i've only the barest of associations with the s. korean labour m/ment, but i will note that they position the agent of resistance as global (rather than national) -- and for reasons which have much to do with the (eg) the lowly position of 'ethnically korean' workers in the japanese economy and throughout the region -- might be something worth exploring, and i'd be grateful for any thoughts and info you might bring back with you. as i mentioned offlist, i think there might well be a new financial architecture on the agenda, but the character of that (who gets dumped) depends on how internationalist a resistance is capable of being... (below a recent conference declaration that you may not have seen.)
> The credibility game of borderless
capital drastically narrowing down policy choices of
national governments, the potential power of the
world citizens is the only hope left for the
renovation of the current, deeply destabilizing,
world financial order. Now is a time, therefore, for
the citizens of the world to put the question of the
world economic justice on the agenda of global civic
movement. It is not only a mandate of our own age
but also an important focus of global civic society.
Kim Young-ho
Chairperson, Taegu Round Korea Committee
September 1999<
Angela _________
"Migrant Workers Challenging Global Structures" 28 August - 1 September 1996, Seoul, South Korea Conference Statement
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Migrant Workers Challenging Global Structures
Seoul, South Korea Conference Statement. 9 September, 1996.
We are 105 delegates coming from 16 countries in Asia, America and Europe, representing various migrant workers' organisations, migrant support groups, trade unions, women's groups, human rights organisations and religious bodies. We have come together on 28 August to 1 September 1996 in Seoul, Korea for the international migrants workshop, with the theme "Migrant Workers Challenging Global Structures."
We recognize that in Asia alone, there are an estimated 15 million migrant workers (documented and undocumented.) Women migrant workers constitute an increasing percentage of this. Economic, political, socio-cultural and religious marginalisation characterise the plight of migrant workers.
World domination and control by advanced capitalist interests through structural adjustment, liberalisation and deregulation programmes of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organisation, abetted by the collusion of governments, have resulted in poverty, unemployment and underemployment, unequal distribution of wealth within and among nations, collapse of agriculture, and the absence of peace and security in countries within the region.
Advocates of globalisation argue that it hastens the transfer of skills and technology and enhances productivity and efficiency. The reality is, globalisation of economies reinforces the control of advanced capitalists interests on the less developed countries, leading to the continued marginalisation, if not disintegration, of economic and socio-cultural systems in many countries in the South.
Globalisation requires the removal of trade and investment barriers to facilitate the movement of capital, investments, goods and labour across national borders. At the same time, advanced capitalist countries like the US and Japan adopt protectionist policies.
We are gravely concerned that globalisation is leading to profit-driven economies that thrive on cheap and docile labour, especially of women, and societies that stress consumerism and competition. In turn, these have resulted in the erosion of human values, commodification of people (especially migrant workers), disintegration of societies, families and communities, racism, xenophobia, unsustainable lifestyles, and the degradation of the environment.
Demand for cheap labour has led to subcontracting mechanisms, adoption of "trainee" schemes and increasing feminisation of migrant labour. This translates into absence of accountability of companies especially transnational corporations (TNCs), unjust wage structures, absence of economic and social security, and violence against women and migrants. The migrant workers, uprooted from their families and communities, have to work under hostile, abusive and exploitative situations, and are generally denied their right to organise and unionise.
We recognise the fact that migrant workers boost and contribute to the economic growth of receiving countries, and through their remittances, help prevent the collapse of some debt-ridden countries.
We reaffirm our position that migrant workers, whether documented or undocumented, have rights as workers and as human beings as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, and other international conventions.
Initiatives have been taken by migrants and support groups in both sending and receiving countries in the areas of assistance to migrants, advocacy, lobbying, campaigning, networking, documentation/information and research.
The challenge to migrant workers, support groups and the people is great. Globalisation gives rise to increasingly complex processes and situations. The relentless drive of the capitalists to pursue globalisation, and the governments' abdication of their responsibility to the people, make our tasks even greater. We boldly face this challenge.
Therefore:
*We advocate cooperation among peoples and social systems which are empowering, people-oriented, and which promote sustainable life and holistic, integral human values. *We reject the existing model of development promoted by the IMF, WB, GATT/WTO and TNCs. *We reject APEC [Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation] and similar free trade and investment mechanisms or agreements. *We hold governments accountable in providing decent employment for the people, and responsible for abetting the forces of globalisation.
We commit ourselves to:
1. Intensify the migrants' campaign against globalisation and APEC 2. Strengthen and support the current lobbying and campaign initiatives for the ratification of the UN Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families 3. Continue and strengthen the migrant action alert mechanism to expose blatant violations of migrants' human rights (e.g., through the Migrant Forum in Asia) 4. Undertake gender-sensitisation especially among migrants' advocates 5. Conduct a regional campaign on the issue of violence against women migrant workers 6. Declare a "Migrant Workers' Day" every year through joint actions and education programmes across the region 7. Encourage trade unions and labour movements in each country to develop a migrant workers' agenda 8. Encourage trade unions in sending and receiving countries to build linkages on migrants' concerns 9. Develop, disseminate and share education materials (manuals, etc.) on globalisation and migrants' issues 10. Work towards a common documentation system (basic data, migrants' rights violations, migrants' directory, etc.) 11. Pressure governments to provide decent employment to the people, and encourage and monitor its efforts to undertake re-integration initiatives. 12. Organise migrants' savings/investment groups and alternative livelihood 13. Integrate the recommendations of this conference in our respective organisational programmes.
Unanimously approved on 1 September 1996 in Seoul, Korea
Signatories (partial list): Regional Groups
*Asian Migrant Centre
*Migrant Forum in Asia
*Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation
*Asian Center on Women's Human Rights
*Christian Conference of Asia - Urban Rural Mission
*World Council of Churches, Secretary for Migration Korea
*Joint Committee of Migrant Workers in Korea Arabian Gulf/Qatar
Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia Bangladesh
*Association for Community Development Hong Kong
*Asian Domestic Workers Union India
*Bombay Houseworkers Solidarity
*Domestic Workers' Movement, Migration Desk Indonesia
*Center for Indonesian Migrant Workers
*LBH Jakarta
*Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia (PGI)
*Solidaritas Perempuan
*Yayasan Pengembangan Pedesaan (YPP) Japan
*Center for Transnational Labor Studies
*Forum on Asian Immigrant Workers
*Kalabaw-no-kai
*Kumusta Kayo Kumamoto Group
*People's Plan for the 21st Century Fukuoka Freedom School
*Shizuoka Forum on Asian Migrants
*Solidarity Center for Migrants
*Yokohama Diocese, Philippines Desk
*Zentoitsu Workers Union Malaysia
*Migrant Desk, Tenaganita Nepal
*General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions Pakistan
*International Catholic Migration Commission Philippines
*Network Opposed to Violence Against Women Migrants (NOVA) Taiwan
*Fishermen's Service Center
*Information Centre for Labour Education
*Hope Workers Centre
*Migrant Workers' Concern Desk Thailand
*Friends of Women Foundation (FOW)
*Catholic Migration Commission, Women's Desk