The social network for trade unionists - a LabourStart project.
Critical Note on Trade Union Declaration, Rio +20: What About the Arms Economy?
Peter sez:
Hopefully this is the beginning of a debate, discussion or dialogue, on what I recently thought was a radical step forward by the union internationals. Like the author of that piece, Mikael Book has been active for many years in the World Social Forum. I think he provides here one of many necessary extensions to that union document. Yesterday, by chance, I happened to see a union official from Rolls Royce in the UK welcoming the British government's decision to grant this company a major, major, contract to build the engines for the next generation of...nuclear submarines! I think the government said that it would create 250 jobs. But maybe it was even 2,500. I can understand union officer have a primary concern for jobs for his members or in his community. Which also, however, reminds us of the necessity for a labour movement with a holistic vision and a clear alternative. May the exchange continue!
Now read on...
|
7:20 AM (3 hours ago)
 |
|
||
|
||||
The Trade Union Assembly statement from Rio (see
http://www.sustainlabour.org/) is "an important step forward", writes
Norwegian social activist Asbjörn Wahl to the mailing list of the European
Social Forum. And I agree. In their statement, the workers "embrace the
cause of a socially-just transition towards a sustainable development
model", and they urge that this "transition must begin without further
delay".
In the wording of this good trade union statement one looks, however, in
vain for any explicit mention of the environmental impact of the arms
industry, the contradiction between the arms trade and the social
development, the CO2-emissions of the armies (major consumers of fossil
fuels), and the threat posed to every living creature on earth by the
existing radiological and other weapons of mass destruction.
But is a "transition towards a sustainable development model" even
conceivable without a critique and a deconstruction of the
military-industrial complex?
The answer is clearly no. This, on the other hand, has been well
understood by the signatories of the international appeal Rio plus 20
Disarmament for Sustainable Development. (See
http://www.inesglobal.com/Disarmament-for-Sustainable-Development.p...)
This appeal was is initiated by The International Network of Engineers and
Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES), the International Peace
Bureau (IPB), Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF), the World Future Council
(WFC), Mayors for Peace (MFP), VivaRio, Better World Links and World
without Wars and Violence.
Quotation from the appeal "Disarmament for Sustainable Development":
"... Ecological disasters pile up; the loss of biodiversity and the
destruction of the eco-system are increasing dramatically. In addition,
the current economic crisis has made the world's governments reduce
spending on critical human needs and is once again hitting the weakest the
hardest." "However, apparently unlimited financial resources seem to be
available for military jets, tanks, ships, bombs, missiles, landmines and
nuclear weapons. The technological developments in the armaments field are
becoming more and more sophisticated and murderous." "How to reverse this
process is the challenge of today." "The signatories of this Appeal demand
that the governments of the world seriously address this neglected issue,
and agree on a global plan for disarmament at the Rio Summit in June
2012... "
"Without disarmament, there will be no adequate development; without
development, there will be no justice, equality and peace. We must give
sustainability a chance. "
Cheers,
Mikael Böök
Lovisa, Finland
Mikael Böök * book@kaapeli.fi * gsm +358(0)-44 5511 324 *
http://www.kaapeli.fi/book/ * http://blogi.kaapeli.fi/book/ *
http://blog.spinellisfootsteps.info/
Add a Comment
Union Jobs
Groups
© 2013 Created by Eric Lee.
You need to be a member of UnionBook to add comments!
Join UnionBook