ICFTU AND ETUC LIKELY PARTNERS ON CUBA LABOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003131

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2014
TAGS: PHUM ELAB CU ILO EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: ICFTU AND ETUC LIKELY PARTNERS ON CUBA LABOR
RIGHTS ISSUES

REF: STATE 153312

Classified By: PolOff Rick Holtzapple, Reasons 1.4 (B/D)

SUMMARY
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1. (C) In response to reftel action request, Post has
identified the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and
the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
as union organizations possibly willing to raise the issue of
Cuban labor rights violations at regional labor meetings and
take an active role in supporting the advancement of labor
rights in Cuba. END SUMMARY.

ETUC
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2. (C) The ETUC is based in Brussels and its membership
includes 77 national trade union confederations from 35
European countries, as well as 11 European industry
federations, for a total of 60 million members. Like most
European labor organizations, the ETUC has socialist
leanings, but it has not, to our knowledge, shown any degree
of support for the Cuban regime or its labor practices.
Although the ETUC concentrates almost exclusively on internal
EU issues, it regards all EU policy relevant to labor issues
as within its purview. It may therefore be willing to use its
high level lobbying power in Brussels to pressure EU
institutions to take a firmer line on Cuban labor practices.


3. (C) In 1998 the ETUC passed a resolution calling on the EU
to "play a more decisive role in the promotion of human
rights," specifically in the area of labor rights. This
resolution expressed the ETUC's deep disappointment in the EU
Council's decision that year not to apply the provisions in
the GSP system on principles of the freedom of association
and child labor to the countries of Central America. The
ETUC thus does look outside the geographic boundaries of
Europe in its promotion of labor rights and has criticized
the EU's past failure to exert adequate pressure on the
countries of Central America over their labor practices.
This indicates the ETUC could be willing to raise the issue
of Cuban labor rights violations at the EU and European
level. We are not aware, however, that the ETUC has ever
taken a position on Cuba in the past, so we cannot be sure of
how they would react if asked to take one in the present.

ICFTU
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4. (C) The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions,
an organization of 234 affiliated organizations (including
the AFL-CIO in the US, as well as ETUC),is also based in
Brussels. The ICFTU's main purpose is to organize and direct
campaigns globally on labor rights issues. It has already
been active in raising the issue of Cuban labor rights
violations, issuing a call in July 2003 for the release of
trade unionists unfairly detained there and, more recently,
preparing a very critical annual survey of trade union rights
in Cuba in June 2004.

SCOTT