OECD Week 2018: Trade unions call for a bold policy response to improve multilateralism

The 2018 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (30-31 May) under French chairmanship aims at “Refounding multilateralism for more responsible, effective and inclusive outcomes”. The preceding OECD Forum (29-30 May) looks into “What brings us together”.

For TUAC, over the past decades, the economic dimension of multilateralism, focused on open trade, investment and financial liberalization, has dominated global policy-making, resulting in social and employment issues being relegated to the domestic arena. This model of growth has given rise to greater inequality and a shrinking middle class and now faces a popular backlash. It has also contributed to the decline of workers’ bargaining power and a concomitant rise in corporate power and influence.

In its Statement to the Ministerial, the TUAC calls upon a bold policy response to improve multilateralism based on 4 pillars:

• A progressive trade and investment agenda
• New rules for the digital transformation
• Effective economic policy coordination
• High standards for long-term and responsible business models.

Several Trade Union leaders will be attending and speaking at the OECD Forum and Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris. The TUAC has issued its key recommendations setting out goals that need to be taken on board by OECD governments to move towards better coherence, better enforcement and better accountability. It also releases assessments of key OECD outputs including its revised Jobs Strategy, the General Due Dilligence Guidence and the Going Digital Interim report.

The TUAC will hold its plenary session on May 28 to discuss the upcoming meetings and also to celebrate its 70^th anniversary since its foundation as part of the Marshall Plan in London.

During the OECD week, TUAC will be live-tweeting via @TUACOECD and will release an evaluation of the MCM outcomes afterwards.