TTIP

“This Conference is extremely concerned by ongoing international trade negotiations that will

most certainly endanger government’s ability to regulate, and citizen’s rights to access basic

public services; e.g. water, health and energy all for the sake of corporate greed.

The European Union’s (EU) CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) with Canada,

the ratification of which is expected to be rolled out in 2016, and the ongoing ‘secret’ talks on

TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) with the United States pose a threat which

could lock public services into a commercialisation from which they will never recover!

Multi-National business has achieved huge success as CETA is set to be implemented in 2016.

This in effect could mean all services are subject to liberalisation. The same could be applied in

TTIP where the European Union members are under extreme pressure to meet Multi-national

business demands.

The biggest threat to public services comes from the far-reaching investment protection provisions

enshrined in CETA and also foreseen for inclusion in TTIP.

Under ‘Investor State Dispute Settlement’ (ISDS) thousands of US and Canadian corporations can

make claims in a private court (established by them). These kangaroo courts will cripple a country's

right to govern and must be opposed.

It is not hard to image the EU member states being subjected to regulatory changes and court

action across the services sector because of diminishing corporate profits, potentially leading to

multi-million euro pay-outs in compensation.

The complex reservations and exemptions in CETA and TTIP are currently totally inadequate in

offering protection to the public sector.

In the most recent draft TTIP services text, severely restricts the use of USO’s (Universal Service

Obligations) and curbs competition by public postal operators mirroring the wishes of big private

courier companies such as UPS and FEDEX, who would wish to ‘cherry pick’ when and where they

deliver.

The sole purpose of these types of agreements is to extend Corporate Investor Rights.

Therefore this Conference calls for:

• That the ICTU will fully support a concerted campaign of unified trade union opposition to both CETA and TTIP and similar trade agreements, which threaten workers job security, basic health and safety standards and economic growth.
• The ICTU will also lobby government across both jurisdictions to ensure total opposition to

these and any future proposed similar agreements. Our elected representatives both at local

and national level must relay this message of opposition to the European Union.

• That the ICTU will also ensure adequate resource is available to establish a ‘working party’

which will deal exclusively with opposing CETA, TTIP, and any such trade agreements. This

to include drafting a report which identifies the implications of ISDS private arbitrations and their impact on public services, worker’s rights, and any economy recovery in Northern Ireland”