[fse-esf] Report of the Labor and Globalization Network meeting at Berlin EPA

[Alexandra Strickner]

Report of the Labor and Globalization Network

Berlin, 22 Februray 2008

 

Labor and Globalization Network

 

Marco Berlinguer briefly summarized the history of the network: its launch during a crowed assembly called Labor and Globalization in the Nairobi WSF in January 2007 and its subsequent development along the preparatory process of the ESF.  

On these two lines - Global and European - the network is maintaining its initiative aimed to reinforce the centrality of the labor in the WSF/ESF process; to favorite alliances between trade unions and other social movements; to promote a new and autonomous thinking on labor in the globalization. 

The network Labor and Globalization has set up a working space online in the new  website of the ESF: http://openesf.net/projects/labour-and-globalization/project-home 

Actually the two mailing lists - for  the WSF and the ESF groups - are hosted there. 

 

Meeting of the Global Network

Alexandra Strickner reported about the preparations that have been undertaken so far. A working group including trade unions, organizations organizing informal labor, social movements, networks and centre of studies (e.g. KCTU, CUT, Streetnet, Via Campesina, Seattle to Brussels, Our World is not for Sale, Global labor strategies etc.) had developed an agenda for a two day meeting and had developed a first list of organizations to be invited. Hugo Braun from Attac Germany informed that IG Metall due to different circumstances can not offer to hold the meeting as foreseen in May 2008. 

 

It was decided to explore the possibility whether a one day meeting of the network could be held one day before the ESF starts and to organize a few debates on the issue of labor and globalization in the framework of the ESF. Caroline Bondesson - representative from LO, the Swedish Trade Union confederation - agreed to find out, if the Swedish Trade Unions could host such a meeting. 

 

 

Labor and Globalization Network at the ESF

After a brainstorming session among the participants as regards the objectives and the common work to be undertaken at the ESF in Malmö, the following was agreed:

 

The Network would like to ensure the organization of spaces of articulation on labor issues at the ESF, that

 

·         help strengthening the focus and analysis on the attack on labor rights, transformation of labor and union strategies 

·         produce spaces of gathering and exchange of experiences and communication between different movements and trade unions 

·         allow for the exchange on and the development and convergence of defensive and offensive struggles

 

It is a function of the network to offer itself - by its mailing list and its network of links - as a space of communication and convergence on proposals of seminars in the ESF for the single organizations.

As a whole, the network itself will promote directly six activities. These activities need to be shaped in a form that reflect the scope of the network and the wide range and number of organizations participating in it. 

The specific themes identified at the Berlin meeting were:

 

1.       Fighting Precarity and Flexicurity - Developing of alternatives

2.       Developing strategies against the attack on Labor Law in Europe - in particular understanding the implications of the judgments of the European Court of Justice

3.       Understanding dynamics of the delocalization of the production from Western to Eastern European countries and the migration of people from East to West and their implications for labor and labor rights and building new solidarity among workers  

4.       The European Social Model - strategies for reclaiming social rights and public services for all

5.       Global Europe - the impacts of the EU External Trade Strategy on labor in Europe and the Global South and alternatives to Free Trade

6.       Understanding the impact of globalization on Labor and Trade Unions

 

Along these themes, the network is planning to develop proposals of activities in the ESF. 

 

Process to develop proposals

 

For each of the theme, a few persons have agreed to take up the responsibility to start developing proposals (see names below). Persons interested engaging in the building of these proposals shall contact these persons, so they can be integrated into the process.

 It is still to be decided in each case what the format and the objective of the proposal shall be. 

For the time being the responsible persons are responsible to shape a proposal and to present it to the collective discussion by the end of March. 

By the 1st of May all the activities have to be registered as events of the program of the ESF. 

 

A final common assembly promoted by the Labor and Globalization network

 

Furthermore it was decided to promote toward the end of the ESF a space of exchange and convergence. This could be a thematic action oriented assembly, promoted by a call to all the groups and organizations which worked in the ESF around labor to share the results of their activities in a common assembly.

 

 

Responsible Persons to develop proposals for the different themes:

 

1.       Precarity/Flexicurity 

Pierre Khalfa (Khalfa at solidaires.org)

Annick de Ruyver (aderuyver at acv-csc.be)

Laura Gonzalez de Txabarri (lgtxabarri at elasind.org)

Laurent Atsou (laurent.atsou at fgtb.be)

Carlo Guglielmi (carloguglielmi at hotmail.com)

Marco Berlinguer (marco.berlinguer at transform.it)

 

2.       Labor Law 

Pierre Khalfa (Khalfa at solidaires.org)

Asbjorn Wahl (asbjorn.wahl at velferdsstaten.no)

Bruno Ciccaglione (b.ciccaglione at sdlintercategoriale.it)

 

3.       Est/West Europe - Delocalization 

Alessandra Mecozzi (a.mecozzi at fiom.cgil.it)

Antonio Moranti (europa.morandi at mail.cgil.it)

Peter Damo (pedroxma at yahoo.com)

 

 

4.       Social Model 

Asbjorn Wahl (asbjorn.wahl at velferdsstaten.no)

Sophie Safari (sophie.zafari at fsu.fr)

Mikel Noval (mikelnoval at elasind.org)

Frederic Viale (frederic.viale at free.fr)

Antonio Moranti  (europa.morandi at mail.cgil.it)

 

5.       Global Europe 

Alexandra Strickner (astrickner at iatp.org)

Alessandra Mecozzi (a.mecozzi at fiom.cgil.it)

Frederic Viale (frederic.viale at free.fr)

Bruno Ciccaglione (b.ciccaglione at sdlintercategoriale.it)

 

6.       Impact of Globalization 

Marco Berlinguer (marco.berlinguer at transform.it)

Sophie Safari (sophie.zafari at fsu.fr)

Ibrahim Gogangül (idogangul59 at gmail.com)

Riza Köse (rizakose at yahoo.com)

Alexandra Strickner (astrickner at iatp.org)

Josu Egireun (esk at esk-sindikatsa.org)

 

 

 

 

Additional proposal by Marco Berlinguer, Alessandra Mecozzi, Asbjorn Wahl, Bruno Ciccaglione and Alexandra Strickner as regards the process, discussed after the meeting

 

In terms of developing the proposals of the activities of the Network, in order to have a collective process, to prepare a coherent proposal and to continue to reflect how we can ensure that we organize not just the usual kind of seminars, but spaces of articulation and sharing of alternative ideas and actions, we propose you to follow this procedure:

 

A)     To develop from now a collective debate about the format of the activities through our mailing list (esflabourandglobalization at lists.openesf.net <mailto:esflabourandglobalization at lists.openesf.net> ) 

B)      Meanwhile until the end of March, the different groups work out first proposals as regards how to organize the activities and create spaces around the respective themes

C)      End of March the latest -  they share these proposals via the internet listserve (esflabourandglobalization at lists.openesf.net <mailto:esflabourandglobalization at lists.openesf.net> ) 

D)     By the first week of April, people shall write and share comments in written to the existing proposals on this listserve

E)      If necessary, by mid April the working groups re-design the proposals and circulate it to the elist 

F)      At this point, we close the process. A reasonable attitude will be necessary to get a consensus (;-) and anyway it will be responsibility of the working groups to find out the final proposal for each theme.

G)     After this, we submit all together the final proposals of the network to the programme group

H)     In the EPA in Kiew we finalize the proposals and discuss outstanding details.

 

In case of necessity a conference call can be organized among participants of the working groups to collectively discuss and finalize the main "architecture" of the proposals before registering the proposals.

 

List of participants Labor and Globalization Network - Berlin

	
Name

Organisation 

Country

Alexandra Strickner

Attac Austria/IATP

Austria

Josu Egireun

ESK (Basque Country)

Basque Country

Mikel Noval

ELA

Basque Country

Laura Gonzalez de Txabarri

ELA

Basque Country

Annick de Ruzver

CSC Trade Union 

Belgium

Laurent Atsou

FGTB

Belgium

Sophie Zafari

FSU

France

Frederic Viale

Attac France

France

Pierre Khalfa

Attac France

France

Jean Michel Joubier

CGT France

France

Bruno Dalberto

CGT France

France

Christian Pilichwoski

CGT Metallurgie France

France

Emmanuelle Reungaat

Copernic

France

Cecile Gondard

Solidaires SUD PTT

France

Nicolas Galepides

Solidaires 

France

Marc Mangenot

Fondation Copernic

France

David Flacher

Utopia 

France

Jean-Paul Chidiac

Utopia 

France

Hubert Schmalz

Ver.di International Dep.

Germany

Ilona Herrmann

Euromarches/Ver.di BA-WÜ

Germany

Hans Hermann Hoffmann

Euromarsch

Germany

Christoph Haug

Hans Böckler Stiftung

Germany

Saskia Boumans

TIE 

Germany

Susanne Kim

DGB Bildungswerk

Germany

Schorsch Wiesmaier

GEW

Germany

Matyas Benyik

Hungarian Social Forum/Attac Hungary

Hungary

Bruno Ciccaglione

SDL Intercategoriale 

Italy

Carlo Guglielmi

Centro studi Pietro Alò

Italy

Marco Berlinguer

Transform Italia / Lavoro in movimento

Italy

Alessandra Mecozzi

FIOM

Italy

Alex Foti

Euromayday

Italy

Antonio Morandi

CGIL Segretariato Europa

Italy

Eric Canepa

CGIL Lavoro Societa

Italy

Valery Alzaga

SEIN - Global Department, Justice for Janitors

Mexico / The Netherland

Asbjorn Wahl

Campaign for the Welfare State

Norway

Caroline Bondesson

Swedish LO

Sweden

Erkin Erdogan

Social Forum of Turkey

Turkey

Yilmar Eren

Social Forum of Turkey

Turkey

Kazim Mermer

ISMMO 

Turkey

Riza Köse

Petrol-is

Turkey

Ibrahim Dogangül

Petrol-is

Turkey

Hüseyin Yesil

TMMOB

Turkey

Gaye Casar

TSF Turkish Social Forum

Turkey

Bilge Sanci

Revolutionary Proletariat

Turkey

Oya Acan

Revolutionary Proletariat

Turkey

Hasan Acan

Revolutionary Proletariat

Turkey

Pavel Klymenko

Ukranian Social Forum

Ukrania

Peter Damo

Romanian Social Forum

Romania

 

 

Alexandra Strickner

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)

Berggasse 7

1090 Vienna/Austria

Tel: +43 1 3174014

Fax: +43 1 3174015

www.iatp.org

www.tradeobservatory.org

 

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