Reply-To: "WTO Impact List" From: "WTO Impact List" To: "ComputerB" Cc: "ICDA Secretariat [BACKUP]" Bcc: "Rein Antonissen 11.11.11 ACP-EU Researcher" , "Zakir kibria BanglaPraxis NGO Bangladesh" , "danesi jubril mohammed Africa Alert NGO Worker" , "Jenny Marshall Researcher Save the Children UK NGO" , "Tahir Hasnain NGO Networker Pakistan Consumers" , "Claire Melamed Researcher" , "Ann Kathrin Schneider Researcher WEED" , "Carol Bruce ICEM Trade Unionism Officer" , "Christophe Ventura" , "Debjani Das" , , "Begona Inarra Justice/Peqce Desk AMECEA/KENYA" , "Pia Eberhardt Student NGO ATTAC/Germanwatch" , "Faisal Shaheen Trade Policy Researcher SDPI" , "keith tyrell wwf epo trade policy analyst" , "Mark Ritchie Writer IATP" , "Fleur Anderson CAFOD NGO worker" , "Jane Dennett-Thorpe Project Coordinator for Sustainable Developmen INZET" , "Britta Coy--in process of setting up NGO" , "Samuel Poos Fair Trade Center, Belgium" , "Stefan Verwer INZET Project officer Trade EU/ACP" , "Julian Oram Senior NEF Researcher" , "Kelly Chambers SChildren--Information Assistant" , "Carol Nelson CID" , "Jasna Djordjevic Writer for Red Cross" , "Conall O'Caoimh NGO Ireland" , "Francis Lemoine Policy Analyst" , "Michael Chai NGO Consultant" , "Dennis Keeney Consultant IATP" , =?Windows-1252?Q?Andr=E9anne_L=E9ger_Policy_Officer_NGO?= , "Titta Vidala Italian NGO Worker" , "Graham Dutfield NGO Writer" , "Joel L. 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Student" , "Garima Bhalla Student India" , "Sandra Costa Masters Student Bulgaria -- ICTs" , "Lorson Librarian Environmental Economics" , "Alessandro Bini Masters Student Development UK" , "owen espley Human Rights Neoliberalism Student UK" , "Jessica Spirlet Student Belgium" , "Harry Bauer Academic LSE, UK" , "Nelson P. Sanchez Student Phillipines AMA Computer University" , "Monika Adamova Current ICDA Intern" , "Ruggero Lala Amsterdam Maastricht Summer University Courses co-ordinator" , "Meijboom Student NL" , "Melanie Tomsons Canada McGill Uni-Student" , "Max Heller Student Germany" , "Fiona R. Gaze Speechwriter New ICDA Intern Nov 2002" , "Juliana Martins Brazil Lawyer Researcher" , "babatope babalobi NIGERIA Journalist" , "gamal omar Arab Lawyers Union Writer" , "Gale Raj Uni of Michigan TradeDev--Individual" , "Jennifer Cyr ex-Org of American States worker Researching Trade/Globalization issues just arrived in BE" , "Jeff Katcherian Graduate of Cultural Anthropology USA" , "Anjali Ramachandran ex ICDA Intern July-Oct2002" , "Thabo Motsapi Journalist South Africa" , "Cecilia Norlander" , "Els McOmish Student Affiliated to Attac" , "Richard Saunders York Uni, CANADA Academic" , "Caroline Steensels University of Leuven BE--Student" , "caroline dumonteil FRANCE Researcher--part of group MAI" , "Patrick Lannin Reuters Journalist" , "Luke Reade Student Ireland--Individual" , "MANAB MAJUMDAR" , "Bruno Belmont" , "Consumers for World Trade" , , "Maha Kamel" , "Oliver Horsthemke Namibia Agricultural Union" , , "Rosalie Gardiner" , "Sabine Weyand" , "Solveig Crompton" , "Suchita" , "Cornelia Nauen EU Researcher" , "Nathalie Oliveira Senior Official at Ministry" , "MAIGA MOUSLIM--Livestock Scientist at UEMOA.Int" , "Graham Romanes" , "cecilia martinezclark Agrifood Argentina Govt" , , "Janice G Foerde" , , "Mum" , "MONTES DE OCA Julio - Ramsar" , "Dad Samuel Bensah" Subject: WTOIL#327 | Fri-13 Dec | [Ffd-IFIs-TNCs]: Two Blows for the World Bank; One for the IMF; Norway Shows that Progress is Right-Wing after all; When Corporate Bosses go Pro-Union Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 17:54:15 +0100 Organization: International Coalition for Development Action (ICDA) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_006D_01C2A2D0.AEB6AD60" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_006D_01C2A2D0.AEB6AD60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable = =3D^=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D WTO Impact List #327 | Fri-13 Dec | [Ffd-IFIs-TNCs]: =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D * Two Blows for the World Bank; One for the IMF * Norway Shows that Progress is Right-Wing after all * When Corporate Bosses go Pro-Union =3D=3D^=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D List of contents: 1) ARGENTINA DEFAULTS ON PAYING ITS DEBT TO WORLD BANK 2) NORWAY--NEW BUDGET CALLS FOR PRIVATISATION 3) UGANDA--IMF DEBT RELIEF PLAN FAILS WOEFULLY 4) SWEDEN--CEO's TURN TO UNIONISM FOR SECURITY 5) LABOUR UNIONS REJECT WORLD BANK & IMF LOANS =3D=3D^=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D Dear WTO Impact Lister, Today's articles are a compilation of particular countries--from = Argentina to Uganda--and provide considerable insight into what is = happening with them with regard to the World Bank (articles n#1, 5), = privatisation of social services (article n#2); IMF (article n#3), and = finally, article 4 is an unusual article about how the corporate big = bosses in Sweden are, ironically, turning to unions for security. All in all, a reasonably eclectic pick for today's focus reminding us of = how each country has its own demons to deal with--let alone the demon = that world trade is perceived by the average globaphobe to be! Have a very pleasant and stress-free weekend! Very sober reading, Emmanuel ___________________________________ If you have any constructive suggestions or comments about the ICDA WTO Impact List, or articles and news to contribute, do not hesitate to contact us! Best regards, Emmanuel.K.Bensah & Eamonn Moran ekbensah@icda.be eamonnmoran@icda.be ************************************************************ 1) ARGENTINA DEFAULTS ON PAYING ITS DEBT TO WORLD BANK From: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/13/1039656218461.html Date: 13-14 December, 2002 By: Associated Press =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D [Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D "World Bank and IMF officials have repeatedly called on Argentina to = avoid stumbling on its obligations to keep open its sole remaining = financial lifeline. But Mr Duhalde has said he is reluctant to use the = country's dwindled reserves to make any payments." ________________ Argentina has declared it will not meet its multimillion-dollar debt = obligations to the World Bank, a move likely to deepen its rift with = international financiers. An Economy Ministry spokesman said the Government would not make the = $US726 million ($1.28 billion) payment due today. "It will not be paid = because we have not been able to reach an aid agreement with the = International Monetary Fund," he said.=20 It was the second time in less than a month that the cash-strapped = country failed to make debt payments to the World Bank, meaning it = stands to lose access to its sole source of foreign financing and deepen = its economic isolation. The decision is also likely to complicate negotiations over renewed aid = with the IMF that began nearly 11 months ago. On Thursday Argentine officials appealed to the IMF to speed up talks on = a possible aid accord, insisting an agreement could help the country = head off the damaging debt default.=20 "If the IMF would facilitate an accord, Argentina could move more = quickly to cancel its debts with multinational credit organisations," = said the cabinet chief, Alfredo Atasanof. "Otherwise, the talks are going to get more complicated." After entering into default with foreign investors last year, Argentina = has relied on the World Bank money to help fund social programs and = finance business as it struggles to emerge from a four-year recession. But a decision by President Eduardo Duhalde last month to make only a = partial payment to the World Bank has raised tensions between Buenos = Aires and the lenders in Washington. World Bank and IMF officials have repeatedly called on Argentina to = avoid stumbling on its obligations to keep open its sole remaining = financial lifeline. But Mr Duhalde has said he is reluctant to use the = country's dwindled reserves to make any payments. The IMF halted loans to the country last December, forcing the = Government into the largest default on foreign debt in history. The = country halted payments on about $US95 billion of its $US141 billion in = foreign debt.=20 _____________ Copyright =A9 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald=20 ************************************************************* 2) NORWAY--NEW BUDGET CALLS FOR AGGRESSIVE PRIVATISATION From: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/dec2002/norw-d12.shtml Date: 12 December, 2002 By: Steve James and Niall Green=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D [Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D "Norway=92s population is 4.1 million. Despite the prodigious oil wealth = flooding the country, 19,000 children are living in poverty and 76,800 = workers are unemployed, a figure that is expected to rise to 100,000 in = the next year. Many thousands more jobs are now threatened by the = accelerating pace of privatisation." _________________ The national budget proposed by Norway=92s minority coalition government = was finally approved by parliament (Storting) on December 3. The deal = was secured with the support of the far-right Progress Party and = followed two months of haggling that brought the Conservative dominated = coalition, led by Christian Democrat Kjell Bondevik, to the brink of = collapse. In the end, Progress and the government came to terms, with = tacit encouragement from the Labour Party. First published in October, the national budget proposed 10.6 billion = NOK ($1.46 billion) of tax cuts in 2002, as part of a three-year 25 = billion NOK ($3.46 billion) tax-cutting programme. Tax cuts would be = somewhat offset by small amounts taken from the country=92s vast 666 NOK = billion ($92 billion) Petroleum Fund nest egg collected from North Sea = oil revenues. Nevertheless, disability benefits and state funding of = children=92s day-care centres would be cut. Unemployment benefit = eligibility would be cut from three to two years. Progress, led by chauvinist demagogue Carl I. Hagen, immediately = objected to the budget. Publicly the party argued that more oil money = should be spent on pensioners, propping up Norwegian seafarers=92 wages, = that proposals to introduce prescription charges should be dropped and = funeral grants restored. In negotiations with the government, however, = Progress made clear that its primary aim was greater tax cuts and the = acceleration of privatisation in public services. Since the last general election, in autumn 2001, when Progress emerged = as power brokers in discussions on the character of the new government, = the coalition has relied on the party to implement its legislative = programme. Over the year, buoyed by its soaring opinion poll ratings, = Progress has thrown its weight around in negotiations with the = government, always seeking to give the impression that Bondevik rules on = under sufferance. Progress initially refused to support the proposed budget, forcing the = government to turn to the other opposition parties. The Conservatives = entered into talks with the Labour Party, which was humiliated at the = last general elections. Labour, which had dominated national political = life for most of the last eight decades, now frequently manages to = garner the support of only one-fifth of those polled. The party proposed = a series of small spending increases which it had no intention of = seriously prosecuting. During negotiations, a poll suggested that 72 = percent of Labour politicians thought that Labour should not enter = government. Unsurprisingly, negotiations between Labour and the = Conservatives collapsed. In response, Progress unveiled their own demands for 28 billion NOK = ($3.88 billion) in tax cuts, the abolition of the wealth tax, and the = slashing of agricultural subsidies, foreign aid and cultural spending. = Progress reopened negotiations with the government. Worried that the = messy process of scraping together support for the budget was tarnishing = the image of the state, Labour leader Jens Stoltenburg encouraged = Progress and the coalition to reach an agreement, commenting, =93It = would be most proper for the party that installed the government = [Progress] to ensure that the government reaches a majority for its = budget.=94 The final agreement with the government was close to the original = budget, including as well a new attack on 30,000 railway and postal = workers=92 pensions rights and pushing privatisation measures in local = government, healthcare, prison building and national parks. The Labour Party has no disagreements with wealth grab set out most = clearly by Progress. Rather, their worries are that widespread = opposition will emerge if the Norwegian super-rich are seen to be = raiding the public purse too blatantly. Rising social inequality over the past decade has eroded many of the = social concessions to the working and middle classes. Norway=92s = population is 4.1 million. Despite the prodigious oil wealth flooding = the country, 19,000 children are living in poverty and 76,800 workers = are unemployed, a figure that is expected to rise to 100,000 in the next = year. Many thousands more jobs are now threatened by the accelerating = pace of privatisation. The 6,200 homeless people are in a particularly = desperate situation in a country in which only 4 percent of housing is = publicly controlled. One million Norwegians are reported to have = suffered health problems from stress at work, while 15 percent of the = workforce say they are burnt-out. By contrast, leading supporters of both Progress and the Labour Party = are amongst the wealthiest in the land. During the budget negotiations, = Stein Erik Hagen, Norway=92s richest man and the only Norwegian on the = Forbes rich list, called for Progress to join the government, as did = several other leading investors. Between 1995 and 2001 top executives=92 pay rose by 110 percent, while = industrial wages went up by just 28 percent. The wealth accruing to the = trade union bureaucracy is indicated by the fact that a recent = conference of the Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees cost 20 million = NOK ($2.7 million) for a six-day junket=97about the same as last = year=92s wedding of the Norwegian Crown Prince. Delegates to a Labour = conference earned 110,000 NOK ($15,000) more than average earnings while = Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg earned 900,000 NOK (=A3125,000) last year = alone. Both Labour and Progress speak for layers made wealthy in recent years = by oil money and the booming value of international stock markets. As = finance minister, Stoltenberg in 1997 changed the investment guidelines = of the Petroleum Fund to allow 30-50 percent of the fund to be invested = in the stock market, as opposed to bonds. Progress, like other right-wing formations across Europe, has taken = advantage of widespread alienation from the established parties. Now the = second largest party in the Storting, Progress holds the balance of = power in most parliamentary votes. Yet only two years ago the party was = gripped by internal feuding, which led to the expulsion of openly = fascistic elements from its ranks. This move was intended to limit = hostility to the party in the wake of massive nationwide protests over = the racist killing of a Norwegian/African teenager, Benjamin Hermansen, = by three young fascists. Although Progress continues to blame the = country=92s ills on its immigrant communities and Hagen repeatedly = insists that Norway is being =93ruined=94 by immigrants, the party, = aided by the media, has attempted to refashion itself as the champion of = the common man. ________________ (c) Copyright 1998-2002, World Socialist Web Site; All rights reserved=20 ************************************************************** 3.) UGANDA--IMF DEBT RELIEF PLAN FAILS WOEFULLY From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2572337.stm Date: 13 December, 2002 By: BBC News Staff =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D [Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D "Weakness in the global economic environment and particularly low = commodity prices on which most HIPCs depend, has made it even more = difficult for countries to reach the targets set out" _________________ The IMF and World Bank's debt relief programme has failed to reduce the = debt of Uganda, the first country to qualify for the scheme.=20 --------- A Ugandan finance ministry official said the country's foreign debt was = "unsustainable" five years after applying the Highly Indebted Poor = Countries (HIPC) policy.=20 =20 When it was launched, HIPC was hailed by the world's richest nations as = the solution to the debt and poverty crisis affecting the world's = poorest countries.=20 Uganda's foreign debt has been growing by an average of $108m (=A368m) = annually over the past four years, Longino Tisasirana, the assistant = commissioner in charge of the macro-economic department in the finance = ministry, told the news agency AFP.=20 "Figures indicate that our debt is unsustainable," said Mr Tisasirana.=20 Uganda's foreign debt has grown from $3.4bn in 1998 to $3.83bn last = June, even thought the country has received more than $1bn in debt = relief.=20 Zambia threat=20 The HIPC scheme was set up in 1999 in an attempt to crack down on world = poverty by 2015 and cut $70bn off the $214bn debt burden of the world's = poorest nations.=20 But it requires countries to implement radical privatisations and tax = policies in exchange for lifting their debt burden.=20 On Monday, the IMF said it would delay $1bn of debt relief to Zambia if = the country failed to privatise the state-owned commercial bank.=20 "If they don't sell, they will not get the money. Over $1 billion could = be delayed," IMF resident representative to Zambia Mark Ellyne was = quoted as saying.=20 Mass opposition to the sale of the Zambia National Commercial Bank = (ZNCB) has forced the government to put off the country's biggest = privatisation.=20 Debt deal=20 Earlier this year a report by the two lenders found the HIPC programme = was off track.=20 Eight to 10 countries in the programme would still be in debt by the = time it finished, according to the report.=20 Weakness in the global economic environment and particularly low = commodity prices on which most HIPCs depend, has made it even more = difficult for countries to reach the targets set out, the report said.=20 So far this year seven countries have had interim debt relief halted = because of their failure to meet the IMF's targets.=20 __________________ =A9 MMII | News Sources | Privacy=20 *************************************************************** 4.) SWEDEN--CEO's TURN TO UNIONISM FOR SECURITY From: = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/11/1039379882331.html Date: 12 December, 2002 By: Bloomberg Staff =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D [Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D "Chief executives are among the union's most fertile recruiting ground. = About 350 had enlisted in the CEO unit this year, lifting the total to = about 900, the union said" ________________ A wavering economy has caused hirers and firers in Sweden to fear for = their own jobs as they rush to join the union. Dara Doyle reports. -------- Nicklas Nyman likes to wear two-tone shirts, gold-plated cufflinks and a = gleaming white handkerchief, folded in the breast pocket of his dark = suit. He looks more like a boss than a union activist. He's both. The former Lutheran priest and current chief executive at the Swedish = unit of an international marketing company has joined Ledarna, a = Stockholm-based union providing legal services and advice for = executives. With more people leaving their jobs and others taking stress-induced = breaks, membership of the bosses' unit of the union is up more than 60 = per cent this year. "People are looking for more security," said 30-year- old Nyman, who = works 200 hours a month in the university town of Uppsala, north of = Stockholm. Over the past three months, analysts have slashed their forecasts for = Swedish corporate earnings by an average of 7 per cent, according to = Thomson Financial.=20 The Swedish central bank last week cut interest rates for the second = straight month after cutting its 2003 growth forecast to 2.1 per cent = from 2.3 per cent; company bankruptcies have climbed 9 per cent this = year. "I have full confidence in the company and myself to do the job, but, = you know, it's tough out there at the moment," said Nyman. Six years ago, every 10th listed Swedish company changed its CEO. Over = the past two years, one in three, or 110, has done so, according to a = compilation by Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. Sixty CEOs have left = this year, including many well-known names. "The pressures on CEOs have multiplied, there's no doubt," said Dag = Tveteraas, who stepped down as CEO of Ticket Travel Group AB to spend = more time with his family in Norway after the company posted a = third-quarter loss of 8.5 million kronor ($A1.7 million). "Shareholders = have become much more demanding." He's not a Ledarna member. Many others are joining Ledarna, a 97-year-old managers' confederation = based on the island of Kungsholmen in the west of Stockholm. Ledarna = means "the leaders" in Swedish. None of Ledarna's counterparts around Europe, such as Denmark's Ledernes = Hovedorganisation or the German Union der Leitenden Angestellten, report = similar surges in CEO membership. While Swedish union membership has stagnated in recent years, Ledarna's = ranks have risen 8 per cent to 64,000 in two years. The union estimates = its members comprise 15 per cent of all managers in the Nordic region's = biggest economy.=20 Chief executives are among the union's most fertile recruiting ground. = About 350 had enlisted in the CEO unit this year, lifting the total to = about 900, the union said. "Bad times help us, CEOs and managers see us as insurance for bad days," = said chairman Bjoern Bergman. "Many have never had a problem on the = labour market before." In addition to helping negotiate contracts and running courses on topics = such as the "manager's career path", Ledarna provides two main services = for executives under pressure in return for its $US416 ($A744) annual = fee, which Bergman is considering raising. The union's call centre has 20 counsellors and lawyers to offer advice = on the 60,000 queries it fields each year. Membership in an insurance plan run by a Ledarna-linked company also = entitles executives to higher unemployment benefits. Union members who = use the insurance plan receive as much as 80 per cent of their salaries, = up to a ceiling of 22,000 kronor a month. That's a drawing point for = Ledarna amid a fresh round of bankruptcies, resignations and firings. Institutions ranging from the government-funded National Institute of = Economic Research and the Swedish central bank are cutting growth = forecasts, signalling unemployment may rise from the current 3.9 per = cent. That may ease the way for Ledarna to increase membership by 5 per cent = over the next two years, Bergman says. Others are more sceptical of the = benefits. "As someone who has fired a couple of heads of private equity firms, I'd = say one thing to a CEO who wanted to join a union - don't," said Leif = Oestling, chief executive at Scania, Europe's fourth-largest truck = maker. "It's not going to help you. You are a hired gun and at the = board's mercy."=20 ________________ Copyright =A9 2002 The Age Company Ltd=20 **************************************************************** 5.) LABOUR UNIONS REJECT WORLD BANK & IMF LOANS From: = http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=3Ddisplaynews&doc_id=3DNR200212= 12670.2_ff29000d71cf215f Date: 12 December, 2002 By: Nicola Jenvey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D [Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E] =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D "=93The union does not want Umgeni borrowing money from the World Bank = and the IMF as the conditions attached to these loans are problematic. = The union wants clarity on the extent of (Umgeni's) involvement with = (the organisations),=94 " __________________ Labour unions reject IMF, World Bank loans KwaZulu-Natal Correspondent=20 ****** DURBAN =97 Labour unions will not entertain accepting loans from the = World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fund = infrastructure development, regarding the organisations as =93enemies of = Africa and the developing world=94.=20 This comes as water utility Umgeni Water launches a restructuring = process to evaluate how best to serve customers.=20 During last week's consultative forum meeting, CEO Gugu Moloi tabled a = business plan that proposed raising loans from a variety of sources, = including the World Bank and IMF. Umgeni is the second-largest water = utility in Africa, providing water to more than 5-million people in = KwaZulu-Natal. The Durban and Maritzburg municipalities are its two = largest customers, accounting for about 95% of its income base. However, = new legislation questions the necessity of water boards and allows for = municipalities to appoint a service provider of their choice, including = an international utility. In this light, Umgeni is in the midst of = restructuring to =93remain relevant and continue in business=94.=20 Moloi said one possibility involves establishing a strategic partnership = with a funding organisation, but Umgeni has yet to approach the World = Bank or the IMF. Richard Mthembu, National Education Health and Allied = Workers' Union (Nehawu) branch secretary coastal region, raised concern = about the organisations' structural adjustment programme, believing they = had =93destroyed African economies=94.=20 =93The union does not want Umgeni borrowing money from the World Bank = and the IMF as the conditions attached to these loans are problematic. = The union wants clarity on the extent of (Umgeni's) involvement with = (the organisations),=94 he said.=20 Mthembu also raised concern that the restructuring process considered = employees to reapply for their jobs, demanding Umgeni dismiss its = contract workers and redeploy Umgeni staff into the positions. Voluntary = retrenchments and early retirement packages should be considered as a = means for reducing overheads. Moloi said in repositioning Umgeni = structures within the organisation would change; several positions may = be lost and others altered from their responsibilities. But the extent = of these changes can be determined only once the six new divisional = general managers assume position from January.=20 Mthembu said employees should only have to reapply for their jobs if = their positions changed substantially, qualified as more than 20% of the = current functions they are involved with.=20 ________________ Copyright =A9 2002 Financial Times Limited, All Rights Reserved **************************************************************** U S E F U L I C D A W E B S I T E L I N KS **************************************************************** [**] The ICDA WEBSITE IS BEST VIEWED WITH IE 5.5[**] **************************************************************** The WTOIL Page: http://www.icda.be/wtoimpactlist/ Latest News @ ICDA: http://www.icda.be/icdalatest/ ICDA LDC Page: http://www.icda.be/unldc3-index.htm ICDA FfD Page: http://www.icda.be/ffdevelopment/ ICDA ETN Page: http://www.icda.be/cennt/ ****************************************************************** The ICDA WTO Impact List is a regular list issued daily by the = International Coalition for Development Action (ICDA). Its purpose is to circulate = general information on Trade and trade-related issues, with a special but not exclusive focus on WTO ISSUES. Subscribers are welcome to and encouraged = to contribute information. The ICDA WTO Impact List is a strictly non-commercial and educational service for non-profit organisations and individuals active in the field = of trade. The views expressed in each contribution are those of the = indicated author(s) or contributors. Conributors wishing to send information for = "NGO Eyes Only" should give this instruction to the ICDA Secretariat when = sending in the contibution in question. MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions to the ICDA WTO Impact List should as a general rule not exceed more than 2 pages. For contributions exceeding this number of = pages, please send an executive summary with information where subscribers can request the complete article. Subscribers can always request full = versions of articles from the ICDA Secretariat. 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To unsubscribe from the list, please visit the following URL: http://www.icda.be/tellus-index.htm **************************************************************** MAILING ADDRESS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ICDA Secretariat International Coalition for Development Action rue Stevin 115 B-1000 Brussels Belgium Tel. 32(2) 230 0430 Fax. 32(2) 230 5237 E-mail: icda@icda.be Website: www.icda.be ***************************************************************** ------=_NextPart_000_006D_01C2A2D0.AEB6AD60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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WTO Impact=20 List #327 | Fri-13 Dec |=20 [Ffd-IFIs-TNCs]:
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
*=20 Two Blows for the World Bank; One for the IMF
* Norway Shows = that=20 Progress is Right-Wing after all
* When Corporate Bosses go=20 Pro-Union
=3D=3D^=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
List of=20 contents:
1) ARGENTINA DEFAULTS ON PAYING ITS DEBT TO WORLD = BANK
2)=20 NORWAY--NEW BUDGET CALLS FOR PRIVATISATION
3) UGANDA--IMF DEBT = RELIEF=20 PLAN FAILS WOEFULLY
4) SWEDEN--CEO's TURN TO UNIONISM FOR = SECURITY
5)=20 LABOUR UNIONS REJECT WORLD BANK & IMF=20 LOANS
=3D=3D^=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Dear WTO=20 Impact Lister,
Today's articles are a compilation of particular countries--from = Argentina=20 to Uganda--and provide considerable insight into what is happening with = them=20 with regard to the World Bank (articles n#1, 5), privatisation of social = services (article n#2); IMF (article n#3), and finally, article 4 is an = unusual=20 article about how the corporate big bosses in Sweden are,=20 ironically, turning to unions for security.
All in all, a reasonably eclectic pick for today's focus reminding = us of=20 how each country has its own demons to deal with--let alone the demon = that world=20 trade is perceived by the average globaphobe to be!
 
Have a very pleasant and stress-free weekend!
Very sober reading,
Emmanuel
___________________________________

If you have = any=20 constructive suggestions or comments about the ICDA
WTO Impact List, = or=20 articles and news to contribute, do not hesitate to
contact=20 us!


Best regards,
Emmanuel.K.Bensah & Eamonn = Moran
ekbensah@icda.be   &n= bsp;  =20 eamonnmoran@icda.be


************************************************************=
1)=20 ARGENTINA DEFAULTS ON PAYING ITS DEBT TO WORLD = BANK
    From:=20 htt= p://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/13/1039656218461.html
 &n= bsp; =20 Date: 13-14 December, 2002
    By: Associated=20 Press
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[Q   =20 U    O    T   =20 E     OF    = THE    =20 A    R    T    = I   =20 C   L  =20 E]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"World Bank and IMF officials have repeatedly called on Argentina = to avoid=20 stumbling on its obligations to keep open its sole remaining financial = lifeline.=20 But Mr Duhalde has said he is reluctant to use the country's dwindled = reserves=20 to make any payments."
________________
Argentina has declared it will not meet its multimillion-dollar = debt=20 obligations to the World Bank, a move likely to deepen its rift with=20 international financiers.
 
An Economy Ministry spokesman said the Government would not make = the $US726=20 million ($1.28 billion) payment due today. "It will not be paid because = we have=20 not been able to reach an aid agreement with the International Monetary = Fund,"=20 he said.
 
It was the second time in less than a month that the cash-strapped = country=20 failed to make debt payments to the World Bank, meaning it stands to = lose access=20 to its sole source of foreign financing and deepen its economic = isolation.
 
The decision is also likely to complicate negotiations over renewed = aid=20 with the IMF that began nearly 11 months ago.
 
On Thursday Argentine officials appealed to the IMF to speed up = talks on a=20 possible aid accord, insisting an agreement could help the country head = off the=20 damaging debt default.
 

"If the IMF would facilitate an accord, Argentina could move = more=20 quickly to cancel its debts with multinational credit organisations," = said the=20 cabinet chief, Alfredo Atasanof.
 
"Otherwise, the talks are going to get more complicated."
 
After entering into default with foreign investors last year, = Argentina has=20 relied on the World Bank money to help fund social programs and finance = business=20 as it struggles to emerge from a four-year recession.
 
But a decision by President Eduardo Duhalde last month to make only = a=20 partial payment to the World Bank has raised tensions between Buenos = Aires and=20 the lenders in Washington.
 
World Bank and IMF officials have repeatedly called on Argentina to = avoid=20 stumbling on its obligations to keep open its sole remaining financial = lifeline.=20 But Mr Duhalde has said he is reluctant to use the country's dwindled = reserves=20 to make any payments.
 
The IMF halted loans to the country last December, forcing the = Government=20 into the largest default on foreign debt in history. The country halted = payments=20 on about $US95 billion of its $US141 billion in foreign debt.
_____________
Copyright  =A9 2002. The Sydney Morning = Herald=20

*************************************************************
= 2)=20 NORWAY--NEW BUDGET CALLS FOR AGGRESSIVE = PRIVATISATION
   =20 From: http://= www.wsws.org/articles/2002/dec2002/norw-d12.shtml
  &nbs= p;=20 Date: 12 December, 2002
    By: Steve James and Niall = Green=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[Q   =20 U    O    T   =20 E     OF    = THE    =20 A    R    T    = I   =20 C   L  =20 E]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"Norway=92s population is 4.1 million. Despite the prodigious oil = wealth=20 flooding the country, 19,000 children are living in poverty and 76,800 = workers=20 are unemployed, a figure that is expected to rise to 100,000 in the next = year.=20 Many thousands more jobs are now threatened by the accelerating pace of=20 privatisation."
_________________
The national budget proposed by Norway=92s minority coalition = government was=20 finally approved by parliament (Storting) on December 3. The deal was = secured=20 with the support of the far-right Progress Party and followed two months = of=20 haggling that brought the Conservative dominated coalition, led by = Christian=20 Democrat Kjell Bondevik, to the brink of collapse. In the end, Progress = and the=20 government came to terms, with tacit encouragement from the Labour = Party.
 
First published in October, the national budget proposed 10.6 = billion NOK=20 ($1.46 billion) of tax cuts in 2002, as part of a three-year 25 billion = NOK=20 ($3.46 billion) tax-cutting programme. Tax cuts would be somewhat offset = by=20 small amounts taken from the country=92s vast 666 NOK billion ($92 = billion)=20 Petroleum Fund nest egg collected from North Sea oil revenues. = Nevertheless,=20 disability benefits and state funding of children=92s day-care centres = would be=20 cut. Unemployment benefit eligibility would be cut from three to two=20 years.
 
Progress, led by chauvinist demagogue Carl I. Hagen, immediately = objected=20 to the budget. Publicly the party argued that more oil money should be = spent on=20 pensioners, propping up Norwegian seafarers=92 wages, that proposals to = introduce=20 prescription charges should be dropped and funeral grants restored. In=20 negotiations with the government, however, Progress made clear that its = primary=20 aim was greater tax cuts and the acceleration of privatisation in public = services.
 
Since the last general election, in autumn 2001, when Progress = emerged as=20 power brokers in discussions on the character of the new government, the = coalition has relied on the party to implement its legislative = programme. Over=20 the year, buoyed by its soaring opinion poll ratings, Progress has = thrown its=20 weight around in negotiations with the government, always seeking to = give the=20 impression that Bondevik rules on under sufferance.
 
Progress initially refused to support the proposed budget, forcing = the=20 government to turn to the other opposition parties. The Conservatives = entered=20 into talks with the Labour Party, which was humiliated at the last = general=20 elections. Labour, which had dominated national political life for most = of the=20 last eight decades, now frequently manages to garner the support of only = one-fifth of those polled. The party proposed a series of small spending = increases which it had no intention of seriously prosecuting. During=20 negotiations, a poll suggested that 72 percent of Labour politicians = thought=20 that Labour should not enter government. Unsurprisingly, negotiations = between=20 Labour and the Conservatives collapsed.
 
In response, Progress unveiled their own demands for 28 billion NOK = ($3.88=20 billion) in tax cuts, the abolition of the wealth tax, and the slashing = of=20 agricultural subsidies, foreign aid and cultural spending. Progress = reopened=20 negotiations with the government. Worried that the messy process of = scraping=20 together support for the budget was tarnishing the image of the state, = Labour=20 leader Jens Stoltenburg encouraged Progress and the coalition to reach = an=20 agreement, commenting, =93It would be most proper for the party that = installed the=20 government [Progress] to ensure that the government reaches a majority = for its=20 budget.=94
 
The final agreement with the government was close to the original = budget,=20 including as well a new attack on 30,000 railway and postal workers=92 = pensions=20 rights and pushing privatisation measures in local government, = healthcare,=20 prison building and national parks.
 
The Labour Party has no disagreements with wealth grab set out most = clearly=20 by Progress. Rather, their worries are that widespread opposition will = emerge if=20 the Norwegian super-rich are seen to be raiding the public purse too=20 blatantly.
 
Rising social inequality over the past decade has eroded many of = the social=20 concessions to the working and middle classes. Norway=92s population is = 4.1=20 million. Despite the prodigious oil wealth flooding the country, 19,000 = children=20 are living in poverty and 76,800 workers are unemployed, a figure that = is=20 expected to rise to 100,000 in the next year. Many thousands more jobs = are now=20 threatened by the accelerating pace of privatisation. The 6,200 homeless = people=20 are in a particularly desperate situation in a country in which only 4 = percent=20 of housing is publicly controlled. One million Norwegians are reported = to have=20 suffered health problems from stress at work, while 15 percent of the = workforce=20 say they are burnt-out.
 
By contrast, leading supporters of both Progress and the Labour = Party are=20 amongst the wealthiest in the land. During the budget negotiations, = Stein Erik=20 Hagen, Norway=92s richest man and the only Norwegian on the Forbes rich = list,=20 called for Progress to join the government, as did several other leading = investors.
 
Between 1995 and 2001 top executives=92 pay rose by 110 percent, = while=20 industrial wages went up by just 28 percent. The wealth accruing to the = trade=20 union bureaucracy is indicated by the fact that a recent conference of = the=20 Norwegian Union of Municipal Employees cost 20 million NOK ($2.7 = million) for a=20 six-day junket=97about the same as last year=92s wedding of the = Norwegian Crown=20 Prince. Delegates to a Labour conference earned 110,000 NOK ($15,000) = more than=20 average earnings while Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg earned 900,000 NOK = (=A3125,000) last year alone.
 
Both Labour and Progress speak for layers made wealthy in recent = years by=20 oil money and the booming value of international stock markets. As = finance=20 minister, Stoltenberg in 1997 changed the investment guidelines of the = Petroleum=20 Fund to allow 30-50 percent of the fund to be invested in the stock = market, as=20 opposed to bonds.
 
Progress, like other right-wing formations across Europe, has taken = advantage of widespread alienation from the established parties. Now the = second=20 largest party in the Storting, Progress holds the balance of power in = most=20 parliamentary votes. Yet only two years ago the party was gripped by = internal=20 feuding, which led to the expulsion of openly fascistic elements from = its ranks.=20 This move was intended to limit hostility to the party in the wake of = massive=20 nationwide protests over the racist killing of a Norwegian/African = teenager,=20 Benjamin Hermansen, by three young fascists. Although Progress continues = to=20 blame the country=92s ills on its immigrant communities and Hagen = repeatedly=20 insists that Norway is being =93ruined=94 by immigrants, the party, = aided by the=20 media, has attempted to refashion itself as the champion of the common=20 man.
________________
(c) Copyright 1998-2002, World Socialist Web Site; All rights = reserved=20
**************************************************************
3.= )=20 UGANDA--IMF DEBT RELIEF PLAN FAILS WOEFULLY
    From: = http://news.bbc.= co.uk/2/hi/business/2572337.stm
   =20 Date: 13 December, 2002
    By: BBC News=20 Staff
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[Q   =20 U    O    T   =20 E     OF    = THE    =20 A    R    T    = I   =20 C   L  =20 E]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"Weakness in the global economic environment and particularly low = commodity=20 prices on which most HIPCs depend, has made it even more difficult for = countries=20 to reach the targets set out"
_________________
The IMF and World Bank's debt relief programme has failed to reduce = the=20 debt of Uganda, the first country to qualify for the scheme. =
---------
A Ugandan finance ministry official said the country's foreign debt = was=20 "unsustainable" five years after applying the Highly Indebted Poor = Countries=20 (HIPC) policy.
 
When it was launched, HIPC was hailed by the world's = richest=20 nations as the solution to the debt and poverty crisis affecting the = world's=20 poorest countries.
 
Uganda's foreign debt has been growing by an average of $108m = (=A368m)=20 annually over the past four years, Longino Tisasirana, the assistant=20 commissioner in charge of the macro-economic department in the finance = ministry,=20 told the news agency AFP.
 
"Figures indicate that our debt is unsustainable," said Mr = Tisasirana.=20
 
Uganda's foreign debt has grown from $3.4bn in 1998 to $3.83bn last = June,=20 even thought the country has received more than $1bn in debt relief. =
 
Zambia threat
 
The HIPC scheme was set up in 1999 in an attempt to crack down on = world=20 poverty by 2015 and cut $70bn off the $214bn debt burden of the world's = poorest=20 nations.
 
But it requires countries to implement radical privatisations and = tax=20 policies in exchange for lifting their debt burden.
 
On Monday, the IMF said it would delay $1bn of debt relief to = Zambia if the=20 country failed to privatise the state-owned commercial bank.
 
"If they don't sell, they will not get the money. Over $1 billion = could be=20 delayed," IMF resident representative to Zambia Mark Ellyne was quoted = as=20 saying.
 
Mass opposition to the sale of the Zambia National Commercial Bank = (ZNCB)=20 has forced the government to put off the country's biggest = privatisation.
 
Debt deal
 
Earlier this year a report by the two lenders found the HIPC = programme was=20 off track.
 
Eight to 10 countries in the programme would still be in debt by = the time=20 it finished, according to the report.
 
Weakness in the global economic environment and particularly low = commodity=20 prices on which most HIPCs depend, has made it even more difficult for = countries=20 to reach the targets set out, the report said.
 
So far this year seven countries have had interim debt relief = halted=20 because of their failure to meet the IMF's targets.
__________________
=A9 MMII | News Sources | Privacy=20

***************************************************************4.)=20 SWEDEN--CEO's TURN TO UNIONISM FOR SECURITY
    From: = = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/11/1039379882331.html
&n= bsp;  =20 Date: 12 December, 2002
    By: Bloomberg=20 Staff
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[Q   =20 U    O    T   =20 E     OF    = THE    =20 A    R    T    = I   =20 C   L  =20 E]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"Chief executives are among the union's most fertile recruiting = ground.=20 About 350 had enlisted in the CEO unit this year, lifting the total to = about=20 900, the union said"
________________
A wavering economy has caused hirers and firers in Sweden to fear = for their=20 own jobs as they rush to join the union. Dara Doyle reports.
--------

Nicklas Nyman likes to wear two-tone shirts, gold-plated = cufflinks and=20 a gleaming white handkerchief, folded in the breast pocket of his dark = suit. He=20 looks more like a boss than a union activist. He's both.
 
The former Lutheran priest and current chief executive at the = Swedish unit=20 of an international marketing company has joined Ledarna, a = Stockholm-based=20 union providing legal services and advice for executives.
 
With more people leaving their jobs and others taking = stress-induced=20 breaks, membership of the bosses' unit of the union is up more than 60 = per cent=20 this year.
 
"People are looking for more security," said 30-year- old Nyman, = who works=20 200 hours a month in the university town of Uppsala, north of = Stockholm.
 
Over the past three months, analysts have slashed their forecasts = for=20 Swedish corporate earnings by an average of 7 per cent, according to = Thomson=20 Financial.
 
The Swedish central bank last week cut interest rates for the = second=20 straight month after cutting its 2003 growth forecast to 2.1 per cent = from 2.3=20 per cent; company bankruptcies have climbed 9 per cent this year.
 
"I have full confidence in the company and myself to do the job, = but, you=20 know, it's tough out there at the moment," said Nyman.
 
Six years ago, every 10th listed Swedish company changed its CEO. = Over the=20 past two years, one in three, or 110, has done so, according to a = compilation by=20 Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. Sixty CEOs have left this year, = including=20 many well-known names.
 
"The pressures on CEOs have multiplied, there's no doubt," said Dag = Tveteraas, who stepped down as CEO of Ticket Travel Group AB to spend = more time=20 with his family in Norway after the company posted a third-quarter loss = of 8.5=20 million kronor ($A1.7 million). "Shareholders have become much more = demanding."=20 He's not a Ledarna member.
 
Many others are joining Ledarna, a 97-year-old managers' = confederation=20 based on the island of Kungsholmen in the west of Stockholm. Ledarna = means "the=20 leaders" in Swedish.
 
None of Ledarna's counterparts around Europe, such as Denmark's = Ledernes=20 Hovedorganisation or the German Union der Leitenden Angestellten, report = similar=20 surges in CEO membership.
 
While Swedish union membership has stagnated in recent years, = Ledarna's=20 ranks have risen 8 per cent to 64,000 in two years. The union estimates = its=20 members comprise 15 per cent of all managers in the Nordic region's = biggest=20 economy.
 
Chief executives are among the union's most fertile recruiting = ground.=20 About 350 had enlisted in the CEO unit this year, lifting the total to = about=20 900, the union said.
 
"Bad times help us, CEOs and managers see us as insurance for bad = days,"=20 said chairman Bjoern Bergman. "Many have never had a problem on the = labour=20 market before."
 
In addition to helping negotiate contracts and running courses on = topics=20 such as the "manager's career path", Ledarna provides two main services = for=20 executives under pressure in return for its $US416 ($A744) annual fee, = which=20 Bergman is considering raising.
 
The union's call centre has 20 counsellors and lawyers to offer = advice on=20 the 60,000 queries it fields each year.
 
Membership in an insurance plan run by a Ledarna-linked company = also=20 entitles executives to higher unemployment benefits. Union members who = use the=20 insurance plan receive as much as 80 per cent of their salaries, up to a = ceiling=20 of 22,000 kronor a month. That's a drawing point for Ledarna amid a = fresh round=20 of bankruptcies, resignations and firings.
 
Institutions ranging from the government-funded National Institute = of=20 Economic Research and the Swedish central bank are cutting growth = forecasts,=20 signalling unemployment may rise from the current 3.9 per cent.
 
That may ease the way for Ledarna to increase membership by 5 per = cent over=20 the next two years, Bergman says. Others are more sceptical of the=20 benefits.
 
"As someone who has fired a couple of heads of private equity = firms, I'd=20 say one thing to a CEO who wanted to join a union - don't," said Leif = Oestling,=20 chief executive at Scania, Europe's fourth-largest truck maker. "It's = not going=20 to help you. You are a hired gun and at the board's mercy."
________________
Copyright =A9 2002 The Age Company Ltd=20

****************************************************************<= BR>5.)=20 LABOUR UNIONS REJECT WORLD BANK & IMF LOANS
    = From: http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?= layout=3Ddisplaynews&doc_id=3DNR20021212670.2_ff29000d71cf215f   =20 Date: 12 December, 2002
    By: Nicola=20 Jenvey
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
[Q   =20 U    O    T   =20 E     OF    = THE    =20 A    R    T    = I   =20 C   L  =20 E]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"=93The union does not want Umgeni borrowing money from the World = Bank and=20 the IMF as the conditions attached to these loans are problematic. The = union=20 wants clarity on the extent of (Umgeni's) involvement with (the = organisations),=94=20 "
__________________
Labour unions reject IMF, World Bank loans KwaZulu-Natal = Correspondent=20
******
DURBAN =97 Labour unions will not entertain accepting loans from = the World=20 Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fund infrastructure=20 development, regarding the organisations as =93enemies of Africa and the = developing world=94.

This comes as water utility Umgeni Water launches a restructuring = process to=20 evaluate how best to serve customers.

During last week's consultative forum meeting, CEO Gugu Moloi tabled = a=20 business plan that proposed raising loans from a variety of sources, = including=20 the World Bank and IMF. Umgeni is the second-largest water utility in = Africa,=20 providing water to more than 5-million people in KwaZulu-Natal. The = Durban and=20 Maritzburg municipalities are its two largest customers, accounting for = about=20 95% of its income base. However, new legislation questions the necessity = of=20 water boards and allows for municipalities to appoint a service provider = of=20 their choice, including an international utility. In this light, Umgeni = is in=20 the midst of restructuring to =93remain relevant and continue in = business=94.

Moloi said one possibility involves establishing a strategic = partnership with=20 a funding organisation, but Umgeni has yet to approach the World Bank or = the=20 IMF. Richard Mthembu, National Education Health and Allied Workers' = Union=20 (Nehawu) branch secretary coastal region, raised concern about the=20 organisations' structural adjustment programme, believing they had = =93destroyed=20 African economies=94.

=93The union does not want Umgeni borrowing money from the World Bank = and the=20 IMF as the conditions attached to these loans are problematic. The union = wants=20 clarity on the extent of (Umgeni's) involvement with (the = organisations),=94 he=20 said.

Mthembu also raised concern that the restructuring process considered = employees to reapply for their jobs, demanding Umgeni dismiss its = contract=20 workers and redeploy Umgeni staff into the positions. Voluntary = retrenchments=20 and early retirement packages should be considered as a means for = reducing=20 overheads. Moloi said in repositioning Umgeni structures within the = organisation=20 would change; several positions may be lost and others altered from = their=20 responsibilities. But the extent of these changes can be determined only = once=20 the six new divisional general managers assume position from January. =

Mthembu said employees should only have to reapply for their jobs if = their=20 positions changed substantially, qualified as more than 20% of the = current=20 functions they are involved with.

________________

Copyright =A9 2002 Financial Times = Limited, All=20 Rights=20 Reserved
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