In Depth back to UNI In Depth home page 07/26/2002 Swedish Prime Minister's employment statements confirm key trade union priorities for positive WSSD outcomes Trade union officials are applauding recent statements by Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson which reinforce the view that employment and socio-economic security are crucial to the success of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) which is due to open in Johannesburg, South Africa at the end of August. Persson made his statements to a "Passing of the Torch" ceremony last 25 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was held to officially signal the inauguration of the WSSD, after the first Earth Summit in that city ten year ago. The statements focussing on employment issues, were only recently made public, and trade unionists believe they reflect a welcome and growing change in perspective among key players who will be attending the WSSD, including governments. Most notably, Persson highlighted the importance of investments and policies in both the social and environmental arenas, saying that they "offer exceptional opportunities" for ensuring that basic welfare and decent jobs for all is a prerequisite in promoting popular commitment to protection of the environment. "Economically, it helps to build new markets and create jobs," he said. "Socially it brings people in from the margins and politically, it reduces tensions and potential conflicts over resources." Since Rio 1992 trade unions have contended that the lack of just employment transition programmes constitutes an enormous barrier to worker involvement for implementing sustainable development targets, at the workplace level. They say that promoting change in tandem with better employment impact assessments, twinned with programmes for re-employment, training, education and compensation are the only way to secure the willing participation of workers, in the longer term. Persson also used the opportunity to reinforce a related trade union priority, when he called for stronger organizations and instruments for global governance. "There is a need to establish a better balance between global market forces and international governance for sustainable development," he said. "The international trade rules within the WTO, multilateral agreements and international conventions in the social area, such as core labour standards, must be mutually supportive." Trade unions are still assessing gains made at the WSSD Prepcom IV in Bali, Indonesia last May, in which governments agreed on the need to promote decent work and workplace-based partnerships as the key to more complete integration of the social dimension into development decisions. They have called upon the WSSD to strengthen its commitment - in both words and concrete action - to ensure that employment and social integration become central features of sustainable development, in particular, as it concerns poverty eradication. The world's two leading trade union organisations, the Internationational Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) have called on the governments of both South Africa and Indonesia to strengthen social and employment provisions of the text that will be negotiated at the WSSD in August. In particular, they are seeking improvements in the wording relating to worker participation issues, corporate accountability, roles of governments, and sector linkages to production/consumption patterns. Trade unions also believe that the release of the Swedish Prime Minister's statements will lend force to the decision by South African Prime Minister Thabo Mbeki to invite a number of countries to assist him, when he Chairs the World Summit. He has asked 25 countries to serve as 'Friends of the Chair', and invited them to a meeting on July 17 "to find an approach to resolve outstanding differences that stand in the way of a global consensus at the Summit." Trade unions expect to monitor these meetings closely, and will aim to be in direct contact with the countries involved to lobby for employment and social issues to receive the attention they deserve. See also: The Trade Union Document for WSSD, "FASHIONING A NEW DEAL" ______________________ Union Network International http://www.union-network.org - contact@union-network.org