The power of the union

 

"Campaigning for cancellation of International Debt is central to the work of the International Trade Union movement "
Bill Jordan, President of ICFTU, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

As our economies become increasingly swept into the unstoppable tide of globalisation, trade unions are looking afresh at the need to work internationally. In indebted countries, trade unionists have long been at the forefront of fighting against cuts in health, education and public service that result from the debt crisis.

Some reasons why trade unions should be involved in the campaign for debt cancellation:

• Because of debt, precious scarce government resources are diverted from public health, clean water and education provision - into unproductive repayments to rich creditor countries.
• As a result jobs are lost and services cut.
• A country's high level of debt gives creditors, led by the IMF, the right to intervene in its economy and to impose Structural Adjustment Programmes which cut jobs, remove subsidies, privatise industries, and introduce user fees for key services.
• Heavy debt overhangs have led to economic degradation in the poorest countries. This has reduced their ability to trade with developed countries and therefore impacts on jobs in the developed as well as the developing world.
• Debt has been a deadly secret maintained by powerful creditors and corrupt elites. Trade Unionists should play a leading role in exposing this secret and campaign to bring an end to its consequences on working people worldwide.

UNISON and the TUC in the UK, and ACTU in Australia, have demonstrated their solidarity with their sister unions by strongly supporting the Jubilee 2000 Coalition. This support at a national level, however, needs to be matched by participation of unions at a local level. In Britain there are 7 million trade union members who have the potential to add greater influence and depth to our campaigning. If you are one of them, get your branch to take action! If you aren't a member, you can still take action with local unions.

Getting started:

Here are some practical ideas on what you can do if you are already a member of a union:

• Encourage your branch or shop to take action! The first thing to do is find out how your Union works. Contact your branch secretary to find out the processes for advancing the campaign through your branch and up through the national structures of the union. You could also find out if the union has structures for black members and international issues.
• Go along to meetings, introduce the Jubilee 2000 campaign and discuss involvement in your local campaigning activities. Take some petition forms with you, and ask members to circulate them in their workplaces.
• Ask your branch and contacts/officers to nominate a link person for Jubilee 2000 mailings and meetings. Keep in regular contact with them and involve them as soon as possible in decision-making in your campaign. Be prepared to keep chasing people up!
• If the union at national level is not a member of the Coalition, put forward a resolution to join.
• Make the issue of debt relevant to trade unionists by highlighting how trade unions in indebted countries feel the pressure of debt. Common Cause is an excellent resource on issues faced by counterparts in the South. Available from CTUC +(0)171 631 0728.

If you are not a member of union you can still take action:

• Make contact with the branches of your local unions. You can do this through friends or by contacting the head office of the union and finding the contacts for your area or region. You could tell them about the support of TUC, ICFTU, Unison and AUT for the campaign, send a petition form or offer to give a talk to explain the issues.

See also: Gold, debt and and international high finance: the role of trades unionists. Article for PSI magazine by Ann Pettifor, Director of Jubilee 2000 Coalition.

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