Manggagawaing Kababaihang Mithi ay Paglaya,Migrant Forum in Asia, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan,Partido ng Manggagawa, SANLAKAS, Task Force Food Sovereignty, Triple11-Pilipinas, Welga ng Kababaihan, WomanHealth Philippines, World Marchof Women, Zone One Tondo Organization, Confederation of IndependentUnions, Integrated Rural Development Foundation, League of Urban Poorfor Action, Teachers Dignity Coalition, Philippine Nurses' Association)
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Letters: Call to Charge Burma Junta with War Crimes of Rape
Published Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 12:06 AM
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2309 Reads
The Women�s League of Burma (WLB) welcomes the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council
Resolution 1820 on sexual violence during the Council�s debate on 19 June 2008. WLB believes that this
historic resolution gives hope to women around the world and in Burma in particular for justice.
The Resolution notes that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes and crimes
against humanity, and stresses the importance of ending impunity for such acts.
Rape has been used for decades as a weapon in the Burmese military regime�s war against ethnic
nationalities, to demonstrate the army�s absolute power to retaliate against those who resist them. SPDC
soldiers use women in conflict areas as porters to carry their military equipment and supplies during the
day, and use them as sex slaves at night. Many women, and their family members, have been brutally
killed to eliminate evidence of these crimes.
While the military remains in control, rule of law remains absent, and to this day incidents of rape
committed by SPDC troops with impunity continue to be reported. A very recent rape incident took place
on 8 June, 2008, when an SPDC Army Major and a lawyer raped two teenaged ethnic Chin girls, aged 13
and 14, in Thangtlang, Chin State, Northwest Burma. One of them has been hospitalized with serious
injuries as a result of the sexual abuse.
When the State itself is the abuser of human rights and the perpetrator of rape and other forms of genderbased
violence, we can only rely on international laws and criminal courts to deal with such heinous
crimes and protect the women of Burma.
We call on the UNSC to consider referring Burma�s General Than Shwe, top leader of the Burmese
military junta, and his cronies to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the war crimes and crimes
against humanity for which they are accountable. We urge the Council members to live up to the
commitment shown during their debate.
We believe that a campaign to bring the top leaders of the junta before the ICC or some other
international judicial body would send a strong warning to other officers in Burma, and let them realize
that it is pointless to continue supporting the dictator Than Shwe, who has no future.
WLB hereby affirms that it will start a campaign, along with our supporters around the world, using this
new UNSC Resolution-1820 to punish the regime and bring justice for the women of Burma
Contacts:
Nang Yain + 66 89 858 4668
Naw Zipporah Sein + 66 81 952 7145
Lway Aye Nang + 66 89 434 2841
Nang Hseng Noung + 66 81 884 4963
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Letters: Stop Violating Labour Laws in Pakistan
Published Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:13 PM
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2163 Reads
To
The Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister Secretariat, Islamabad
Chief Minister of Punjab
Chief Minister House, Lahore-Pakistan
Mr. Ashraf Sohna
Provincial Minister of Labour , Civil Secretariat-Punjab
Lahore, Pakistan
Fax:: 92-42- 9211580
Secretary Labor Punjab
Civil Secretariat �Punjab, 2 Bank Road, Old P & D Building
Lahore Pakistan
Fax: 92-42-9211580
Subject : STOP Violation of Labour Laws in SVA Ruba Electronics Factory
Dear Minister,
We would like to draw your attention to the plight of workers in the �SVA Ruba Electronic Factory� which is a Joint Venture of China in Pakistan. The factory is located on Raiwind Road, Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore. 150 workers of which 70 are women and 80 are men work in the factory
The situation of workers in SVA Ruba Electronic is miserable. 90% workers have no appointment letters, they get less than minimum wages, have to do forced overtime. The management is violating labor laws and using terror tactics and resorting to violence against workers especially women workers.
On various instances in the month of May the factory management has locked workers either in the factory or out of the factory. Workers demanding their rights have been threatened by goons and thrown out of the factory. When the workers formed a union named �SVA Ruba Electronics Employees Union� and submitted an application to the Registrar of union in National Industrial Relation Commission (NIRC), the Chairman of NIRC gave the workers a �Stay Order� and instructed the management to not terminate any workers. Despite this order workers have been locked out of the factory and have been protesting in the hot sun for their jobs.
As Asian women workers movement, Committee for Asian Women joins Women Working Organisation (WWO) and All Pakistan Trade Union Federation and the workers of SVA Ruba factory in their struggle for their rights.
We forcefully call on you to meet the following demands:
� Immediately Reinstate Waheed Ul Haq
� Increase workers salary
� Recognize SVA Ruba Workers Union
� Stop Violating ILO Convention 98 and 87
Signed,
Lucia V Jayaseelan
Executive Coordinator
Committee for Asian Women
386/58 Soi Ratchadapisek 42,
Ladyao, Chatujak, Bangkok 10900
THAILAND
http://www.cawinfo.org
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Letters: Unilever poisoned workers and residents in India
Published Monday, February 04, 2008 - 02:08 AM
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2141 Reads
This is a letter calling for international solidarity and support to the workers and their families who are living in Kodaikanal, India, where the environment has been contaminated by mercury from a Unilever factory.
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Sick workers; Poisoned Environment
Hold Unilever Accountable for Mercury Poisoning
March 7, 2008: Global Day of Action Against Unilever
We are workers and residents of Kodaikanal, who were exposed to toxic mercury from Hindustan Unilever's mercury thermometer factory in this beautiful hill station in Tamilnadu, South India. We are pursuing the Anglo-Dutch giant seeking compensation, long-term health rehabilitation and monitoring, and clean-up of mercury contamination of our home town and its beautiful lakes.
March 7, 2008, is the 7th anniversary of the day when we exposed Unilever's irresponsible dumping of toxic mercury wastes in a sensitive watershed forest and in a scrap yard in a crowded working class neighborhood.
The company's in-house safety practices were as lax as their environmental quality control. We were not warned of the hazards of working with mercury. Many of us unwittingly carried the toxic metal home in our clothes and hair and exposed our children to the poison. Many of us are too sick to work for a living. Faced with mounting medical expenses under the circumstances, our families are being pushed to destitution. At least 19 young workers have died till date, and hundreds, including children born to exposed parents, are sick. The company refuses to come to the aid of those poisoned by it, and is delaying clean-up to international standards.
Make Unilever fulfill its obligations to the community of ex-workers and Kodaikanal residents.
Take Action: Target Unilever wherever you are
Organise candle-light vigils
Take out a rally supporting the cause of the ex-workers
Organise actions at Hindustan Lever/Unilever offices in your cities
Organise photo exhibitions on Unilever's mercury fever in schools, community halls
Organise local boycotts of Unilever's consumer products � tea, cosmetics, soaps and detergents
Write, call, fax the local Unilever office and ask them to take responsibility for their pollution in Kodaikanal.
Contact details for Unilever offices worldwide can be found by verifying their country websites. Select the country by going to: www.unilever.com/resources/downloadlibrary.asp
Ponds Hindustan Lever Limited ex- mercury employees' welfare Association,
J.R Complex,
Kamarajar Road,
Kodaikanal � 624 101. Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India.
For more information, and campaign resources such as downloadable posters, photo exhibition, flyers and placards log on to kodaikanalstruggle.blogspot.com
Email us at: [email protected]
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Letters: International Labor Rights Forum
Published Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - 07:02 PM
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1695 Reads
Dear friends and allies'
I am writing from the International Labor Rights Forum in Washington, DC. We are writing today about 3 very important things and we would very much like your feedback and involvement.
---Share your Successes---
In response to the call for a global week of action during the week of January 21-26, 2008 initiated by the World Social Forum, the Labor is Not a Commodity blog, which is run by ILRF and several other groups, will feature articles throughout the week related to the theme: "Another World is Possible: International Labor Solidarity Success Stories."
We will be sharing stories about when people around the world came together to support workers' rights and how different individuals and organizations are successfully protecting labor rights globally. Keep checking throughout the week for inspiring updates.
We also want to hear your stories! You can contribute blog entries on successful labor campaigns by sending your stories to Tim at [email protected] -- the sooner the better! You can also contact Tim with questions or for more information.
---Pictures---
ILRF is about to launch a new website and we want to highlight all of the inspiring work done by trade unions and labor allied NGOs around the world. Please send us any pictures that you would like us to feature on our website and in publications. We very much would like pictures of factories, individual workers, rallies, and other activities that you have planned. Please send your pictures to [email protected] and also include a caption and the name of the photographer.
---Profiles---
ILRF recently surveyed our supporters and they responded with a special request to learn more about individual worker stories and also about the organizations that work on labor rights issues globally. We would like to feature your organization and work on our blog, website and other publications. If you would like to share the work you do with others through ILRF, email [email protected].
It is a pleasure to work with you and to support your important work and we look forward to continuing in the struggle for just labor rights around the world.
In solidarity,
Trina Tocco, International Labor Rights Forum
Washington, DC
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Letters: Updates of Dagongzhe Migrant Worker Centre and Huang Qingnan
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 12:33 AM
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1693 Reads
Dear all,
Warm greeting from Hong Kong!
First of all, we are very grateful for the massive support from Hong Kong and international civil society. In the past few weeks, many civil groups (included but not limited to International Trade Union Confederation, Clean Clothes Campaign, Worker Rights Consortium, Ethnic Trading Initiative, etc), had responded to our call and sent their concern to the China Central and Shenzhen Municipal governments, as well as wide spreaded the news on this terrible attacks though their networks.
Apart from letter writing and endorsement to the statement, we receive a lot of support in donation. Since the medical expenditure is higher than we expect, we amended the fund rasie target to 38,000 USD and now 33,600 USD is collected, major came from the Hong Kong public and civil groups, as well as international groups such as EED (Church Development Service, Germany), International Trade Union Confederation, Canadian Labour Congress, Taiwan civil society (collected by Coolloud Web) etc. The medical cost until 7th Jan, 2008 is around 10,500 USD. This encouraging result is a concrete example for worker solidarity between north and south.
Dagongzhe Centre is now re-open on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and providing legal consultation to workers. Workers expressed their concern and anger to the violent attack and support to the DGZ Centre, thus they donate d to Huang and also initiated a sale to fund raise for Huang and planning for further supportive activities to stand for a normal operation of DGZ Centre.
Hunag Qingnan is recovering steady after the skin-grafting operation on 4th Jan, 2008. He is still suffering from muscular dystrophy, hence more physical training is important to enhance the strength of his thigh muscle. However, doctor told that he will need a supplementary instrument in the future. If there is no more infection or other problem, Huang can be discharged from hospital before Chinese New Year (Early Feb). One more operation for muscle transplant may be needed to the maximize his ability to walk, and followed by series of physiotherapy which will be last for at least 18 months.
The Government had not respond to the calls from DGZ Centre and international groups yet, nevertheless, the Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions had visited Huang and DZG Centre, to convey care and attention. But they refused to condemn on the violent attack against workers and DGZ Centre since they worried that it would be interpreted as the Government's position. There is still no specific progress on the detection, no suspects is arrested or questioned.
The next stage of activities will be mainly initiated by local workers in mainland China to achieve formal communication channel with the Government. We hope that you can keep your eyes on the incident and continuously mobilize your network members to write to the China Central and Shenzhen Municipal governments.
Thanks again for your concern and support!
In Solidarity,
Worker Empowerment Labour Action in China Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior
Asia Monitor Recourse Centre Globalisation Monitor
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Letters: Solidarity request from USAS
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 12:10 AM
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1828 Reads
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. I write to ask for your help in ensuring that baseball cap workers for the New Era Cap Company here in the United States are able to exercise their right to organize. As described below, we would like to ask your organization to add its name to a letter that USAS will be sending to the Fair Labor Association about this case.
We have been working cosely with workers at plants owned by New Era in the south of the United States, in the state of Alabama. These workers are trying to organize a union to win dignified treatmment, decent wages, and to stop racial discrimination against workers in the factory. The company has responded by waging an aggressive union busting campaign in which it has called union organizers liars and claimed that unions do nothing but take workers' dues from their paychecks. To illustrate some of their tactics, I am attaching a letter that New Era sent to the workforce of one of its factories.
New Era is also a member of the Fair Labor Assocation (FLA). Its head of human resources, Tim Freer, sits on the Executeive Board of the FLA as a representative of New Era. Workers have told us that Mr. Freer personally participated in the anti-union campaign by running a series of anti-union meetings which workers were required to attend.
The purpose of the letter we are asking you to sign is to encourage the FLA to take leadership on this issue. Basically, we want them to clearly state that they will not allow one of their member companies to run anti-union campaings in factories that they own and operate themselves and demand that New Era stop its union-busting campaign at its plant in Jackson, Alabama.
It would be greatly appreciated if your organization could sign on to this letter, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks so much,
Zack
--
The USAS Winter Conference will be February 8-10 in sunny Miami, FL. Register today at studentsagainstsweatshops.org
Zack Knorr
United Students Against Sweatshops
International Campaigns Coordinator
Cell: 951-368-8004
Office: 202-NOSWEAT
Email: [email protected]
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Letters: CAW: Give compensation for excessive cadmium levels and cadmium poisoning
Published Tuesday, September 12, 2006 - 08:40 PM
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1088 Reads
Mr Victor Lo Chung Wing Chairman and CEO Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Limited (GP), 8/F Gold Peak Building, 30 Kwai Wing Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong SAR Fax: (852) 2489 1879, E-mail: [email protected] 8 September 2006 Dear Mr. Lo Chung Wing and Gold Peak shareholders Compensation for excessive cadmium levels and cadmium poisoning We understand that on the 13 September Gold Peak Industries will be holding its AGM in Hong Kong. We wish to take this opportunity to address the AGM in order to express our support for the struggle of workers from several of your company�s factories in China to gain adequate compensation and redress for excessive cadmium levels and cadmium poisoning contracted while at work for Gold Peak Industrial Holding Ltd (hereafter GP). We are also writing to express our dismay at the commencement of legal action you have taken against three Hong Kong groups --- Globalisation Monitor, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and the Neighbourhood and Workers� Service Centre ---for their support of the workers� effort in making their case heard. We deplore the use of threatening legal action to silence the legitimate support the groups are showing to these workers.
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Letters: Open letter to the Government of Singapore on civil society participation in World Bank � International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) meeting in Singapore, 19-20 September 2006)
Published Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 09:00 PM
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1211 Reads
3 March 2006 Mr Lee Hsien Loong
Singapore Prime Minister
Prime Minister�s Office
Orchard Road, Istana
(Singapore) 238823
Republic of Singapore
Dear Mr Lee Hsien Loong,
Civil Society participation in World Bank � International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) meeting in Singapore, 19-20 September 2006 As a network of the national, regional and international civil society organisations, we the undersigned express our grave concerns about the impending restrictions and threats reportedly being made that will hamper meaningful civil society participation at the upcoming WB-IMF meeting in Singapore, 19-20 September 2006. These threats and restrictions will jeopardize civil society engagement with various inter-governmental bodies on strategic issues such as trade, aid, debt, sustainable development, human rights, peace and human security. We understand that your government, as well as WB-IMF, are making some arrangements for actions by foreign NGOs, during the above meetings. In our experience such regulated processes tend to be selective, exclusive and provide very limited opportunities for the expression of civil society voices, particularly of marginalised groups who are directly affected by the deliberations and decisions of these meetings. Thus, we would like to highlight the importance of spontaneous and unrestricted civil society actions before, during and after the WB-IMF meeting.
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Letters: Open Letter to the Thai Government-The Position of the Thai People�s Movement:We Don�t Want the WTO!
Published Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 08:36 PM
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1252 Reads
Below is the open letter to Thai government signed by over 20 organizations in Thailand.
For the ten years that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has existed, people have been forced to face disruptions of their everyday lives. Its single global market agenda poses a great threat to the diversity of the world. Every country, including Thailand, is now being pressured into deregulation and the amendment of its constitution and laws to comply with WTO requirements. Expansion of monopolies and control over agribusiness through privatization means that access to water, land, seeds, forests, natural resources and energy is a constant struggle. This is devastating people�s lives in many ways.
WTO policies are leading directly to increasingly rapid climate change and decreasing biodiversity, which are destroying the entire planet�s future. The concentration of power that is reinforced, for example, through consolidated media control is also causing the destruction of cultural diversity and indigenous cultures, particularly affecting women, children and the elderly.
Capitalism is undemocratic by nature and as one of its main driving forces, the WTO is also undemocratic. It is based on undemocratic national governments from all over the world. This lack of democracy is shown in part through increasing violence against protesters and popular movements and the loss of civil liberties, which are exemplified in the so-called �War on Terror�.
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Campaign: Domestic Workers Are Workers
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Coming CAW Events
Regional Conference on Domestic Workers
26-27 August 2008
Bangkok, Thailand |
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CAW Secretariat
Executive Coordinator- Lucia V Jayaseelan
Programme Coordinator- Deepa Bharathi
Programme Officer- Niza Concepcion
Information Communication and Media Officer- Juliette Lee
Publication, Resource Centre and Thai Liaison Officer- Patima Kalumpakorn (Pui)
Book-keeper / Administration Assistant- Suneerat Sangthong (Tuk)
Finance Consultant- Leong Mee Nan (Mei Yun)
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