Earlier this week we issued our ground-breaking Top Ten Principles on Workers’ Data Protection and Ethical AI. Listen to this podcast where Christina talks about UNIs FWOW strategies and actions and explains, using jaw-dropping examples, why unions need to fight for workers’ data rights and…
I wrap up my series of WTO blog posts feeling like celebrating, but also feeling sad. I celebrate that the proponents of harsh new e-commerce rules have not succeeded in their quest to transform the WTO. Yet I am sad to have witnessed deep rifts between nations and regions at this 2017 WTO…
What a week for the WTO. Starting with the scandalous blacklisting of civil society representatives and trade unions by the Argentinian government, the WTO Ministerial ends with no Ministerial Declaration and a strong signal to the WTO to think again.
I didn’t have the energy to write this blog post last night as I returned to the hotel. Felt flat and somehow drained. Having hovered around the negotiation hotel most of the afternoon and evening, I think the witnessing of global power games and frustrated negotiators had got to me.
Am comfortably benched with lounge music in the background in the hotel bar writing this post as the first full day of WTO negotiations wraps up. On reflection the keyword of the day is: division. On the one hand we have dedicated, committed, well-informed and knowledgeable NGO and union…
Placing us at a “safe” distance from the negotiation venue simply means that very few delegates have time to drop by and hear the voice of workers and civil society. This is yet another attack on us, and one that is hard to swallow. But so it is, and we are finding ways around this. Because, lets…
Saturday started early with morning briefings, emails to Head Office and then the start of a 10 hour strategy workshop with NGOs and unions from all over the world. But Friday night saw another major crisis at the borders as security services blocked the entry of a renowned journalist from the UK.…
Whilst a Norwegian activist was denied entry to Argentina last night and roughly sent on the first plane out of the country before lawyers had time to act, Buenos Aires is filling up with delegations, security staff and police. I now have my official badge and should be allowed entry to various…
Together with experts Deborah James, from CEPR and Valeria Milanés from ADC Argentina Christina Colclough will today discuss how the e-commerce agenda is being pushed in multiple fora. From plurilateral trade agreements such as TiSA, NAFTA, EU-Japan and TPPA to international bodies such as the OECD…
Over the next 10 days, UNI will be writing articles from what has already turned into a scandal-ridden WTO Ministerial. Christina Colclough, UNI Global Union’s trade expert, is on site together with a UNI-Americas team. Christina will be speaking at several events, mainly on the topic of e-commerce.