INFOR CARIBE

Newsletter of the Caribbean Workers’ Council (CWC)

CARIBBEAN JOURNALISTS MEET IN SANTO DOMINGO

      Journalists from different Caribbean countries met in Santo Domingo on April 1 to 6, to hold a Seminar on LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN INTEGRATION IN SOCIAL COMMUNICATION, organised by the Latin American Central of Workers (CLAT), in coordination with the Caribbean Workers Council (CWC) and the  Caribbean Social Training Institute (CARISFORM).

      The main topics of the Seminar were:

1.  Latin American and Caribbean Integration.

2.  FTAA and its consequences on Latin America and the Caribbean.

3.  Globalisation, Freedom of Information, of Press, of Enterprise, Concentration of media and its consequences.

4.  The journalist and his reality. Problem of journalism and journalists in Latin American and the Caribbean.

5.  Social Security and its impact on workers of social communication.

6.  New electronic communication media.

         This Seminar was held on the occasion of the journalist’s week in the Dominican Republic and co-sponsored by the Dominican Journalists Association, National Trade Union of Press Workers (SNTP), ACROPOL, CCP, CLD, the National Union of Communication Workers, and the Dominican Association of Journalists and Writers (ADPE).

            This Seminar was held at the National Institute of Agricultural and Social Training (INFAS), in Santo Domingo.

CLADEHLT AND CARISFORM ORGANISE SEMINAR AND CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

“FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE, DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE”

The Latin American Commission for the Rights and Freedoms of the Workers and the Peoples (CLADEHLT), and CARISFORM organised a Seminar for the Caribbean area, with the participation of members responsible for Human Rights of the Caribbean Trade Union organisations.

This Seminar took place from April 26 to 28 at the headquarters of INFAS, in Santo Domingo and was coordinated by Luis Enrique Marius, President of CLADEHLT. Overlapping the Seminar, there was a Conference on the Right to Life, Development and Future.

One relevant item was Human Rights and Freedoms of the Workers and their organisations in each of the Caribbean countries. The participants elaborated a Work Plan for CLADEHLT in the Caribbean sub-region and for each national organisation.

The CONFERENCE was divided in three sessions early in the evening, at the headquarters of CNUS in Santo Domingo, with the participation of several trade union and social leaders.

At the Installation, we heard remarks by Gabriel del Río, Secretary-General of CASC and President of CWC, and Luis Enrique Marius, President of CLADEHLT.

The first panel FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE was composed of Father Luis Rosario, Responsible for the pastoral youth, Virgilio Almanzar, President of the Commission of Human Rights and Siro del Castillo, member of the CLADEHLT Commission for the Caribbean.

The second panel FOR THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT was composed by Ignacio Miranda, President of Fundación Humanismo Integral, Radhames Mejía, Vice-Chancellor of the Pontifical University Madre y Maestra, Gerónimo Reyes, Economist and Bro. Luis Enrique Marius, Deputy Secretary-General of CLAT.

On Wednesday, April 28, the third panel FOR THE RIGHT TO FUTURE developed with the participation of Nelcida Marmolejos, Director of DIDA and José Gómez Cerda, Advisor of CASC. The coordinator was Juan A. Francés, Director of CARISFORM

DEMISE OF HERIBERTO FERNANDEZ

        On April 26, our brother and friend Heriberto Fernández passed away in the city of Miami.

         Heriberto dedicated his life to achieving citizens’ freedoms and the rights of the workers. He was a trade unionist all his life.

         He was the Secretary-General of the trade union organisation Solidarity of Cuban Workers (STC).  Heriberto was a friend of the Caribbean workers’ movement, participating in trade union and political activities.

            The CWC and this newsletter send their condolences to his family and friends, especially our friends in Solidarity of Cuban Workers (STC).

MEETING OF TRADE UNION LEADERS FROM EUROPE WITH LEADERS FROM LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

         Gabriel del Río, Secretary-General of CASC and President of the Caribbean Workers Council (CWC) participated in the 2^nd European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Union Summit, recently held in Mexico City, organised by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the Interamerican Regional Organisation (CIOSL-ORIT), the World Confederation of Labour (WCL) and European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Latin American Central of Workers (CLAT).

         The participants were leaders of trade union centres of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. Eduardo García and Luis Enrique Marius participated for the Latin American Central of Workers (CLAT).

         In the meeting, the participants elaborated a unified vision of the organised workers, which will be part of the Declaration and will be discussed and approved at the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Union Summit.

         This document will be submitted to Heads of State and Governments of both regions, and to European Commission, integration organisations: MERCOSUR, Andean Community of Nations (CAN), Central American Integration System (SICA), CARICOM, among others.

            The participation of Gabriel del Río is in the framework of the international relations of CASC and the Caribbean Workers’ Council (CWC).

WCL IN THE OCCASION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY

The World Confederation of Labour wishes to remind all organisations, on the occasion of Labour Day, on May 1^st, that the right to a decent and dignifying employment is a fundamental right.

It is important that the workers can really live, not merely survive. To this end, all stakeholders must work towards sufficient salaries and fair working conditions.

The Conventions of the International Labour Organisation, among others, define the conditions for respect of rights and dignity, in which the worker must conduct his or her activities. The creation of decent and dignifying jobs is an essential factor towards the eradication of poverty.

We must add that an autonomous, democratic trade union movement based on solidarity is a fundamental factor to exercise democracy, which exists only when it aims at a better social justice.

TRADE UNION MOVEMENT AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

José Gómez Cerda

Modern trade union movement must adapt to current situation, and one of the most important changes we undergo since the early 2002 is electronic communication.

This new way of communication entails shifts in the relations among people and organisations.

Nowadays, millions of people, organisations and institutions communicate on a daily basis via e-mail, whether regular letters, documents, memos, invitations or any other type of information.

We wish to utilise this means for trade union training as well.

The trade union movement has historically been represented through large rallies, demonstrations, public protests, denunciations and other expressions, all of which involved mass gatherings in order to show solidarity and the unity of the workers.

These public expressions, however, are less common in the last years. May 1^st (International Labour Day) has ceased to be the day of workers’ rallies, although many organisations still plan some type of demonstration for that day.

Now, solidarity and unity have a new mechanism that we must utilise. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, which will NEVER replace HUMAN WARMTH or RELATIONS AMONG PEOPLE; however, it can fill a communication void that we have in our work. This medium should be an additional instrument to our action, and to the organisation and training of the workers.

As Alvin TOFFLER puts it:

"What is changing the power balance in the world is the combination of new, more readily accessible communication technologies (computers, telephones, modems, satellites), which form true ‘electronic highways’.”

TELEMATICS, which is the combination of telephone, television, and computer technology, is a new science that should not be strange to trade union leaders, not regarding specific technical aspects, but the utilisation, so we can communicate more efficiently.

We see now a great change in communications, as a PC (personal computer) combines with television and a mobile phone, and together, they present an array of options for communication, unprecedented in human history.

An important number of trade union leaders from different countries of the world can now join efforts to unify ideas, information, and documents, and even to make decisions.

We can now draft publications and send them via e-mail; the CWC, for example, sends newsletters through this medium; but we can also send pictures, even with special effects, we can actually choose what we want to read, etc.

Surely in no time, national and international organisations of the world will be able to hold their meetings (which are now fairly expensive) through electronic communication, at an amazing speed, at very low costs.

We workers often think we are alone, isolated, and that our problems are not shared by others.

Now we have a chance to communicate better, to express more solidarity, to be more united.

An ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE is a group of independent computers, linked simultaneously through an electronic network, in order to communicate people who want to discuss common topics.

Three factors are important in this type of communication:

The sender, the message and the recipient, with can interact immediately, we can thus communicate our ideas, and at the same time, receive answers and advice.

Today, the computer allows us to organise files of information, which can be useful when discussing a collective labour agreement, or drafting a document, or to study.

This new technology can be a useful tool for the trade union movement. If we learn how to use it rationally, we can make an excellent use of this modern means.

Any national or international trade union leader must dedicate 60 minutes (1 hour) every day to electronic communication (both sending and receiving). It is not bureaucracy, it is part of the regular trade union activities.

The initiative by WFAFW of holding Electronic Conferences, Virtual Seminars, and having its own web page, in the interest of the trade union movement, has several objectives.

1.To show that the new technology of Electronic Communication is convenient, useful and necessary for the trade union movement.

2.To avoid discussing technical aspects, to simply use the technology.

3.To give the opportunity to several trade union and social leaders to see how this new system of communication works.

4.To show that the trade union movement is able to adapt to modern times, without neglecting our objective of the defence and representation of the workers.

5.To create a new mechanism as a useful tool in the relations and training of trade union members that are part of WFAFW.

The main obstacles that we encountered are:

a) This system is not readily accessible to most workers, not even in trade union organisations. In many cases, this is due to economic resources, but beyond that, many trade union leaders have not understood the importance of electronic communication.

b) The most important sector of WFAFW develops in the countryside.

We have the responsibility to make trade union relations more efficient by using these communication systems, starting among ourselves.

We recommend using the INTERNET and e-mail rationally, which will reduce costs, time, and will allow a more efficient communication.

One of the most dynamic sectors of the trade union movement is YOUTH. Now, through electronic communication, and especially INTERNET, they can feel more represented in the trade union movement and therefore, their work can be more active and efficient.

Lastly, we hope this experience improves the quality of training and communication among people and organisations, especially for the trade union movement.

CWC’s Programme of Activities

June and July 2004

Communication with CWC is available via e-mail:

ctccaribe@yahoo.es  -  carisform@hotmail.com

For more information in Spanish, English or French on the Caribbean Workers’

Council (CWC), please access our

web page: http://www.acmoti.org