The STUC in Ayr heard a stark warning
from UNISON’s Jane Carolan that
the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) would be “an
assault on democratic government”.
TTIP means that public services will
face wholesale privatisation, over-ruling
any state’s laws or policies through
secretive tribunals. Worse still, any
service privatised will not be able to
be brought back in house.
A composite from four unions and four
local TUCs called on the STUC to campaign
against TTIP, support an international
protest in Paris in December and to call
for politicians who have an interest in
the privatisation to declare an interest
and abstain on voting on TTIP.
Jane Carolan told delegates: “it
is a secret treaty hidden from politicians
and negotiated by the EU trade commissioners
in secret. These politicians who want
to read it have to attend a special location
where it’s available in numbered
copies for reading only in that location.
What was that to do with democracy, transparency
and accountability?”
And she warned: “It is an assault
on any society - that in any way seeks
to tackle equality, provides any level
of social protection or provides rights
for the labour as well as capital. The
intentions of this treaty are clear. It
seeks to open all of Europe’s public
services to privatisation by the transnationals.”
Any services provided from general taxation
for public good. Contrary to past practice,
unless a service has been specifically
excluded it can be liberalised, and experience
has taught how difficult exclusion can
be in practice.
Jane warned: “And in this treaty
once services have gone they are gone
for good. Market liberalisation cannot
be reversed because of the so called Ratchet
clause, that once the service is privatised
this cannot be reversed. So no rail nationalisation,
no reversal of the Health and Social Care
Act.”
Jane called for an international response.
UNISON had already made links with major
European unions to arrange an international
protest and has made links with the Teamsters
in the USA.
“Where corporations are acting
multinationally, trade unions must act
in unity and solidarity across international
borders. Together we can defeat this so
called treaty”, she said.
