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Manufacturing Workers’ View

Manufacturing Workers’ View. EESC Hearing on EU/JP FTA industriAll European Trade Union 15 th January 2014. FTA: just about trade?. EU’s comprehensive approach to trade policies results in trade agreements regulating topics way beyond trade issues

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Manufacturing Workers’ View

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  1. Manufacturing Workers’ View EESC Hearing on EU/JP FTA industriAll European Trade Union 15th January 2014

  2. FTA: just about trade? • EU’s comprehensive approach to trade policies results in trade agreements regulating topics way beyond trade issues • Agreements are motivated by policy objectives unrelated with trade • Resulting in poorly drafted texts • Chapters remain inapplicable • Hastily negotiated agreements

  3. Automotive Industry • Industry adopts contradictory positions on different FTA negotiations • Premium segment favoured by liberalized trade • Volume segment much less • TTIP: industry adopts a rather positive approach • JP/EU: industry does not see advantages for EU (but JAMA is very positive about a potential FTA...) • Worldwide harmonized regulation is favourable for the industry • But is it for workers as well?

  4. Automotive: Basic Conflict • Motor vehicle manufacturers are truly global organizations, and therefore have strong interests in international harmonization and tariffs (and NTBs) dismantling – while • Labour has a very strong regional anchorage (labour markets are regional ones), and therefore have much to fear from international deregulation.

  5. Regulatory dimension • Tariffs are not the issue with JP • NTBs are the focal point • Main potential lies in the regulatory dimension and bilateral harmonization • Technical standards and regulation in the EU approach is based on the precautionary principle, in particular on working conditions • We are in favour of strengthening these aspects • However, a potential creation of a “RCC” is unacceptable

  6. Chemical sector REACH... • JP rather hostile • EU Chemical industry would not be unhappy getting rid of REACH • Workers see OSH advantages of REACH • Harmonization will affect REACH

  7. Fundamental rights of workers • Japan has not ratified all fundamental ILO conventions • Ratification, implementation must be pre-condition for initialling a potential agreement • Japan has ratified few up-to-date instruments • Ratification of all instruments must be mutual engagement • Compulsory, applicable and enforceable SD chapter condition (living up to ITUC/ETUC standards)

  8. Transparency • Discovering only the final, already initialled, text of the agreement is unacceptable • Scope of the talks goes beyond trade issues: labour has to gain access to drafting proposals • Democratic debate on a whole “package” is unsatisfactory • Follow-up, interpretation and implementation need democratically legitimate bodies – inter-government only exercise is undemocratic

  9. Questions? Comments? • industriAll Europe: http://www.industriall-europe.eu/ • Automotive Industry: Wolf Jäcklein • +32 2 226 00 50 • cars@industriall-europe.eu • Founding Organizations: • Former EMF: http://www.emf-fem.org/ • Former EMCEF: http://www.emcef.org/ • Former ETUF-TCL: http://www.etuf-tcl.org/

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