The ETUC and RENGO – the European and Japanese Trade Union Confederations - believe that the strategic partnership and free trade agreements being negotiated by Japan and the EU, could stimulate growth and create jobs in the EU and Japan.
The trade union confederations are united in demanding that any partnership and/or trade agreement
- contributes to the creation of quality jobs, and improvements in working conditions and quality of life, for the people of Japan and the EU
- is reached through transparency and disclosure to trade unions, employers and other interested parties as well as other actions to obtain public involvement and support for such agreements
- includes provisions for complying with labour standards, such as the core labour standards of the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- should assist the construction of just rules in the international trading system
Bernadette Ségol, ETUC General Secretary, said “Trade unionists support partnerships and trade agreements that create new, quality jobs on both sides.”
A letter from RENGO President Nobuaki Koga to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, stated that all EPAs and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) concluded by Japan should serve as opportunities for the construction of just rules in the international trading system.
RENGO & ETUC will continue to follow the negotiation process closely and take necessary actions together.
For more on RENGO’s view see http://www.jtuc-rengo.org/updates/index.cgi?mode=view&no=362&dir=2015/05
