Verklaring vakbondskoepels uit Latijnsamerika en Caribben over Nieuwe NAMA Modaliteiten Concepttekst

Statement of Latin American and Caribbean Trade Unions regarding the New Draft Modalities Text for the WTO NAMA Negotiations

The below signatory trade unions, both affiliates and fraternal organizations of the
Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), have been following the WTO
negotiations, particularly the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations,
since their reactivation in late January 2007.

This week we have become aware of the new draft modalities text put forward by the
Chair of the NAMA Group, Ambassador Stephenson, and we wish to express our
deepest concern for its contents, which are still far from fulfilling the Doha mandate, as
they fail to comply with the principle of less than full reciprocity. This is so much so
that the proposed higher level of flexibilities for the tariff lines that the countries could
exclude from the opening process is formulated in exchange for maintaining a high
level of ambition, particularly with respect to developing countries, which would be
subjected to severe tariff reductions should the proposed low coefficients be applied.

Likewise, we agree with the view of the NAMA 11 Trade Union Group that this
proposal is aimed at not only dividing the NAMA 11 group of countries, by offering
provisions only to some of its members, but also leaving aside the group of developing
countries that will be affected by the application of tariff cuts using the Swiss Formula.

In light of the imminent start of horizontal negotiations and the potential for greater
pressure on developing countries for them to reach an agreement on full modalities in
NAMA and in Agriculture that will provide for a ministerial meeting in the coming
months, we demand that our governments:

    o Not make a trade-off between Agriculture and NAMA, since both sectors are
        essential for the development of our countries.
    o Not accept that service negotiations push for deregulation and privatization of
        the sector.
    o Strengthen the position of developing countries groups such as G90, NAMA11,
        G20 and the Group of Small and Vulnerable Economies in order to ensure that
        the outcome of the negotiations fulfils the development commitments
        undertaken in Doha in 2001.
    o Adopt a position similar to that of the NAMA 11 Group regarding NAMA
        negotiations, requesting that a 25-point difference be maintained between the
        coefficients of developed countries and developing countries. This is based on
        the fact that a smaller difference would lead to severe cuts in applied tariffs, thus
        affecting the already low employment levels prevailing in our countries.
        Similarly, they would reduce the important policy space needed to build and
        diversify our industrial development in the future. Finally, the reductions that
        developing countries are being asked to make are much higher that those of
        developed countries.
    o Additionally, observe the principle of less than full reciprocity, increase the level
        of flexibilities for developing countries without tying them to low coefficients so
        that they may be able to protect labour-intensive industries, ask for the
        possibility of choosing between tariff lines that would be exempted from tariff
        cuts and tariff lines that would be subjected to half the cuts in the Swiss formula,
        and finally, give developing countries the possibility of modifying these
        flexibilities over time (the tariff lines chosen) as the countries’ developmental
        needs change.
    o Clearly and responsibly identify the tariff lines and sectors that need additional
        flexibilities because of their labour intensity. Unemployment, casualisation and
        informality levels are already too high to further compromise the position of a
        larger number of formal jobs through the high tariff cuts put forward in the
        current NAMA text.
    o Reiterate the recommendation of the International Trade Union Confederation to
        urge Labour Ministers to request a joint ILO-WTO effort aimed at conducting a
        deep ex ante analysis of the consequences of the Doha Round-driven trade
        liberalisation on decent work and sustainable development.

Based on the aforesaid, we call upon our governments not to accept the current NAMA
modalities text and to adopt a position that will ensure that the current stage of
negotiations is fully transparent and includes interested sectors of the civil society such
as trade union organizations.

                                                                              May 28, 2008

Signatories:

Victor Báez Mosqueira
Secretario General
Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de Las Américas
TUCA/CSA

Rodrigo Aguilar
Secretario General
Coordinadora Sindical de América Central y del Caribe
CSACC

Juan José Gorriti
Secretario General
Coordinadora de Centrales Sindicales Andina
CCSA

Gerardo Martínez
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Confederación General del Trabajo
CGT RA ARGENTINA

Adolfo Aguirre
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Central de Trabajadores de Argentina
CTA ARGENTINA

Francisco Gutiérrez
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Unión Obrero Metalúrgica
UOM ARGENTINA

Rudy Geerman
Presidente
Federación de Trabajadores Arubanos
FTA ARUBA

Francisco Antonio Feijoo
Presidente
Confederación Nacional de Profesionales Liberales
CNPL BRASIL.

João Antônio Felício
Secretario de Relaçiones Internacionales
Central Única de Trabajadores
CUT BRASIL

Nilton Souza Silva (NECO)
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
FORCA SINDICAL- BRASIL

Ricardo Patah
Presidente
Unión General de Trabajadores
UGT BRASIL

Pedro Robles Saavedra
Presidente
Central Autónoma de Trabajadores
CAT CHILE

Arturo Martínez Molina
Presidente
José Manuel Díaz
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Chile
CUT CHILE

Julio Roberto Gomez Esguerra
Secretario General
Confederación General de Trabajadores
CGT COLOMBIA

Apecides Alvis Fernández
Presidente
Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia
CTC COLOMBIA

Carlos Rodríguez
Presidente
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores
CUT COLOMBIA

Rodrigo Aguilar
Presidente
Confederación de Trabajadores Rerum Novarum,
CTRN COSTA RICA

Roland Ignacio
Secretario General
Central General di Trashadonan di Corsow
CGTC CURACAO

Fernando Ibarra
Presidente
Central Ecuatoriana de Organizaciones Clasistas
CEDOC ECUADOR.

Jaime Arciniega Aguirre,
Presidente
Confederación Ecuatoriana de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres
CEOSL ECUADOR

Francisco Quijano Clará
Secretario General
Central Autónoma de Trabajadores Salvadoreños
CATS El SALVADOR

José Pinzón Salazar
Secretario General
Central General de Trabajadores de Guatemala
CGTG GUATEMALA

Paul Loulou Chery
Secretario General
Centrale des Travailleurs Haitiens
CTH HAITÍ

Israel Salinas
Secretario General
Confederación Única de Trabajadores de Honduras
CUTH HONDURAS

Daniel Durón
Secretario General
Confederación General de Trabajadores
CGT, HONDURAS

Alfredo Beltrán García
Presidente de la Unidad Latinoamericana
Consejo Nacional de Trabajadores
CNT MÉXICO

Sergio Flores Muñoz
Secretario de Formación del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional
Confederación Obrera Revolucionaria
COR MÉXICO

Salvador Medina
Subsecretario de Relaciones del Comité Nacional
Confederación de Trabajadores de México
CTM MÉXICO

José del Valle
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos
CROC MÉXICO

Rodolfo González Guzmán
Secretario del Interior del Comité Central
Confederación Regional Obrera Mexicana
CROM MÉXICO

José Luis Hernández Andrade
Vicepresidente de Relaciones
Unión Nacional de Trabajadores
UNT MÉXICO

Roberto González
Secretario General
Central Sandinista de Trabajadores
CST NICARAGUA

Carlos Humbes
Secretario General
Central de Trabajadores de Nicaragua
CTN, NICARAGUA

Mariano Mena
Secretario General
Confederación General de Trabajadores de Panamá
CGTP, PANAMÁ.

Víctor Torres
Secretario General
Convergencia Sindical
CS PANAMÁ

Guillermo Puga
Secretario General
Confederación de Trabajadores de la República de Panamá
CTRP PANAMÁ

Bernardo Rojas
Presidente
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores Auténtica
CUT AUTENTICA PARAGUAY

Alfredo Lazo Peralta
Secretario General
Central Autónoma de Trabajadores del Perú
CATP PERU.

Julio César Bazán
Secretario General
Confederación Unitaria de Trabajadores
CUT PERÚ

Juan José Gorriti
Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales
Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú
CGTP PERÚ
Víctor Villalba Rodríguez
Presidente
Central Puertorriqueña de Trabajadores
CPT PUERTO RICO

Gabriel del Rio Doñe
Secretario General
Confederación Autónoma Sindical Clasista
CASC REPUBLICA DOMINICANA

Eugenio Pérez Cepeda
Presidente
Confederación Nacional de la Unidad Sindical
CNUS REPUBLICA DOMINICANA

Teresita Capurro
Secretaria General
ASU-FED. MAGISTERIO URUGUAY.

Juan Castillo
Coordinador
Plenario Intersindical de Trabajadores Comando Nacional de Trabajadores
PITCNT URUGUAY

Manuel Cova
Secretario general
Central de Trabajadores de Venezuela
CTV VENEZUELA

José Ramírez
Sec. General
Federación Internacional de Trabajadores del Textil, Vestuario,
Cuero y Calzado/Organización Regional Interamericana
FITTVCC/ORI

Carlos Salguero
Representante Regional
ICM AMERICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

Sergio Novais
Presidente Regional
Internacional de la Química, Energía, Minas e Industrias Diversas
ICEM AMERICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

Jocelio Drummond
Secretario Regional Inter-Americano
Internacional de Servicios Públicos
ISP AMERICAS

Jorge Almeida
Director Regional
Federación Internacional de Trabajadores de las Industrias Metalúrgicas
FITIM AMERICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

Antonio Rodriguez Fritz
Secretario Regional
Internacional del Transporte
ITF-AMÉRICAS

Percy Oyola Palomá
Secretario General
Confederación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
de los Servicios Públicos
CLATSEP COLOMBIA.

Juan Carlos Schmid
Secretario General
Confederación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
del Transporte y las Comunicaciones
CLTTC

Francisco Verano
Presidente
Confederación Latinoamericana de Cooperativas
  y Mutuales de Trabajadores
COLACOT

Oscar Semerel
Presidente
Confederación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
Jubilados y Pensionados
CLATJUP

Leonardo Marquez
Secretario General
Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
Bancarios, de Seguros y Servicios Afines
FELATRABS

Roberto Mejía Alarcón
Presidente
Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
de la Comunicación Social
FELATRACS.

Anselmo Pontilius
Presidente
Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
de la Hotelería y Turismo
FLACTUR

Wilson Wanderley Vieira
Presidente
Carlos Gaitán
Presidente Honorario
Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores
de las Industrias y la Construcción
FLATIC