Despite an overall success and some significant achievements at the European Social Forum (ESF) in London, the relationship between the peace and anti-globalisation movements and the trade unions seemed to crack under some controversial issues, like the EU constitutional treaty, new-born labour organisations in Iraq and the resistance to occupation.
At the first ESF in Florence two years ago, the unprecedented support of the Italian leftist trade union federation Cgil and, more widely, of the European confederation of trade unions (ETUC) gave the movement a decisive impact on public opinion. It strengthened the protests against the imminent attack on Iraq and contributed much to the debate on the alternatives to neo-liberalism and imperialism. In London , three of the main British labour organisations (Unison, GMB, RMT) played the same fundamental role in managing and sponsoring the event. But the ESF came just a few days after New Labour's party conference, where the unions ended up backing Tony Blair's party and general policy, even if officially opposing his alliance with the US and the occupation of Iraq .
The forum also came after the ETUC's general secretary John Monks approved the EU Constitutional Treaty, strongly rejected by the majority of the associations and groups that gathered in London. Monks' official position is that “despite shortcomings, the Constitution is still an improvement on the acquis” and that “it will bring real benefits for working people and citizens across the EU even if it is not as good as the one the unions proposed”. Even Cgil, which was initially against the Treaty, in the end supported it: “We cannot hide the limitations of a draft that does not ban the use of war and does not guarantee the right of citizenship to migrants” said Titti Di Salvo, Cgil's International Secretary, “But at the same time the treaty defines some values that belong to the European social model. That's why we propose now to re-open the debate with a campaign to collect a million signatures' calling for a referendum to modify the text”. However, in the final document issued by the Forum's organisers the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty was clear, and so was the fight against the widespread attack in Europe to public services, to labour and social rights.
Despite divisions on the Treaty, the London ESF gave some unions and associations the opportunity to elaborate and present common actions against European governments' neoliberal policies. The major British public services union Unison teamed up with its German counterpart Ver.di, which is 2.6 million members strong, in a significant and innovative project of cooperation. “This will increase our joint clout when it comes to dealing with transnational companies delivering public services” said Unison general secretary Dave Prentis. “Specific areas of co-ordination will be on tackling both public and private-sector companies operating in both the UK and Germany, on staff terms and conditions, lobbying the EU and the two national governments on areas of common interest, and working closer together through European works councils” explained Prentis and Ver.di leader Franck Bsirske.
Some other initiatives in defence of public services were planned at the end of the forum, like the fight against the so-called “Bolkenstein” draft directive on the free circulation of services within the Union, currently under discussion at the EU council. Issued by the former European commissioner Frits Bolkenstein, a Dutch liberal, the directive would result in the marketisation of all services, including some essential sectors such as culture, education, health care and all of those relating to national social welfare systems that can be exposed to economic competition. The obvious consequence of this is an inevitable deterioration of pension systems, social welfare and health care cover in favour of private insurance. Core workers' rights, as established by the national laws of the countries in the Union, would also be affected. “We are at the end of the neoliberal myth of growth and development” said ETUC Confederal Secretary Joel Decaillon during an ESF seminar on privatisation. “We, European unions and movements, should now focus and work together on the real alternatives to the American social model.” Regarding the Bolkenstein directive, John Monks asked the European Council “to have a pragmatic and well-balanced approach that reconciles the achievement of the internal market of services and the respect for the rights of employees, consumers and European citizens,” although he also stated that he “fully supports the aim to establish an internal market for services,” a position that is quite far from the criticisms, requests and appeals raised at the ESF.
But the strongest contrasts emerged on the issues of the war in Iraq, and the relationship between trade unions and the US-appointed Iraqi interim government. During a key Iraq debate in Alexandra Palace a few delegates – many of them Iraqis – interrupted (and ended) the meeting protesting against the decision to invite Sobhi Al-Mashadani, the general secretary of the Iraq federation of trade unions (IFTU), the only one recognised by the Iraqi interim government and also by the international and European confederations of trade unions. Mr Mashadani was denounced as a collaborator of the US, belonging to the Communist Party of Iraq, one of the forces represented in the Allawi government. The TUC and UNISON immediately condemned the action and, repeating their support for the IFTU, said “These attacks are unfair and must stop. The people who harassed Mr Mashadani and prevented the meeting from taking place have no interest in genuine debate or the peaceful, democratic future of the people of Iraq.” Ex-Labour MP George Galloway attacked the decision to invite the Iraqi unionist even if he said he didn't approve the method of protest: “There was a place for registering in a demonstrative way the disapproval of such a person representing a ‘puppet' regime, but no protest which actually stops a democratic meeting taking place should go that far.”
The dissent on Iraqi armed resistance (simple ‘terrorism' for some) seems to be another current matter of division. At the 70,000-strong anti-war demonstration in Rome two weeks after the Forum, some parts of the peace movement, like community centres and the direct action group ‘Disobedienti' did not take part because they don't agree with the criticisms that many make of Iraqi armed resistance, while they only want protests to oppose foreign military invasion. “We are facing a lack of positive, reciprocal contamination on basic social matters” observed Gianfranco Benzi, who is responsible for Cgil's relations with social movements. “We have to start a new dialogue” he added, “Otherwise without some concrete projects we risk losing the common ground of action and the achievements we have made so far.”
Vittorio Longhi