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Username: Richard Flint
Date/Time: Thu, October 19, 2000 at 9:30 PM GMT
Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer V5.0 using Macintosh
Score: 5
Subject: Not a good idea

Message: 		 

 
                       
There are some serious problems with this proposal and I think
that it should be discussed further.

The concept and practice of work organization and trade unionism is
very different in different countries and there is not an
international consensus on what is a “union”.

The social democratic trade unions of Western Europe and the United
States AFL set up the “International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions” (ICFTU) in thr 1940s in to opposition to the communist “World
Federation of Trade Unions”(WFTU) and the Christian “World
Confederation of Labour” (WCL). Now that the Cold war is over, most,
but not all trade union bodies are members of the ICFTU.

Not all ICFTU members are democratic or even vaguely controlled by
their members. European and American money was generously used in
supporting many members who are  blatantly undemocratic
organizations.

These problems are regularly played out in the United Nations
International Labour Organization {ILO), which uniquely has voting
workers representatives. There are constant arguments among
governments and organization about who can be at the ILO.

So how does this body deal with disputes about who is a real trade
union? The answer is very badly. This is the problem with this
proposal. Not everyone even agrees on what a union is.

I am a trade union member and activist with some experience of
international work and some experience of the internet . At this
point, I cannot support this proposal.
     
     
 

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