Unions assail WTO
With trade ministers from around the world gathering in Cancun, Mexico, this week for a key round of negotiations under the World Trade Organization (WTO), labor unions are complaining loudly that workers’ rights have been excluded from the agenda.
A serious omission, according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), whose members represent 158 million workers in 150 countries, will be discussion of the plight of 43 million workers in export processing zones (EPZ), areas established by governments to produce or finish goods that contribute directly to global commerce.
EPZ, whose numbers have grown from 79 in 25 countries in 1975 to 3,000 in 116 nations in 2002, have become a “symbol of the exploitative nature of today’s [economic] globalization,” said a new report by the ICFTU that urges the WTO to work closely with the International Labor Organization to ensure that core labor rights, including the right to organize independent unions, are respected in the zones.
“Globalization has the potential to bring prosperity to people across the world, but today’s crude, free market globalization is pushing standards down and leading to massive exploitation,” said the ICFTU’s general secretary, Guy Rider, who will be observing the Cancun meeting. (OneWorld.net)

Mexican teachers fight for union reform
A democratic reform caucus of 250,000 members of the national teachers union in Mexico are fighting to democratize their union, their education system, and, ultimately, their country.
Teachers have left their classrooms and set up encampments in town squares, marched through cities, and committed acts of civil disobedience to pressure the federal and state governments to accede to their demands. Teachers have blockaded the Mexican stock exchange, occupied all Mexico City tollbooths to distribute information to commuters, and 80,000 marched on the presidential palace.
The teachers want the government of President Vicente Fox to allocate sufficient resources for education. They are demanding free school breakfasts and school supplies for all children. They oppose the impending privatization of public education, electricity, and social security. The demands of the teachers reflect the needs of Mexico’s poor and marginalized communities, not just their own.
“The [union] and the teachers understand we have an important role to play in the defense of our national sovereignty,” said the union’s general secretary. “Our fight is the fight for all workers’ rights and benefits education, housing, work, [and] liberty.” (Americas.org)