European and Canadian workers united in their concerns about the EU-Canada trade negotiations
24 January 2013
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) have taken a common position on the on-going negotiations of a bilateral Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.
Negotiators have claimed that their work will be finalised in the coming days and weeks, but unions on both sides of the Atlantic have made it clear that any agreement is only acceptable if based on a high standard, setting a benchmark for future agreements worldwide, and certainly not undermining existing conditions in relation to labour rights, public policy space and the provision of public services.
“Negotiated between 2 advanced economic regions, this agreement must be Gold Standard or it will set a precedent for other negotiations which will see a wave of privatisation of essential services and the exploitation of workers – not something that we will accept”, stated Bernadette Ségol the ETUC’s General Secretary.
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