ICFTU 17^th World Congress 6^th April 2000
Agenda Item 7, Debate on Chapter 6 of the theme document "Trade Unions in the 21st Century - the Effect of Globalisation on the Structures and Activities of the Trade Union Movement" and the background document "Millennium Review"

Pekka Hynönen, the President of Construction Trade Union in Finland (SAK affiliated union)

The ICFTU 17^th World Congress has an historically significant task in guiding the international trade union movement into the new millennium. We can be proud of our history. Our achievements during the 20^th century have established a sound foundation on which to build our future. And we can learn from our past experiences.

At the same time we must face new challenges. Globalisation, the rapid advance of new technology, and the new ways in which both industry and commerce now operate, are forcing the international trade union movement to change its own operating methods. We should make the international activities of the trade union movement a pivotal item of policy in our everyday representation of the interests of our membership. We should ensure that our own operations are more efficient, in order to counterbalance the globalisation of capital and the economy, and to enable us to better represent the interests of our members than hitherto.

The choice of priorities which were presented during the preparatory work for the Congress, and especially those which were included in the resolution proposal on the priorities for the 21^st century, have been well thought through. Widening democracy within the workplace, by demanding the implementation of the right to organise and the right to conduct collective bargaining, maintaining our opposition to discrimination, building a more just global economy by influencing the activities of international institutions, strengthening the international family of trade unions and building a cooperative network, will undoubtedly constitute the essence of the future development of the international representation of the interests of working people.

The prerequisites for the creation of decent jobs, of workplace democracy and equal opportunity workplaces will however, be that working men and women can, in the new millennium, still be able to find paid work and to enter into employment. Full employment - although this might appear to be Utopian under current conditions - should nevertheless be retained as an operational goal for the trade union movement in the 21^st century.

The opportunities both for work and a decent workplace are essentially dependent on the rules of play under which the global economy operates. The events of last December at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Seattle demonstrated that the trade union movement, along with various non-governmental organisations, will no longer be willing to stand aside whilst decisions which affect their members are being made. International institutions must change their methods of operation and adopt a more democratic, and primarily a more open, stance.

The preparatory work which was carried out by ICFTU, ahead of the Seattle Conference, is deserving of praise. This consisted of activities which were intended to influence both Governments and the European Union, in order to give well-deserved weight to core labour standards and other central issues, within the WTO policy. We should in the future continue to take similarly methodical and global steps, in order to secure our future influence.

Nevertheless, we should have been better able to anticipate that the situation in Seattle could get out of hand - though due to matters beyond our control. As things stand the final outcome presents problems which also affect ourselves. It will be of no benefit to the trade union movement should there be no debate, within international institutions, on the development of the operational methods of global trade and the global economy. In a situation where there are no rules of play, it is the owners of capital, and the multinational companies, who will reap the benefits and gain the opportunity to dictate the course of action.

The events in Seattle taught us at least two things: Firstly, that we should continue, within our own international trade union movement, the debate on the development of the operational rules which will govern global trade. We must find mutually approved goals and limits for the regulation of the global economy, of international industry and commerce and of the multinational companies. Secondly, and simultaneously, we should search for alliances, and common lines of action, from amongst those non-governmental and other democratic civic organisations which share our aims.

Any such cooperation and alliance should not, however, lead to a situation where we relinquish our own authority, as the representatives of the interests of working men and women, and our position as spokesmen for their cause. The international trade union movement in the international arena, and each national trade union in its respective country, should emphasise the difference which exists between the trade union movement and many other organisations. A dialogue between the trade unions, the employers, and frequently Governments, will lead to the creation of a labour market system which will have an essential role in the level of efficiency, or inefficiency as the case may be, in which the national economy operates. International institutions and national Governments alike, should, as do the representatives of industry and commerce, both create and observe an operational framework which will allow both social partners to be informed and consulted on a continuous basis.

The history of the Nordic trade union movement, which spans over a century, shows that the authority of the trade union movement is, first and foremost, based on its broad mandate and on the power which thus ensues. The labour market system of a social partnership may of course operate successfully in those countries in which the trade union mandate is weak, but more often than not in these cases, strong support from public authorities, from the respective Governments and from the political parties is essential. This puts at risk the self-reliance and the independence of the trade union movement, whilst increasing its dependence on Government and the political parties.

Only strong and self-reliant trade unions can best defend their rights and the workers' economic and social interests. The fundamental task of the trade union movement in the future therefore - as was the case a hundred years ago - will consist of continuous union activity. This means that, in addition to a high level of unionisation, trade unions must have representatives, either as shop stewards or similar, and both on the company level and within the workplace. These "willing hands" cannot be replaced by any amount of paid trade union officers. Additionally, the integration of women and youngsters into the trade union movement should be given a high priority.

The power of the trade union movement has historically been based on both joint participation and the strength of the masses. Trade unions in the 21^st century will need this power, and the basic solidarity behind it, throughout the international arena. We can reinforce this strength, and its foundations, today and tomorrow here in Durban, by means of the resolutions which are passed by this Congress.