Before
continuing the analysis of the Gabaglio discussion paper, I want to
emphesize the importance of the document. Don't forget it has been
used two times as a guide for the debates between the executive
committees of WCL and ICFTU. I don't know what history the document
has had in the ICFTU but in the WCL it has guided the debates in the
European Section and therefore also in the Confederal Board. Whatever
the reasons are, it seems strange that an outsider but at the same
time a man of the ICFTU has been asked to present such a document.
On the other side, it is interesting to read the opinion of an
outsider/ICFTU oriented man about the history of the WCL.
Gabaglio
writes the following about the WCL after the downfall of
communism.“1.9 The WCL has played a leading role in supporting free
trade unions in Central and eastern Europe (active support to
Solidarnosc from the beginning). The day after the Romanian
Revolution, the WCL offered its support to Cartel alfa, the country's
first independent organisation, and took similar initiatives in other
countries.”
This
is indeed what happened and credits for this goes first to WCL
Secretary General Jan Kulakowski (see blog: Solidarnosc and the struggle for the trade union movement after communism. and The downfall of the WCL part 3 and for Romania to the former Confederal Secretary Emiel Vervliet (Belgium).
Unfortunately Solidarnosc gave always priority to the ICFTU for
reasons which were never clarified. Was this because of the AFL-CIO
that supported the anti-communist policy of the American President
Ronald Reagan and therefore openly choose side for Solidarnosc while
the European left hesitated to take side openly for Solidarnosc? Or
was it a matter of money? Given the struggle of Solidarity against
communism based on human and Christian values, I do not wish to
believe in the latter.
“1.10
However, the main organisations of most of those countries joined the
ICFTU, which was supported by great European confederations (mainly
the DGB) and the ACILS, which was an AFL-CIO agency. The latest
affiliation registered was that of the Russian federation in 2001.”
It is true,
the AFL-CIO affiliated - what Gabaglio calls - “the main
organisations” in Central and Eastern Europe. But it would have
been more frank if he in this context had used the expression
ex-communist organisations. Some, so not all, changed rapidly of flag
from communism to (social) democracy without worrying too much about
democracy. However, for the ICFTU realpolitik was sometimes more
important than democracy. That is also the opinion of Gabaglio
because later in the document he writes with regard to this about
“the erratic policy” of the ICFTU.
In
point 1.11 Gabaglio claims that the Austrian and Swiss confederations
distanced themselves from the WCL because of not paying dues. As far
as I know this had more to do with an internal dispute about the WCL
policy which the executive committee could not arrange. These two
confederal organisations had the opinion that the WCL did not listen
to their comments and did not give enough support on European level.
Therefore, on the contrary what one would expect, their trade union
affiliates in different sectors continued to pay their dues to the
international trade union federations of the WCL. For example the
WFCW (bank and commercial employees) and the WFBW (Wood and
Building) had for many years a Swiss treasurer.
Muktar Pakpahan, President of the Indonesian independent trade union confederation SBSI (Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union) |
“1.12:
At the world level, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the WCL
has strongly developed in Africa, especially since pluralism started
being tolerated within the continent. In Asia, it is worth
highlighting the affiliation (in 1977) of Indonesia's SBSI, the only
independent organisation of the world's fourth most populous nation
and the world's largest Muslim populated country.”
The
SBSI was in a certain sense for the Indonesian dictatorship what
Solidarnosc was for Polish communist dictatorship. From its start,
SBSI fought for the so-called 'Reformasi' with the aim to return to
democracy and pluralism in Indonesia. Because of this the SBSI
President Muchtar Pakpahan was jailed many times. The credits for the
affiliation of SBSI to the WCL go to the CNV and especially former
President Anton Westerlaken who visited the SBSI President Pakpahan
when he stayed in prison and had to appear in court.
Muktar Pakapahan was sentenced several times to imprisonment in the period 1994-1998. It was at this time that CNV President Anton Westerlaken visited him in prison and during a trial. |
While the WCL
gets some credits from Gabaglio for promoting trade union pluralism
in Africa and affiliating the Indonesian confederation SBSI, the
ICFTU is praised by Gabaglio for affiliating “great progressive
organisations all over the world, such as Brazil's CUT in 1995, South
Africa's COSATU in 1997 and South Korea's KCTU in 1999.” (point
1.13) Can it be that the word “progressive” used by Gabaglio is a
euphemism for “socialism”?
With
point 1.16 we arrive to the most important remarks of Gabaglio
regarding the aim of the unification of WCL and ICFTU. First he
declares that “the trade union scenario has changed and the
ideological lines first drawn have become blurred” because of the
fall of the Berlin Wall (a much used euphemism for the economic
political, moral, social and ideological collapse of communism). In
the meanwhile ICFTU had changed also: “The affiliations registered
in emerging or developing countries in general, and in Arab countries
in particular, have somehow modified the image of the ICFTU as a
confederation dominated by industrialized countries.”
CNV President Anton Westerlaken at a special conference organized by the Dutch solidarity association CLAT-Nederland at the occasion of its 40th anniversary. (1994) |
However,
this is a to easy conclusion. The rich members have had always more
voting power than the poor and weaker organisations. This has been
always the case in the ICFTU and the WCL. However, the latter tried
to give a greater voice to the poor trade union members by giving
them a minimum presence and voting power. In general it can be said
that international solidarity has its limitations also in
international trade unions, whatever nice words are used.
In
the next point 1.17 Gabaglio makes a remarkable observation, nearly
a confession that I already announced before: “Over the past years
, this change has been translated into a new ICFTU affiliation
policy. In the past, this policy was “erratic”. Today, the ICFTU
has refused to accept the affiliation of the leading (but not really
democratic) organisation of Ukraine, and has decided to shelve its
project on the unification of Indonesia's official trade unions
against the SBSI, which is a WCL affiliate.”
The
expression “erratic policy” seems to refer what is normally
called “realpolitik”. In realpolitik, economic and political
power of a trade union is more important than its democratic
structure and culture. A policy well known from for example the USA
in Latin America and made that the USA preferred to support a
pro-American dictator in stead of a leftist elected government. A
bitter example of this policy was what happened to the Allende
Government in Chile (1970-1973). One of the instruments used by the
ICFTU to gain control of trade unions was also to force them to unite
as for example was tried once in Romania and so also in Indonesia.
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