INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Vol.32-No.09 September 1,1993

Labor Summit Held

Labor union leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations convened for a labor summit in Tokyo on July 1st and 2nd. In the discussions, the labor leaders called on Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who hosted the summit, to reflect upon the policies and views of labor unions on the issues of worsening joblessness and employment.

The labor leaders' calls came along with a statement issued by the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) at its general assembly in Paris on May 13 and 14. To deal adequately with economic management, the TUAC statement calls for the following measures. First, adopting economic-stimulus measures through a reduction in interest rates and an increase in public expenditures based on international cooperation; second, incorporating social clauses into an international economic agreement; third, adding supplementary conditions for job creation to structural adjustment programs sponsored by the International Monetary Fund and other organs.

On the 2nd, in asking Mr. Miyazawa for the above, Chairman Lain Kirkland of OECD-TUAC stressed the need to establish measures to settle unemployment issues in a positive manner, and incorporate into the General Agreement on Tariffis and Trade (GATT) social clauses for the protection of workers' rights. Furthermore, referring to foreign economic aid, Mr. Kirkland pointed out the fact that "there are some problematic countries in terms of human rights and trade union rights." In response, Mr. Miyazawa replied that "in offering aid, care should be taken to insure that human rights and democracy are observed and that other governments will not intervene in the activities of aid recipients."


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