WFTU condemns killing of Italian youth and demands that G7 countries abandon policies of neoliberal globalisation which worsen the global eocnomic and social crisis

World Federation of Trade Unions, press release, No. 24, 30 July 2001

The recent G7/G8 Summits in Genoa have failed to recognise that the current aggravation of the global economic and social crises result from the policies of neoliberal globalisation they themselves pursue and the policies which they impose on other countries through the IMF, World Bank and the IMF.

Instead of recognising the high human cost of their failed economic and social policies which brought thousands of people to protest demonstrations in Genoa, the Summit only reiterated the indifference of the G7 countries to the real problems faced by the other nations and peoples and in particular the least-developed countries burdened with an unpayable external debt. On the other hand, the G-7 countries are using their economic and financial power to impose conditions disadvantageous to the rest of the world.

The WFTU condemns the killing of Carlo Juliani, an Italian youth, who came to protest in Genoa and who was shot and killed by the Italian police, in an attempt to violently suppress the people's protests against the policies of neo-liberal globalisation pursued by the G7 countries.

As the democratic forces who came to protest in Genoa demanded, the urgent issue is the cancellation of the external debt of the developing countries and immediate steps to impose a tax (the Tobin tax) on speculative capital movements which undermine the economic and financial stability of countries and peoples the world over and worsen poverty and underdevelopment. These two measures can immediately mobilise the much-needed development resources for the countries and peoples who are now deprived of their right to development.

As countries and whole regions are now drifting into a recession, the big companies are announcing plant closures and job cuts, thus further aggravating the unemployment. Therefore, urgent measures should be taken by the United Nations and all its member States to seriously implement the Copenhagen Commitments to achieve full employment and social development as well as to implement other decisions taken at the various global summits. The WFTU calls upon trade unions at the national, regional and international levels to unite their forces to intensify their efforts to secure these objectives.