The demonstration was organised by the Seafarers’ International Union (SIU) of Canada and the newly-formed Canadian Maritime & Supply Chain Coalition to protest against the harmful impact the CETA agreement will have on maritime trade on both sides of the Atlantic.
The five years of negotiations were conducted in secrecy, denying any opportunity for public scrutiny.
Despite the official announcement, however, it seems that there is a power struggle between the EU and some member states over the controversial proposal to introduce a so-called ‘investor-state dispute settlement’ procedure.
This would enable foreign corporations to sue governments in a private and powerful legal system, bypassing the public courts.
Leaks of the text have revealed that CETA will have other far-reaching impacts.
For example, it will put thousands of Canadian jobs at risk by opening up key parts of maritime shipping to European corporations, and remove the rights of provinces, municipalities, schools and hospitals to get the most out of their procurement budgets by favouring local goods and services.
ITF seafarers’ section secretary Jon Whitlow said: “I witnessed real anger at the secrecy of the CETA negotiations and the threat the agreement poses to maritime trade.
In my speech, I stressed that the ITF and ETF fully endorse the importance of national cabotage, the need to retain Canadian cabotage and the necessity of further entrenching it in law.
It is now unclear whether the agreement text has been finalised but the coalition will continue to campaign for the chapter on international maritime services to be deleted.”
Once finalised, the agreement has to be adopted by the European Council, the European Parliament and national parliaments.
The ITF, ETF and several unions are members of the coalition.
Coalition demonstrates against Canada-EU trade agreement
ニュース
現場の声
ニュース
PPEを要求した運転手100人 以上がセネガルで解雇
The ITF has written to Foreign Minister of Senegal Yassine Fall requesting urgent intervention in the shocking and illegal dismissal of 103 road transport drivers.
ニュース
英国の鉄道の再国営化:労働組合の声
労働党政権による鉄道再国営化の決定は、民営化という世界的な潮流からの重要かつ歓迎すべき転換である。再国営化は「第 4 次鉄道パッケージ」等の EU 指令に組み込まれた EU の政策アジェンダとの決裂をも意味する。 この政策転換は、 ITF 加盟鉄道労組-全英鉄道海事交運労組( RMT )、機関車技師・機関助手協会( ASLEF )、交通運輸従業員組合( TSSA )-