Table of Contents
While issuing the fourth edition of the KKĠ newsletter our Southern neighbours are experiencing historical developments in gaining freedom and democracy. From the Fair Trade movement in Malta we consider that such events deserve special attention and a critical appraisal. Until last January, Western countries considered dictatorships in Arab countries as relatively stable regimes and for decades kept close trading relations. The threat of international Islamism was used as an excuse to justify the iron fist rule and disenfranchisement by many Arab states. However the threat to the status quo in Arab countries did not come from the religious fundamentalists but from people who represent the vast majority of citizens who are stripped of their of civil rights, labor rights and in many cases are below the poverty line. The mainstream media, being our only source of information, made undue emphasis on the role played by social networks (such as Twitter and Facebook) in this democratic revolution. It cannot be denied that their contribution was important, but this was definitely not the only factor, as was portrayed by right-wing politicians, who labelled protestors as anarchist groups who met over the internet. Egypt, the Arab country where protestors successfully overthrew a regime is a case in point. Only 22% of Egyptians have access to internet. This casts doubt on whether social networks were the only means of regime change. Before the mass uprising in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world, many acts of political dissent such as the suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi took place. Few of these incidents though attracted the eye of the mainstream media. For example according to Egypt’s Center of Economics and Labor Studies, in 2009 478 illegal strikes were organized, and they caused the dismissal of 126,000 employees, 58 of whom committed suicide. [FN1] . The mainstream media also overlooked labour rights issues and workers’ struggles that took place during the uprising in Egypt. The “Democratic Workers’ Movement” managed to infiltrate the official trade unions whose leaders were appointed by the ruling party in Egypt (member of the International Socialist Organization) and this movement played a strong role in the protests taking place last months. Thousands of workers went on strike, including those of the armaments industry (owned by the Army), workers of the Suez Channel (circa 6,000 thousand employees), and the employees of the Public Administration, including physicians, nurses and public prosecutors. The sectors that made the most impact on protests were the employees of communications industry, the postal service and the public transport. Certain private companies also joined in the strikes and included energy and gas companies in Asyut and Sohag. There were also companies in Sharm El-Sheikh, El-Mahala, Al Kubra, Dumyat and Damanhour that produced textile, lumber and food. In Egypt the uprising stirred up in favour of workers’ rights when the “clandestine” leaders of the workers’ movement called for a general strike. The mass media did not investigate what was really going on in the country and we never got any intricate details on the matter. The dramatic protest in Tahrir square dominated the headlines but these were only the tip of the iceberg. Behind the massive protests was a workers’ movement that had spread around all over the country. However these underlying issues hardly appeared in the mass media. Now a transitional power has taken over the President’s office after Mubarak’s flight. Ironically one of the transitional government’s first measures was the prohibition of industrial strikes and union meetings, which to a great degree withdrew fundamental workers’ rights achieved by the workers in this struggle. --- The Fair Trade movement having very strong roots in Egypt as compared to other Arab states encouraged the pro-democracy struggles of the Egypt. Many members from several Egyptian Fair Trade organizations get involved demonstrations, with some participants being beaten. Our partners from Fair Trade Egypt had communicated with us a number of emails regarding developments from their point of view, which we forwarded to members and supporters and published on our website. We take this opportunity to invite you to join our Supporters’ Mailing List to receive in-depth information regarding the political activities of the Fair Trade Movement. Marc Simo FN: The Mummification of Pharaoh on Display -- Egypt's Judgment Day. February 11, 2011. Available at: here
Welcome New EVS! Early in May we will welcome three new EVS volunteer Bruno, Sophie and Prat who will be staying with us for around twelve months. You will definitely meet the three during the WorldFest and we encourage you to introduce yourselves. The sending organization for this project is TransFair Minchia (Luxembourg) and the project is being funded by the Youth National Agency in Luxembourg. WorldFest 2011’ Since two months ago the committee and other members got busy holding regular meetings in order to prepare the WorldFest of2011, the largest outreach and educational event of KKG. The event helps us raise awareness about development issues and poverty related issues in Malta. At this moment we’re not disclosing any part of the WorldFest details but we can promise you that we’re going to have a hot debate during the forum and good mix of intercultural music ;) Those of you who like to give us a helping hand in the WorldFest, either as volunteers during the day or before email Joelle Mifsud Taliana on joelle@l-arka.org Classroom Activities
In March 2011 we had a number of workshops carried out in Maltese schools (St. Benedict College Kirkop and Stella Maris Gzira). In all we managed to reach to 229 students of ages between 10 and 14 years old. We appreciate the support given to us during these educational activities by the educators and the school administration. These classroom activities were carried out as part of the F.R.A.M.E. project (Fair and Responsible Action in the Mediterranean Area) and the activities concerned development issues. Issues tackled included immigration, developing countries, multinational corporation, macro-economics, Fair Trade and responsible consumption. Students took an active part in discussions, sharing their opinions and views about the importance of reducing inequalities between countries and access to public education. The questions asked by some students and the observations made by the students demonstrated that they got a good understanding of the main subjects. The workshops were based on an energizer game called the game of “the continents”, in which students were divided into four groups representing the population of the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific Rim). The continents had to share a number of chairs between the people. And each continent got as much chairs depending on how large the respective economies are. Through this activity could picture the real differences between the marginalized regions in the world. Furthermore the game made it possible students to understand the temptation of many people from the poor regions to migrate to a more comfortable living. The energizer activity was followed by a debate with the participants and a power-point presentation about Fair Trade guarantees.
Civil society leaders pose with the then President Lula da Silva at the presidential palace. In November last year before President Lula da Silva ended his term of office in December 2010, he signed a law that will promote Fair Trade practices and initiatives in Brazilian government and society. Signed on 17 November last year, the national decree will facilitate the creation of Sistema Nacional do Comércio Justo e Solidário (SCJC) or the Brazilian System of Fair and Solidarity Trade. WFTO Board of Directors member Ana Asti of Onda Solidaria Brazil said that the new law is a result of eight years of work of the country’s civil society and producers networks to include Fair Trade as a public policy in Brazil. The new law contains relevant provisions on Fair Trade practices, such as accreditation system for fair trade certification, promotion of fair price, fair trading and labour practices; setting up of norms for Fair and Solidarity Trade practices; and dialogue to promote social justice through trade. The first conference on Fair Trade in 2000 has brought NGOs in the country to meet regularly, and later they created the Brazilian Fair Trade platform FACES do Brasil (www.facesdobrasil.org.br). FACES do Brasil was formed to create a positive atmosphere for Fair Trade market development in Brazil. Since 2002, Faces do Brazil, through its members, organized several public audiences with producers from all regions of the country, which aimed at defining the concept and principles of Fair Trade from the Brazilian producers’ perspective. The process took almost 4 years, and in 2006, Faces delivered to the Brazilian Government a letter stating the Brazilian Fair Trade agenda signed by civil society, producer networks and unions. For more information, please visit the links: www.facesdobrasil.org.br Source: Trans Fair Canada Fairtrade Gold to Protect Miners
The world's first Fairtrade and Fairmined gold has been recently launched in the UK as a first step in tackling the poverty and dangerous conditions faced by small-scale miners. The royal jeweller Garrard is among 20 companies to launch the new gold, which has been used in collections and one-off pieces including wedding and engagement rings, earrings and necklaces. Each piece will carry a Fairtrade and Fairmined hallmark. The Fairtrade Foundation said hundreds of thousands of workers had been lured to gold mining by the surging price on world markets. But it remained one of the world's most dangerous industries. The price of gold has risen from $320 (£200) an ounce in 1999 to more than $1,400 last year. The Fairtrade minimum price for pure gold is set at 95 per cent of the London Bullion Market Association's fix – the international agreed price. But the foundation said small producers received anything from 30 per cent to 85 per cent of the fix. The Fairtrade and Fairmined system requires miners to adhere to a set of standards, guaranteeing that gold is produced in a way that is safe for people and the environment. In return, miners will receive a set minimum price for their gold plus a Fairtrade premium to invest in community and business development projects. The Cotapata Mining Co-operative in Bolivia is the first certified mining organisation, with more groups expected to join the system in the coming weeks and months. Source: Independent
What would a child buy? Today many children are privileged to choose whatever they desire and parents are only happy to satisfy their children’s wish. The fact is that celebrities, toys and electronics have become almost indistinguishable. Wishing for things to purchase and to have is a fun thing for children. This means that big businesses can make huge assumptions about such a market and even huger profits for their pockets. And this is to the detriment of the worker who produces such toys. From an impact study conducted via the I SHOP FAIR project, labor rights activists from Hong Kong reported that, to produce toys, workers have 15-hour shifts, starvation wages and dangerous working conditions in Chinese toy factories. "Because the work is so demanding and the colleagues are often powerless. We have had no day off this month. All overtime is mandatory”. These are just two endless complaints by Chinese toy workers. Using labor rights organizations in China and Hong Kong, SACOM (Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior) has been collecting a lot of information regarding such an industry. The director, Debby Chan, raises awareness about serious labor rights violations in China's toy industry. For years she and her colleagues have worked undercover to discover whether international corporations, such as Disney, attend to their codes of conduct and to the Chinese Labour laws. For most suppliers, the result is staggering. "Time and again there are findings that instead of the legally allowed 40-hour week and a maximum of 36 hours overtime per month, workers work up to 100 hours a week”, criticized Chan. In addition, the already extremely low minimum wages of about 1,000 Yuan (equivalent to 115 €) is not even adhered to in most factories. To cover up these abuses, the workers are often forced to lie during controls; otherwise they are threatened with being sacked. Chan even reports child labor and deaths that occurred: In 2009, the 17-year-old worker Liu Pan died from the use of one machine of a factory that produces for Disney, because she crushed to death. "Every time we confront Disney with allegations, they push the responsibility on its licensees and suppliers. These are the companies, getting the large gains and advertising happy children - at the expense of the workers", Chan claimed. The Code of Conduct of the International Toy Association ICTI does not seem to be adhered to by many companies. Although nearly almost all international toy companies from Disney to Mattel have signed it, the ICTI certified their suppliers - despite violations of the Code and also of national Chinese labor law. "ICTI even forgives certificates to factories where more than 72 regular hours worked per week", claims Claudia Bonk, after following a research trip to Hong Kong and southern China. There, she attended a LEGO supplier and met the management, which shows, the contrast to many other less transparent companies, although the company has outsourced only a relatively small part of its production to China. "The factory has around 9000-12000 workers and they are respected and well cared for. The management seems to adhere to both the standards of LEGO's own code of conduct, as well as that of ICTI”, said Bonk. The company has had a progression in their inspections and is interested in making fairer toys. "Certificate for fair-produced toys is unfortunately not yet available" regrets Bonk; but there are various ways to pressure on the companies and the International Toy Association that can pressurize a lot, so they see that fair working conditions are required. For instance, one can ask the store where toys are produced and how, or leave a shop card, or contact the company by mail in order to see the companies making claim. Currently, Koperattiva Kummerc Gust is campaigning for workers’ rights in the toy industry, especially within Walt Disney. An online petition to the International Council of Toys Industries can be found on the website at: http://www.l-arka.org/ Koperattiva Kummerc Gust recommends purchasing toys only when they are needed and that are offered in the world shops or made locally. The industry leaders have a big catch up in terms of a sustainable and transparent commitment to improving working conditions in their supply chain throughout the year. And we all have a moral duty to make children’s wishes fairer! Mahira Sheikh
Labour migration is a complicated phenomenon that engages all kind of studies, from law to sociology, from economics to social anthropology, etc... Although Fair Trade stops at protecting the labour rights of persons in Southern countries one must not overlook issues relating to labour migration from the point of sustainable development. The main question is – what is the impact of migration policies. Do all countries benefit equally from immigration? And lastly, how does it effect old-EU, new-EU and non-EU states? Labour Migration and Sustainable Development – enemies or partners? Migration has been observed by certain people (the positivists) to be a solution for developing countries. First of all it can reduce the tensions within labor market of sending country since those who cannot find job at home may have opportunity to do so abroad. Secondly it is believed that the sending country can benefit from migrants’ remittances, which the latter transfers to their families left back home. Thirdly migrant workers may eventually return home with relevant know-how and better skills that can contribute to the local economic situation. Moreover it is argued that migration is beneficial for social development since people bring new ideas and traditions from abroad that may empower certain groups, especially in the field of human rights. However, there is also another side to this point of view. Others (the pessimists) claim that migration may “steal” the brightest persons from the country, depriving the sending country from hard working people that may one day play an important part in the country’s affairs. This phenomenon is often referred to as ‘brain drain’. Similarly people with high qualifications may prefer to get a low skilled job in an affluent country rather get a respectable work in a poor country. By doing so they would simply fill-in the labour gaps in hosting country, without the possibility of revealing their potential. The latter phenomenon is called ‘brain waste’ since intelligent people may have skills that are not put to use in the host countries. This is a real loss for the sending country as it would have already invested so much in educating and training persons who eventually decided not to return back. Moreover there is a certain criticism towards migrants’ remittances. It is argued that money remitted to family members does not really help countries develop unless the money is not re-invested further, but consumed on needs such as food and other daily purchases. This argument is far stronger if the sending country is importing basic food items from the same countries that it exports its “brain power” and “labour power” to. Through this process the money they remit to their country will eventually be sent back to developed countries through imports. Eventually whether labour migration is a solution or a threat to poorer countries depends on the migration model as applied in each case. I therefore invite you to explore migration policies and to think about the net effect of immigration. Moreover take time to think about immigration is effecting countries within the new and old EU member states of the European Union. To be continued… Editorial Note: on the strength of this article in the forthcoming edition the author will discuss the impact of freedom of movement (with respect to labour) within poor regions in the European Union. Lina Vosyliute
This film exposes slavery in the rug-making sector of Northwest India, the cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast, and even the home of a World Bank official in Washington, D.C. Small, personal stories of slavery are woven together to tell the larger story of slavery in the global economy. Slavery won the Peabody Award in 2001. “Slavery is illegal in every country in the world, and because of the global market and our demand of ether cheaper goods there are more slaves in Earth today than ever before in Human History, yet that same global market is everyone of us, the power of the consumer, if we chose to we can use that power the end slavery.” (Extract of the film Slavery: A Global Investigation) The film is available on the website Topdocumentaryfilms.com. (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/slavery-a-global-investigation/)
Granola
“What is it?!” people ask me. A simple description would be cereals baked with sugar mix that become chunks. Last August I was in Brazil working in an organic farm where I was working as a volunteer in the creation of a self-sustainable eco-village done by Ananda Marga, and that's where I discovered it. In the farm we were baking most of the things we were eating and it was much cheaper than buying certain things, granola is a luxury there. So when I came back to Malta I started baking this granola. For the first few times I wasn't happy with the result as I never experimented with new recipes on my own before but I really wanted to try, nowadays I am satisfied as I have quiet few regular clients. The ingredients are: oats, wheat-germ, linseeds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, raisins, muscovado sugar, vegetable oil, water, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Handmade handbags
I started this project last year as an initiative for recycling and to raise awareness and also as fundraising for Migrants' Solidarity Movement. Now I decided to start a small business on my own. To give me this idea was Fra Gwann Xerri who is living in Brazil and he came to show me a bag made from recycled material, which I found it to be a great idea. From when I was a child I always liked to sew, at first I started doing dolls' clothes, in fact I still have my toy sewing machine (which, by the way, it worked). This was transmitted to me from my mother and I want to thank her for it. The material I get is from old clothes which I collect around. Not all the clothes I get are useful so the ones in good condition I take them to a charity shop nearby and the ones which are not good I take them to AAA as they are used as beds for the dogs there. Unfortunately I noticed that in Malta people throw away a lot of things, especially clothes which are out of fashion or old. The recycling and re-using issue in Malta is still at the very beginning in Malta, in fact you don't find much second hand shops here. Please re-use your things, be creative! If you don't need something just give it to someone else, I am sure they will find something to do with it... For further information on these products do not hesitate to contact Ms. Ritianne, at: tita.ellul@gmail.com If you are a producer of artisan or home-made products, such as crafts or food, and you would like to promote them, please contact us at: marc.simo@l-arka.org Ritianne Ellul |
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| Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust 306, il-Ħanut l-Arka, Triq San Pawl, il-Belt Valletta, Malta VLT 1213 | Tel: +356 2124 4865 Fax: +356 2131 5562 info@l-arka.org |