Trade unions praise ILO report and reveal the Burma links of 250 companies
ICFTU-November 15, 2001
"Despite the generals' alleged willingness to tackle the forced labour problem, pressure should be maintained and even intensified on Burma's military junta to permanently abolish the practice", the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) said today. The comment came as the Brussels-based ICFTU and its "Global Unions" partners released a list of 250 companies with business links to Burma.
The ICFTU said the move could help convince companies to pull out of Burma, thereby pressuring the junta to comply with ILO standards which treat forced labour and slavery as crimes of international law. The list was published as the ILO's decision-making Governing Body concluded its discussion of the report of a High-Level Team which toured the country last September and early October to assess whether forced labour had been eliminated, as the junta claims.
The ICFTU points out, however, that nearly one year after the ILO's historic decision calling for measures to be imposed against the junta, the mission report fully vindicates the organisation's perception that forced labour is still routinely resorted to by the military. It also says the report clearly demonstrates the junta's attempts to disguise this reality and hide it from the ILO investigators. It mentions as evidence the fact that posters prohibiting forced labour had been put up on the eve of the ILO team's visit to particular villages, that they were posted in Burmese and English in areas inhabited by ethnic groups generally not speaking either language, and that junta-issued "Orders" prohibiting the practice and dating back as far as 1999 had still not been published by the country's newspapers, radio or television.
The ICFTU noted with interest the mission's recommendation that an Ombudsman be appointed and/or that a permanent ILO presence be established in the country, in order to monitor the forced labour situation and to help the authorities to tackle the problem. It also said, however, that the ILO should remain realistic about how much it could expect from international monitoring, given the total absence of civil liberties in the country, including freedom of association, freedom of expression and movement.
Global Unions, which includes the ICFTU, TUAC and the ten international trade secretariats, started to compile its list of companies linked to Burma last February. Over the last 8 months, it asked around 310 companies to sever their business links with Burma - the database of companies was based entirely on publicly available information. Over 60 companies replied directly. Some denied involvement, others admitted their presence. Some companies said their presence is beneficial to the people of Burma, while others suggested opening a dialogue with unions about their Burma links.
Most multinational companies identified as having dealings with Burma are based in OECD countries. The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) has urged the OECD to employ the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to encourage action in support of the ILO resolution on forced labour in Burma. In addition, a number of TUAC affiliates have raised the Burma involvement of companies based in their countries with the National Contact Points established under the Guidelines.
According to the trade unions, it is impossible to conduct any business relationship in Burma without directly or indirectly supporting the Burmese military dictatorship, which is responsible for the extensive use of forced labour, as well as other serious human and trade union rights violations.
"Any international business involvement in Burma is an accommodation with tyranny. It supports a corrupt and repressive military regime that has never been granted any legitimacy by the people of Burma", said Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the ICFTU.
Some of the 310 companies approached have been removed from the list after providing evidence of their withdrawal from Burma. Others have been removed due to a process of ongoing dialogue. The list of companies is on the web and includes links to evidence, and correspondence where available.
The database, as well as background information on this initiative, can be found on the web at:burma