Commenting on today’s TPPA trade agreement signing in New Zealand, ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) president Paddy Crumlin said: “We, like our fellow global unions and everyone who protested in Auckland today, are clear about one thing: the TPPA – Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement – offers nothing to workers in the Asia-Pacific region except job insecurity and exclusion.”
He continued: “TPPA has been characterised by secrecy and lack of consultation. Unless resisted, as, thankfully, unions and other organisations have done and continue to do, it threatens to usher in a free trade free-for-all where anything goes – except for protections for ordinary citizens.”
ITF general secretary Steve Cotton added: “TPPA is a poor match for the diverse needs and expectations of Asia-Pacific countries. It is being foisted on their peoples by a narrow range of governmental and business special interests. It was great to see people gathering in New Zealand today proclaiming ‘TPPA no way!’ as part of a groundswell of opinion that will continue to challenge this agreement during its planned ratification and implementation processes.”