ASEAN vows to oppose ILO's social clause<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN) will resist staunchly a campaign by industrialized
\ncountries' to link trade to labor issues at June's International
\nLabor Conference in Geneva, a minister said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief told journalists
\nthat he and his five ASEAN counterparts had agreed at a recent
\nmeeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to jointly oppose the plan to
\napply International Labor Organization (ILO) standards to
\ninternational trade.<\/p>\n
The two-day meeting was held to forge a common ASEAN stand
\nahead of the ILO conference, Latief said.<\/p>\n
The industrialized countries have been energetically promoting
\nthe plan, known as the ILO's social clause, under which minimum
\nlabor standards would be incorporated into international trade
\nregulations. They are also hoping to push through a resolution
\ncompelling countries to abide by all the ILO conventions.<\/p>\n
Latief said ASEAN countries had no objection to ILO labor
\nstandards but they insisted that they should be allowed
\nflexibility in implementing them in accordance with conditions in
\ntheir respective countries.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
\nSingapore and Thailand.<\/p>\n
The minister said industrialized countries were using the ILO
\nmeeting and its labor standards to interfere in the internal
\naffairs of developing countries.<\/p>\n
\"We (ASEAN ministers) agreed to oppose all actions linking
\nlabor standards and international trade as a means of
\nintervening in the internal affairs of other countries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Latief said the industrialized countries could also expect
\nstiff opposition from many other developing countries.<\/p>\n
Labor ministers of the 112 strong Non-Aligned Movement had
\nalso agreed at their meeting in New Delhi in January to put up a
\ncommon fight against the plan, he said. (rms)<\/p>",
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