SOUTH AFRICA/CHINA: In his speech to the Congress of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi emphasised that core labour standards have to be included in any international trade agreement. "I know that many developing countries see this as a threat to their own existence, but they are wrong. Protectionism is not our aim, but the protection of workers' rights in all countries is our goal."
Malentacchi told the delegates that he used the same words a month ago when he visited China and handed over a list to the Chinese government with the names of workers who are being persecuted for their trade union activities. "The IMF called for their release and for an end to victimisation."
"We were in China to study the impact of the Chinese economic miracle on workers in the metal industry. With China poised to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), multinational corporations are investing massively in China. We in the IMF cannot isolate ourselves from these developments. Nor can we exclude those Chinese workers who, like us, are striving for social justice. They need the support and encouragement of the international labour movement."
The mission to China was led by the IMF's president, Klaus Zwickel. He has declared that he wants to develop cooperation between the IMF and the Chinese trade unions "step by step".