Global Solidarity

**ICEM

Caribbean Solidarity

**CUBA

Global Solidarity                                           

At the Global level there has been an ever intensifying process of the concentration of capital through mergers, mega-mergers and takeovers.

Within the recent past we have seen the merger of BP and AMOCO become a legal reality. This giant merger comet has since gobbled up ARCO, while EXXON and Mobil have also merged. This destructive kind of consolidation is happening in all sectors- manufacturing, energy, financial services, technology, airlines and others- and is continuing to affect workers worldwide, the initial priority of such mergers being to reduce costs by 'retrenchment' of what they refer to as "surplus" labour.

A most revealing fact after all this merger-mania is that more and more workers worldwide have the same employer. This then provides the basis and opportunity for common action by workers against their common employer. Additionally, we are all affected by the policies of neo-liberalism and the activities of the international financial institutions, the G7 and OECD groups and other supranational bodies such as the WTO. 

International Solidarity has therefore now taken on a seriously urgent dimension. "WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE" has taken on a new meaning. 

Additionally, the new technologies while creating job losses throughout its path, is simultaneously facilitating swift and effective communication between people/organizations worldwide.

For example: 

It was this said technology (e-mail, fax etc) that was a main feature of the very successful organizing of the massive protests against the World Trade Organization in particular and neo-liberal policies in general, at the December 1999 meeting of the WTO in Seattle, USA. This protest was significant because it took place in the United States, the most powerful capitalist country in the world. It saw a coalition of workers and their trade unions, students, environmental, women's and other NGO's being formed to collectively demonstrate against neo-liberalism, thus proving that their is substantial resistance to that paradigm in the very industrialized countries themselves.

At various times the OWTU has been part of this process of building global solidarity.

ICEM - (The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions)  

The ICEM, which represents more than 20 million workers with some 400 unions in over 100 countries, has been in the forefront of developing new platforms for global trade union solidarity through:

• the sharing of information
• developing common collective bargaining positions 
• negotiating global collective agreements involving many unions and a single common employer or involving many unions and several employers in the same industry. 
• organizing joint actions by workers employed globally by the same employer.

Our participation in the ICEM is therefore of critical importance, and this was recognized at the ICEM's Congress in November last year when delegates re-elected our President General to the Executive Committee representing the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Comrade McLeod also fulfilled responsibilities as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the ICEM Oil and Gas Workers Hemisphere Group. The Union participates in all the major ICEM Conferences.

Caribbean Solidarity                                  

Everywhere the process of globalization is swiftly followed on its heel by strengthened regional trade and economic blocks. Indeed, the process of regionalization has also moved into the political realm with the European Parliament, a European Social Charter and other institutional mechanisms.

On the other hand, the Caribbean has been moving slowly on the road to regionalization. One critical reason for this is that the process has, to date, been substantially a 'top-down' one and therefore has excluded the people from the decision making. The OWTU has therefore always engaged in activity that would help to create a 'people's dynamic' for the integration of the region.  

To this end we sought, through the initiation of the first Assembly of Caribbean People (held in Trinidad in 1994) to develop a "Peoples Agenda" for the Sovereignty of the Region and the Unification of the People". The second Assembly is being held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from April 19 to 22 2001. Through the Themes of the CLR James Memorial Lecture and via our guest speakers at recent Annual Conferences of Delegates, we have continued to focus attention on and have analysed the state of the Caribbean. These analyses have all pointed out that we will be doomed without a Caribbean vision, and that labour as it did in the 1920's, 30's and 40's must provide that vision and leadership.

SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA

The OWTU has been a constant supporter of the Cuban Revolution. Our third President General George Weekes attended the historic first Tri-continental Conference in 1966. 

The Union has engaged in several concrete acts of solidarity with the Cuban People and regularly participate in various conferences (labour, economic, social and political) held in Cuba. 

We join with millions the world over in the demand that this critical and illegal blockade of Cuba by the United States be removed now! 

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