South Cone metalworkers support regional integration and productive complementarity

MERCOSUR: Metalworkers’ unions of the South Cone participating in the IMF seminar on "Trade, Employment and Development" held in Buenos Aires on July 21-22, 2010 reaffirm the importance of the Mercosur regional integration process and the need for metalworkers to play a leading role in it.

In a statement adopted at the end of the meeting the participating unions affirmed their commitment against a Mercosur market of asymmetries and inequalities, and for one of productive complementarity.

In this perspective two strategic priorities were identified:

• The structural changes in the labour market due to the shift to precarious forms of employment conditions and in conjunction with the global crisis, and
• The neoliberal productive restructuring and the need for a mapping of the production chains.

Concrete objectives and activities to be implemented include:

• The establishment of an observatory to monitor the variety of forms of precarious work, supported by an ad hoc working group, and
• Goals for common action at regional level such as:

1. shorter working time without wage reduction
2. recognition of vocational training curricula and certifications in the region
3. regional minimum industrial wage
4. ratification of ILO Conventions
5. strategic coordination of demands

Initiatives in the short term shall include the establishment of a network for systematic information with the identification of a contact person in each organization, and of an electronic forum.

A budget will be defined for each organization to contribute in support of the above strategy.

Finally the participants affirmed the need to play a more prominent role in the regional integration process in the redefinition of the Mercosur "sub-group 10" in close collaboration with the CCSCS (Southern Cone Union Centres Coordinated), the TUCA and other GUFs.