King
County Labor CouncilKing
County Labor Council
The AFL-CIO has been watching the WTO very closely at the national level, and the King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, has been preparing for the upcoming visit locally since January of this year. The AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions are engaged in a long-term campaign to introduce workers’ rights issues into discussions at the WTO. This ministerial, which is the third full meeting of the WTO, will provide an excellent arena for discussion and public action on our part.
What is the WTO?
The World Trade Organization was established in 1995 to enforce international trade
rules established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). GATT rules,
unfortunately, contain only limited references to workers’ rights. The WTO consists
of 134 member countries, and generally operates by consensus among the member
representatives, although votes are taken in some cases. Decisions made are binding and
can be enforced by withdraw-ing trade benefits from a country that has violated trade
rules.
The WTO does not write trade laws for its member countries, but sets guidelines. When enforcement of these guidelines becomes problematic, the WTO dispute settlement panel decides which country is at fault. These panels are made up of "trade experts," often trade lawyers or diplomats from member countries. In resolving disputes, the WTO operates on the basis that environmental or public health measures should be the "least trade restrictive" possible.
What’s wrong with the WTO?
In the last decade, domestic laws designed to protect the environment or public health
have been challenged as "barriers to trade" by governments and corporations. The
reduction of trade barriers has increased social tensions and highlighted national
differences in labor laws and environmental protection. What’s wrong with the WTO?
In the last decade, domestic laws designed to protect the environment or public health
have been challenged as "barriers to trade" by governments and corporations. The
reduction of trade barriers has increased social tensions and highlighted national
differences in labor laws and environmental protection.
Because workers’ rights are not included in WTO rules, trade preferences may not be withdrawn from WTO members even after egregious violations of workers’ rights. For example, if the United States was to ban the import of goods made with child labor, other countries could challenge this ban under WTO rules.
The failure of the WTO to enforce minimum labor standards results in ongoing exploitation of 42 million workers in the global market.
How can the WTO be improved?
In the past five years, the world trade community has made signifi-cant progress
in defining core workers’ rights, including the freedom of association and the right to
bargain collectively and the elimination of forced labor, child labor and discrimination
in employment.
These basic rights were affirmed at the 1996 founding WTO ministerial and in 1998 when the International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. This international commitment is a big step forward — it is no longer possible to argue that the United States or other workers’ rights advocates are trying to singularly impose their own labor laws or values on other countries.
The next step is to ensure that the WTO and other such international organizations build on this emerging international consensus to support and promote basic workers’ rights. The WTO has recognized the ILO as the proper organization to "set and deal with" these standards. Unfortunately, the ILO neither has nor seeks enforcement powers, making it all the more critical that international trade and financial organizations repair a trading system that now rewards those who abuse workers’ rights.
The most efficient way to protect workers’ rights is through a worldwide trading system that rewards or penalizes products depending on how they are produced. For example, when companies use child labor and when governments repress independent unions, their goods would be subject to trade restrictions that would eliminate the profit gained by violating workers’ rights.
What can you do to help?
• Take part in the November 30th rally and march, bring your family and friends!
Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center will be the meeting place. Call the local
AFL-CIO office at 206-448-4888 for start time information as it becomes
available. An announcement is expected soon about the entertainment line-up for the rally, which will include a
nationally-recognized musical group.
• Take part in the November 30th rally and march, bring your family and friends! Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center will be the meeting place. Call the local AFL-CIO office at 206-448-4888 for start time information as it becomes available. An announcement is expected soon about the entertainment line-up for the rally, which will include a nationally-recognized musical group.
• Contact Verlene Wilder at 206-441-7102 to find out how you can help the KCLC Education Committee with planning and mobilization efforts for the November event.
• Talk to others about the WTO and its harmful effects on workers’ rights. Share your knowledge.
For the global market to operate on behalf of the world’s citizens, governments must ensure the WTO has a social agenda. The WTO enforces intellectual property rights, market access and government regulation of investment — and there is no reason why it also cannot enforce basic minimum standards for the humane and decent treatment of workers.
Welcome to our new affiliate
New addition to KCLC office staff
One-day WTO Conference at UW
Hate Free Zone t-shirts available