Speech of W.F.T.U. General Secretary Mr. George Mavrikos at the 98th ILC Plenary Session
19 June 2009
a. The economic crisis: the realistic and necessary targets
Dear Mr President
Dear colleagues
On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions (W.F.T.U.) we believe that the worries, the thoughts and the anger of the world’s working class due to the widespread attack against its rights and achievements are fully justified.
The capitalists and the capitalist governments use the economic crisis to remove rights of the popular layers. As a solution to the economic and financial crisis, they encourage the strengthening of the monopolies and the banks with public, governmental money, while at the same moment, they reduce wages and pensions, they increase unemployment, they increase poverty. They close the way for a decent future for the young generations. They use as basic tools the privatizations, the blow of social security, the black and undeclared work, the exploitation of migrants.
The rise of racist and neo-fascist parties in the recent elections for the European Parliament is a loud bell that nobody should ignore. The economic crisis leads the workers in mistaken ways.
One more exemple is what happened last week in Peru where the government has killed 240 natives in the Amazon. The case is typical and shows what many people mean when talking about green development. To kick out the indigenous farmers from their land and to be exploited by monopolies.
This is the modern capitalist world. Profits for the few, poverty for the peoples.
The World Federation of Trade Unions has undertaken several initiatives for the action of trade unions against the consequences of the economic crisis. We organized an International Trade Union Conference in Portugal, a Conference in Nepal, in Belarus, in Cuba, in Nigeria, etc.
Our central proposals are:
* Drastic reduction of military expenses
* Increase of social spending on today’s social needs
* Support the living standards of workers
* Stop the privatizations
* Support of the self-employed and farmers.
We call upon all workers and all unions throughout the world to fight together for these goals which are both realistic and necessary.
b. The situation in Palestine and the Arab region.
Dear Colleagues
For years now the people of Palestine suffers from the attacks and threats of the Governments of Israel. And along with Palestine, Lebanon, the Syrian Golan, the people of Iraq, Sudan, Iran, are also targets of Israel.
We all have a good reason to wonder : how far this aggression will go? For how many more years the army of Israel will kill children and women? Until when Israel will refuse the establishment of an independent Palestinian state?
The WFTU since its foundation until today is on the side of the Palestinian people. Alongside with the Arabs. Not with words but with action. And today we say that peoples can live peacefully. All peoples must live in peace. A basic condition for this is the immediate withdrawl of all foreign troops from the Arab territories. To put an end to the occupation.
c.The situation within the ILO
Dear representatives of the international trade union movement,
For the last three years, here, from this pontium, we firmly support that the ILO must implement both to its functions and organs, the UN principles, the principle of equality, of proportional representation, democracy and transparency. The lack of these characteristics, hurt first of all the ILO itself.
The requests we put are fair and realistic.
They need to answer us after all: in the ILO Governing Body, is it fair for a trade union with 20,000 members to participate as Titular member and the ACFTU with 200 million members not to be a titular one? Is it realistic that a trade union with 70,000 members is amongst the Titular members and the WFTU with 70 million members to be excluded? We wait for a reply. For an effective answer.
We will not stop until a fair and mutually acceptable solution is given. This would be in favor of workers, would be in favor of the international trade union movement and for the ILO.
Thank you