6th World Social Forum 2006

The Sixth World Social Forum 2006 was officially opened in Caracas on January 24 with a "March against Imperialism and War," which became eventually a walk for peace. Flags from various countries fluttered, all of which proclaimed the same dream and the same aspiration: "Peace among nations."

Different delegations filled the streets of Caracas with joy and hope, with different mottos, chants and languages. CLAT, with the motto "Social Justice-LATIN AMERICARIBBEAN INTEGRATION, together, all is possible," was represented by Julio Roberto Gómez – President –, Eduardo García – Secretary-General –, Eduardo Gauterio Gallo – Treasurer – , Deputy Secretaries-General Jaime Manzo, Oswaldo Herbach and Anselmo Pontílius, and by brothers and sisters from affiliated organisations in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Aruba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Belize and Cuba.

The Caribbean was represented by the President of the CWC, Gabriel del Río, Vice-Presidents Humphrey Mongen, Carlos Osorio and Paul Loulou, Treasurer Altagracia Jiménez, Violeta Luna, responsible for the Integration in the Caribbean, the Director of CARISFORM Juan A. Francés; for WFAFW, Kenneth Valpoort, Antonio González of CWU - Belize, George Fortuné of CTH-Haiti and Pedro Pérez Castro from STC of Cuba.

Also part of the rally were representatives of the World Confederation of Labour Manuel Zaguirre, Vice-President and Eduardo Estévez, Deputy Secretary-General.

The 6^th World Social Forum was developed on this occasion in a decentralized manner and in different dates in Caracas (Venezuela), Bamako (Mali) and Karachi (Pakistan). As in previous World Social Forums, social movements gathered to debate, propose, seek consensus, establish strategies and a schedule of struggles and common actions on different issues such as US military presence in the continent and worldwide, FTAA, “Free Trade” Agreements, the impact of the neoliberal model and the strategies of struggle for agrarian reform, communication rights, the problem of terrorism, indigenous peoples, territories and autonomies, diversities, among others.

Meeting of the Caribbean Workers Council

On January 23 to 27, the Meeting of the Caribbean Workers Council – CWC – took place at the headquarters of UTAL, in the framework of the Activities of the World Social Forum and the Trade Union Forum of the Americas.

The meeting was attended by Eduardo García, Secretary-General of CLAT, Anselmo Pontilius, Deputy Secretary-General and leaders of the trade union organisations affiliated in Aruba, Belize, Curacao, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. The event was led by Bro. Gabriel del Río Doñé, President of the CWC.

At the opening session of the Meeting also were Bros. Luis Eduardo Gautério Gallo, Treasurer of CLAT, Jaime Manzo and Osvaldo Herbach, Deputy Secretaries-General of CLAT and Efrén Delgado, Director of UTAL.

The Meeting also analysed fundamental problems of the countries of the region and their organisations; part of the meeting was a debriefing on the 26^th WCL Congress, its agreements and conclusions; the participants also analysed the situation of the trade union process of unity, at the global and continental level; fundamental guidelines were proposed for the work of the CWC this year as well as its budget. Other issues were the work and activities to be conducted by CARISFORM in 2006.

The leaders of the Caribbean had an important participation in the activities of the Trade Union Forum of the Americas, as well as other activities of the World Social Forum of Caracas.

The Haitian People Placed Their Hopes in DEMOCRACY

Last February the Haitian people went massively to the polls and elected René Preval as their new president, with over 65% of the votes.

Most international observers qualified the elections as successful.

The Executive Secretariat of CLAT sent a letter of congratulations to the workers and the Haitian people for the civil example given to demand their right to elect their leaders democratically. “We express our acknowledgement of the electoral results and congratulate René Preval, who was elected by a great majority of the people as President of the Republic of Haiti. We hereby express our salutations and reiterate our position of solidarity with the workers, the people and the democratically elected leaders of Haiti,” stated the message.

“CLAT calls all trade union organisations in Latin America-Caribbean, the Americas and the world to support the new government and promote unity of action with solidarity towards the workers and organisations of Haiti.”

New President in Bolivia

CLAT, based on the elections held in Bolivia, which resulted in the election of Bro. Evo Morales as President of the Republic, sent a communiqué with a fraternal greeting, congratulations and recognition for his democratic election as President of this sisterly nation. In the message, CLAT expressed: “You are a man who grew from the autochthonous roots of your People and Nation and a popular struggler who renews the hopes of your people and the expectations in Latin America-Caribbean.” Similarly, another passage of the communiqué expresses: “Convinced that a process of transformation demands the active participation of the organised workers, we ratify our commitment and permanent solidarity with the struggles of the COB, through our affiliate: Corriente de Renovación y Solidaridad Laboral (CRISOL) and our support to Bolivia’s great aspiration of access to sea shore as part of Latin America integration.”

In reply to this letter, CLAT was invited to the inauguration ceremony that took place on January 22. Bro. Julio Roberto Gómez Esguerra, President of CLAT, participated and represented CLAT in said event.

Dominican Workers March in Favour of the Initiation of the Family Health Insurance

Thousands of Dominican workers affiliated to the Autonomous Classist Trade Union Confederation (CASC), together with other 40 organisations, organised a march through the streets of Santo Domingo on March 4, demanding the initiation of the Family Health Insurance. Trade unionists denounced the lack of order reigning in the sectors that are responsible for the application of the Family Insurance and the refusal to initiate it because of the monetary profits non-application represents. At the end of the march and before workers gathered in Independencia Park, the Secretary-General of CASC, Gabriel del Río expressed that "nowadays the main demand of the working class in our country is the initiation of the Family Health Insurance, so families can be properly protected, but we must also demand a suitable employment policy." Workers also demanded a general salary increase “for all workers in the city and the countryside, including without discrimination police officers and the military, civil servants and private employees, who also deserve to be worthy of measures that allow them to improve their living and working conditions."

New Affiliations to CASC, Dominican Republic

The National Council of Land Smallholders, Small and Medium Producers, decided in its Congress to affiliate to the Autonomous Classist Trade Union Confederation (CASC). This Council is the organisation that represents smallholders settled in the Agrarian Reform programmes, and it groups over 20,000 producers, especially in rice sector, including production factories.

Additionally, the Dominican Association of Journalists and Writers (ADPE) agreed in its GENERAL ASSEMBLY, to affiliate to the Autonomous Classist Trade Union Confederation (CASC), at the national level and to the Latin American Federation of Social Communication Workers (FELATRACS), member of the Latin American Confederation of Workers (CLAT).

Seminar on Integration in Puerto Rico

Last February a Seminar on Integration took place in San Juan, sponsored by the Programme of the Comunidad de Madrid. The event analysed the trade agreements in the region and their impact on the Puerto Rican workers.

A new meeting will take place in April, which will discuss the development model promoted by CLAT in face of the trade agreements: the Latin American and Caribbean Community of Nations.

Event in Saint Maarten

Leaders from the Organisations FTA (Aruba), CGTC (Curacao), ATS/GWTU (Trinidad), ATLU (Antigua), NWU (St. Lucia), NWM (St. Vincent), CWU (Belize) and WIFOL (St. Maarten) will meet on March 30 to April 1 in Saint Maarten in order to hold a Seminar on the Latin American and Caribbean Community of Nations as a proposal for the development of the Caribbean and Latin America.

This event is part of the Training Programme that CARISFORM conducts with cadres of the Caribbean organisations.

Training Programmes for Strategic Cadres of CLAT

CLAT, in the framework of its new training policy (12^th Congress), has defined as a priority the implementation of Training Programmes for Strategic Cadres, aimed at the development of affiliated organisations. Therefore, CLAT, through the University of Latin American Workers “Emilio Máspero,” UTAL, organised the Seminar-Workshop of Induction and Promotion of Training Programmes for Strategic Cadres of CLAT” on March 19 to 25.

Participants were the directors of the four Sub-regional Training Institutes, members responsible for the training offices in the affiliated organisation in each country; the staff of UTAL: training units and studies, as well as members of some instances of CLAT. The objectives of this event were: updating information of the challenges facing CLAT; acknowledging and assuming the information of the profile of the Programmes; inform about the current conditions in the training offices to assume their operation and complement operational planning for the execution thereof.

For the Caribbean, participants were Juan A. Francés, Director of CARISFORM, Esperidón Villa, Director of the Institute of Agrarian and Trade Union Training INFAS, from Dominican Republic and Sandra Santana, Director of the Puerto Rican Institute of Social Studies.

Hunger Strike until Free Internet Access is Granted

Since January 31 this year, Guillermo Fariñas, an independent Cuban journalist, member of the opposition and coordinator of the Cuban Liberal Party of the Province of Villa Clara, director of the independent press agency Cubanacán Press, has started a hunger strike, demanding from the Cuban authorities free access to the use of Internet, which is only authorized for certain political and governmental officers, but with severe restrictions for the rest of the population.

Guillermo Fariñas has been admitted to the Arnaldo Milián hospital in Villa Clara, in an intensive therapy room, with signs of acute physical deterioration. Therefore, their relatives fear a sad ending, since has repeatedly refused to be fed or hydrated intravenously. Few days ago, Fariñas expressed that he was willing to die if it is necessary to achieve free Internet access to the Cuban people.

The Cuban government has not responded to the requests made in this regard by several international bodies and human rights organisations to solve this dramatic situation.

Cuba: Freedom for Independent Trade Unionists

In March 2003, the Cuban government launched a wage of repression that imprisoned 75 democratic opponents to the government. Among them were nine trade unionists of the Unitary Council of Cuban Workers CUTC, an organisation affiliated to CLAT and WCL. They were tried and sentenced in one-week summary trials, with no respect to due process. They are accused of “acts against independence and territorial integrity of the State.” The reality is that they act for an independent trade unionism, for the rights of the workers and a peaceful process of democratic change in Cuba. They are: the Secretary-General of CUTC Pedro Pablo Álvarez Ramos, Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, Víctor Rolando Arroyo, Horacio Julio Piña Borrego, Luis Milán Fernández, Adolfo Fernández Saínz, Blas Giraldo Reyes Rodríguez, Carmelo Díaz Fernández and Oscar Espinoza Chepe.

Events to Take Place in April

Training Seminar of Cadres of the Confederation of Haitian Workers, April 3 to 5, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Meeting of Haitian Women Workers, April 5 and 6, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 

Activities on the occasion of the 70^th Anniversary of ABVO, Constitutional Congress, April 19 to 23, Curacao.

Latin American Conference: “The Latin American and Caribbean Community, a development model as an alternative to FTAA and FTAs,” April 24 to 29 at UTAL, Venezuela.

Seminar of Latin American and Caribbean Cargo Transport Workers, organised by the National Federation of Dominican Transport (FENATRADO) April 25 to 30, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Some Statistics on Migrant Workers

According to the ILO, some 175 million people lived outside their countries of origin or citizenship in the year 2000. This figure includes migrant workers, permanent immigrants, refugees, as well as their relatives. Of these 175 million people, approximately 86 million are migrant workers or economically active displaced people, including refugees. They are distributed geographically as follows: Africa: 7.1 million; Asia, including the Middle East: 25 million; Europe, including Russia: 28.5 million; Latin America-Caribbean: 2.5 million; North America: 20.5 million; Oceania: 2.9 million. Women represent currently 49 percent of the migrant population worldwide; in Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania, their proportion in the migrant population has surpassed the 50-percent threshold; the $100.000 million that migrant workers send every year to their countries of origin represent more than the whole of the budgets for international development aid; in terms of international trade, and this figure ranks second after oil exports.

For developing countries, “brain drain” entails a loss of 10 to 30 percent of their qualified and professional labour. According to several studies conducted by the ILO in different industrialised Western countries, over one out of three qualified migrant workers who have applied for a vacant position have been ruled out arbitrarily during the selection process. This represents a discrimination rate of 35 percent.