French unions take position on World Trade Organisation talks

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On 13 October 1999, France's main trade union confederations made a joint statement on the issues to be negotiated at the World Trade Organisation's ministerial conference to be held in Seattle, USA, starting at the end of November 1999.

The third () ministerial conference is being held in Seattle, USA, from 30 November to 3 December 1999. The meeting will launch major new negotiations to further liberalise international trade, as well as reviewing of current trade rules and preparing a work programme to look at other important issues. Following the conference, a major negotiating round will start.

On 13 October 1999, France's CGT trade union confederation presented to the Committee for Social Dialogue on European and International Issues (Comité du dialogue social pour les questions européennes et internationales) (FR9812149N) a statement on the Seattle negotiations drawn up and adopted by the five representative union confederations (CFDT, CFE-CGC, CFTC, CGT and CGT-FO). This was the second time in the space of just a few months that French unions had used the new Committee to announce joint stances on high-level international issues. The first of these was a declaration by all unions, with the notable exception of CGT-FO, during debate on France's 1999 National Action Plan on Employment in response to the EU Employment Guidelines (FR9906189F).

The unions' October statement, entitled WTO: issues for the new millennium (OMC, les enjeux du millénaire), does not reject the principle of the globalisation of trade but stresses that this process should not merely revolve around "free economic exchange" but also take account of public interests, the social dimension and the long-term impact of trade policies. The forthcoming negotiations should be used to "move forward on multilateral trade regulations designed to promote sustainable and equitable development".

The French unions believe that it is crucial for Europe to "promote its social and development model based on the recognition of workers' social rights and the role of trade unions, access to collective social protection and public services, Europe's cultural diversity and respect for human rights". They are therefore urging the governments of the various European countries to "speak with one voice".

The unions that signed the statement are also demanding greater transparency in WTO debates and decisions, together with the opening of dialogue with non-governmental organisations and unions. French unions are also raising the idea of linking the WTO to the United Nations system and its organisations and specialised agencies. The unions are proposing in particular that the cooperation procedures between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the WTO be formalised. This eventuality was provided for at the first WTO ministerial conference in Singapore in 1996, and would be achieved by constituting a "social standards and trade" task force within the WTO. This task force would draw on the expertise of the ILO.

Both the MEDEF employers' confederation and the National Federation of Farmers' Unions (la Fédération nationale des syndicats d'exploitants agricoles, FNSEA) expressed their approval of the spirit of the unions' statement.

French public opinion is very sensitive to these issues and all French unions are involved in the debate on the stance to be adopted at the forthcoming WTO negotiations. Several associations and unions - CGT's financial sector federation (CGT-Finances), the Unitary Trade Union Federation (Fédération syndicale unitaire, FSU), the Group of Ten (Groupe des Dix), SUD and farmers' organisations such as the Confédération paysanne- have instigated the "group for citizens' control of the WTO" (Coordination pour le contrôle citoyen de l'OMC, CCOMC). More recently, a group of artists, academics and heads of associations and unions called for a postponement of the WTO negotiations in Seattle and a moratorium on "any fresh trade liberalisation." Leaders of CGT, FSU, SUD and also of CFDT sectoral federations were among those making these demands.

Over and above the different approaches set out in these various statements and initiatives, all demonstrate a certain concern and a genuine interest from French society as a whole over the future of the "European social model".