Global Union Leaders: Open Trans-Pacific Trade Talks

Trade union leaders of nations involved in talks to create the latest international trade deal—the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPPTA)—are calling for the negotiations to be inclusive and open, not conducted behind closed doors with a few corporate players, as too many other deals have been.

In a letter sent earlier this month to the trade ministers of Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and the United States, union leaders say that workers’ voices must be part of the negotiating process.

The leaders, who include AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, recommended:

* Setting up meetings at the negotiations where representatives of civil society groups can be regularly briefed about the content of the talks.
* Establishing regular channels between governments and groups such as unions and employers so they can be meaningfully involved.
* Making sure TPPTA governments consult with indigenous groups in their country on trade issues that may affect them, as required by International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 169.
* Creating a joint TPPTA website, where detailed information about the trade negotiations is posted and updated regularly. The site also should allow non-government groups to post their analyses and proposals about the trade deal.

You can read the letter here. –James Parks