The secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal – in negotiations
for five years – has been signed without the Australian public being privy to
details which have ramifications for our sovereignty, intellectual property
rights and jobs.
Unions are concerned that many harmful elements still exist
in the deal.
Australian Unions support trade deals with outcomes that are
balanced, support jobs, protect the rights of working people and promote a
healthy environment – there’s a great probability that TPP deal does not
achieve this.
In the five years that the TPP agreement has been debated the
public has been shut out while some corporations have been allowed to all-but
write chapters to suit their interests.
There has been no genuine and transparent mandate that puts
people front and centre – not big corporations – and this gives rise to deep
concerns about the road down which this deal would take us.
Key concerns with the TPP include:
·
TPP leaks revealed that some countries WERE trying to reject
protections of workers’ rights.
·
Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions will
allow corporations to sue the Australian Government for making laws or policies
that are good for Australian people but may lower their profits.
·
Examples of ISDS provisions being used to undermine government
policy include tobacco company Phillip Morris suing the Australian Government
for introducing plain cigarette packaging and multi-national corporation Veolia
(that operates in Australia) suing the Egyptian Government for increasing the
minimum wage.
·
Trade Minister Andrew Robb says Australia has not agreed to
an immediate extension of monopolies on costly life-saving medicines beyond the
current Australian standard of five years. But the US is claiming that five
years is a minimum standard and there is a “voluntary” agreement for stronger
patent rights for pharmaceutical companies on medicines.
Quotes attributable to ACTU President Ged Kearney:
“This
deal has been signed in secret, without public discussion or debate and you
have to wonder, if it’s such a good deal why are the details still hidden?”
“For
example we don’t know what the deal says about overseas workers and labour
movement which would impact jobs and potentially drive down wages and
conditions, similar to The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.”
“What
we do know is that the US is protecting its interests and the concern is that
the impact of this will be negative for Australian workers and communities.”
“TPP
talks were held in secret without unions, business, church, environmental or community
groups being involved – this is great for big multinational companies but
terrible for ordinary people and the role of governments.”
“We
are deeply worried that many of the elements revealed in the leaked copies,
such as ISDS, are still there in the text making corporate profits more
important than protections for worker’s rights, the environment, public health
and quality public services.”
