TPP Agreement bad for democracy, rights, public services and health, says ITUC

Friday, February 5th 2016 - 07:31 UTC

Full article 4 comments

The ITUC has called the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) a major setback for employment and workers’ rights prospects, and signaled the determination of unions in TPP countries to oppose it. After five years of secret negotiations, twelve Asia/Pacific-Rim Ministers signed the agreement today in Auckland, New Zealand, amid strong criticism from trade unions and other civil society organisations. Read full article

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Brasileiro
The United States is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship of corporations. Rich corporations and poor and unemployed people.

Caution with this!
Feb 05th, 2016 - 11:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
“Sharon Burrow, ITUC General Secretary” and gobshite to the world.

There's no helping people like her and WTF she is still in this position is incredible .
Feb 05th, 2016 - 05:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Skip
Brasileiro just have a look around at all the poor unemployed people that your current government has created! Because my country also experienced the end of the commodities boom just like yours and yet we aren't in a recession with exploding unemployment and high inflation like Brazil is. Why? Because we opened our economy up to make it competitive and you didn't.

That is why the TPP doesn't even include foundries like Brazil, because you aren't capable.

Leave the prosperity to the country that can handle it.... like mine.

Chris,
I'm not a fan of the laissez-faire capitalism of the US but the TPP format doesn't impose the US economic on anyone. The ITUC is pretty worthless in developed countries where labour laws are pretty high and workers have plenty of protection. For the developing countries in the TPP, I've yet to see anything that is going to make their workers lives worse than they already are.

Many trade unionists just can't accept that companies must run at a profit. They naively believe that if only the blue collar workers run all the economy then everyone would be happy and rich with a pet unicorn even after the a Soviet Union disproved their beliefs they still vainly try to find relevancy in the modern world. While unions can do good, that good is outweighed by the protection racket they pretty much run in many industries.

The funny thing is that the Labor Party in Australia is the one that presided over most of the TPP negotiations.

What many seem to forget is that should the TPP prove damaging to Australia's interests then we can just pull out. Nothing is permanent.

Australia's focus has moved onto RCEP now

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Comprehensive_Economic_Partnership

This involves the rest of Asia and the only two relevant BRICS. I still can't believe that so many Latin Americans rejoice that the FTAA didn't eventuate. But then so many have Brasileiro's understanding of the world..... and look how well that's worked out.
Feb 06th, 2016 - 02:55 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Brasileiro
At least you were honest with their economic worldview.

Congratulations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBbyc3t-Ctc&list=FLmXPTu1f8AdGlizWNiASx2A&index=7
Feb 07th, 2016 - 05:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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