Latest Stories

SECOND MEETING OF THE SIGTUR FUTURES COMMISSION

SIGTUR joined forces with the Chris Hani Institute for the second futures commission meeting
Democratic trade unionism and progressive civil society movements are severely impacted by the hegemony of free market ideology imposing its cruel logic on a global basis.  An aspect of this predicament is the assertion of the architects that there is no alternative to this market rule.
 
An alternative union perspective is the domination of free market thinking and policies is a social and political constructive. Neoliberal intellectuals such as Hayeck and Freidman had to engage in an intense struggle to realize this dominance.  
 
The leaders of our movements have to engage in this battle for ideas as a first step towards a deep social, economic and political transformation in the defence of society through the assertion of an alternative to neoliberalism.
With this in mind, SIGTUR joined forces with the Chris Hani Institute (CHI), a COSATU Think Tank under the Directorship of Professor Edward Webster.  Together, the Institute and COSATU worked with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (RLF) in setting up the second meeting of the SIGTUR Futures Commission (FC).
 
The FC organized a lively debate on ‘Alternatives to Neoliberalism’ on Wednesday evening the 25th March. Chaired by Eddie Webster, this debate drew together some of the specially selected movement intellectuals who had been invited to contribute to the Commission’s work.
  
Then over the next two days the FC debated alternative analyses of trade issues with special reference to the proposed Trans- Atlantic and Trans-Pacific trade agreements which aim to radically consolidate the power of global corporations; corporate tax evasion; climate change; and privatizations.  
 
SIGTUR is planning to post the full versions of these inputs on its web site together with a summary of the debates they triggered.  
 
SIGTUR’s FC will be working with the CNI and the RLF in the production of a booklet on the FC findings and recommendation, in both hard and electronic copies in the hope that movement intellectuals, organizers and activists will future advance this struggle for an alternative, for a world where trade is just, where a strong just tax system will begin to harness the resources to rebuild society (health, education and other social needs); where our fragile ecology will be recognised and nature placed first in our priorities; and finally where the public is again recognized.  An underlying need underpinning all these initiatives is secure work.