March, 2005

March, 2005

Comment

Every year 8 million people die as a result of extreme poverty. On February 3, Nelson Mandela issued a rallying cry to make poverty history in front of over 22,000 people in Londons Trafalgar Square. Wearing a white armband, he said that "like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings". The Global Call to Action Against Poverty involves a wide range of organisations, including Global Unions. A group of NZ organisations has been meeting to support this campaign which focuses on three areas: trade, debt and aid. On trade the campaign argues for trade justice rather than free trade. They argue the debt of the world's poorest countries should be cancelled in full, by fair and transparent means. And they say a firm timetable should be set for when donors should meet the target of 0.7% of national income in aid.

Speaking at ACCs recent Bold Perspectives Conference, CTU president Ross Wilson says that the model of worker participation in workplace health and safety can be adapted to other processes in the workplace. He talks about the pilot scheme to develop a Learning Representatives system with a focus on broader issues of skill development, lifelong learning, and industry development.

Globalisation is not a new phenomenon. As an example, colonialism was, and is, a manifestation of that process. Economic globalisation has been ongoing and is now driven at a faster pace by new technologies and the mobility of international capital.