In Depth back to UNI In Depth home page 08/29/2002 Grounding sustainability in reality ICFTU OnLine... 149/280802/JL-TN World Summit for Sustainable development: Johannesburg 2002 Grounding sustainability in reality Johannesburg, August 28, 2002 (ICFTU News): At an ICFTU press conference at the WSSD in Johannesburg on 27 August, John Evans, General Secretary of TUAC (Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD) underlined the vast and growing global body of trade union action for sustainable development, but also called for governments to do more to regulate the behaviour of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The seventeen framework agreements signed since 1992 between sectoral Global Union Federations (GUFs) and multinationals are just one indicator of the international action by trade unions in the decade following Rio. But as John Evans explained "Governments cannot back away from their responsibilities to regulate MNEs. We have to get them to effectively implement the instruments on MNEs to which they are already committed, such as the OECD Guidelines." At the press conference, Zwelimzima Vavi, General Secretary of the ICFTU-affiliated COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions), re-iterated the pivotal role trade unions, as effective, durable and representative organisations play not just in terms of their work concerning MNEs, but through the entirety of the sustainable development agenda. He also emphasized the trade union movement's strong opposition to the privatization of basic services. "Trade union rights, collective bargaining and other fundamental workers' rights are key elements of the integrated pillars of sustainable development and an essential basis for, above all, wealth creation and poverty reduction. Trade unions have the experience, the capacity and the knowledge to apply these vital factors" explained Lucien Royer, ICFTU/TUAC Health, Safety and the Environment officer, adding "this summit has faced criticism for being a talking-shop when action is needed. Trade unions are here to show that action can only be effective when social issues are accepted as being inseparable from the economic and environmental. Workers are at the centre of sustainable development and this must be clearly recognized." Information and events Link to official UN press release including comments from Nilton Freitas, of Brazil's Unified Workers Confederation and Anita Normark, General Secretary of the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers http://www.un.org/events/wssd/pressconf/020827conf3.htm An event entitled "Corporate Accountability for Sustainable Development" organized by the ICFTU/TUAC/Caisse des depôts (France) will take place on Thursday 29 August beginning at 11am in Ubuntu (Room F - Fever Tree) http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991216427&Language=EN More details about this event and others is available on the ICFTU website at: http://www.icftu.org/wssd2002 The ICFTU represents 157 million workers in 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and territories. ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2 224 0232 or +32 476 62 10 18. Or contact ICFTU press officer Louis Bélanger in Johannesburg at louis@icftu.org /or +27 7 256 14461 ______________________ Union Network International http://www.union-network.org - contact@union-network.org