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With regard to the current work of the DOT Force and the related debate on bridging the digital divide, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) have made the following observations.

With regard to the current work of the DOT Force and the related debate on bridging the digital divide, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) have made the following observations.

Introduction

1. We are confident that the members of the DOT Force will agree with us that as the pace of the digital revolution has accelerated, the "digital divide" within and between countries has widened. We are also sure that they will join us in stressing that in order to bridge the Digital Divide, fresh thinking and attitudes will be required from all sides, and that governments will have to enhance their ability to co-operate with components of society, which we understand to include business, trade unions, other non-profit organisations, and local communities. The private sector will also have to accept a broader share of moral and social responsibilities in its efforts to build a seamless global business environment.

2. We are concerned that the DOT Force up till now has not met the challenge set in the Okinawa charter with regard to the integration of all major stakeholders in the process. The DOT Force has not achieved a balance between business and other stakeholders. This applies in particular to the representation of trade unions in the DOT Force, as well as to representatives of other civil society groups. This will lay the DOT Force report and action plan open to criticism when it is published and runs the risk of alienating stakeholders from precisely those constituencies whose participation will eventually be needed to help build the success of the activities of the DOT Force. We urge DOT Force members to see trade unions as natural partners in building the matrix of possible approaches and actors to tackling core issues associated with the digital divide.

Trade unions are appropriate and reliable partners

3. Many initiatives in recent years aimed at promoting information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing countries have proved unsustainable. This phenomenon can be attributed in part to the lack of institutional "staying power", and partly to a lack of representativeness on the part of the organisations chosen as partners in such projects. With no membership, and with no income besides that provided by donor organisations, and usually without any support from the private sector, such projects have often unsurprisingly turned out to be "lame ducks".

4. In contrast, it should be noted that trade unions are independent mass membership organisations, with a strong interest in human rights and social and economic development. They enjoy an institutional longevity without a dependence on external financial support.

5. We are confident that the DOT Force will share the commitment of the international trade union movement and its national member organisations to the empowerment and self-improvement of working people in developing countries (in particular young workers and women workers).

6. If the DOT Force is to take a systemic approach, partnership will be required with stakeholders with global coverage, from the international to the community level. The international trade union movement is therefore an appropriate partner.

Workers and education

7. Education, and in particular, vocational training, has been identified as one of the most important tools in bridging the digital divide. Vocational training initiatives, in order to be effective, require input from representatives of the workforce. Trade union organisations have long been committed and have proven to be successful in supporting and promoting vocational training as well as the acquisition of new skills by the workforce. This was confirmed in a OECD study in 1999 which linked unionisation to better results in vocational training programmes.

8. Trade unions all over the world support public as well as employer-supported training, and often unions run their own training courses to improve the skills base of their members. Many examples of trade union-sponsored IT training schemes exist around the world, from the range of programmes the ICFTU is running to promote Internet use among its affiliates, through to basic IT skills training initiatives undertaken locally by trade unions across the globe. These initiatives are complemented by the international residential information technology and distance education training programmes run by the Programme for Workers' Activities in the Turin training centre of the International Labour Organization.

Workers and access to ICT

9. Practical lessons can also be learned from the range of experiences of trade unions on computer-purchasing schemes. In Sweden, Australia, Singapore and United States, partnerships have been set up between national trade union centres and the private sector (primarily internet service providers and vendors of computer equipment) and in some cases governments (where tax incentives have been negotiated in relation to the purchase of computer equipment for union members). The Swedish trade union PC-buying scheme, for example, boosted the Swedish retail market for PCs by around 50% in 1997 over a six month period. Although it is clear that many variables differ between developing countries and industrialised countries (in particular purchasing power), we believe that there are many elements of this targeted approach to spreading use of ICT which are relevant, and which could be reproduced in initiatives to bridge the digital divide.

Workers are major stakeholders

10. We are concerned that, if the DOT Force fails to include stakeholders representative of global civil society, its action plan will lack a realistic vision of how to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries. We are concerned that the lack of inclusion may lead to a lack of sustainability. In addition, we are concerned that DOT Force members may fail to take into account several years of experience of pilot projects and efforts of trade unions and other key civil society actors to introduce effective use of ICTs around the world. If such an omission is made, there is a strong chance that mistakes of the past will be needlessly revisited. It should be noted that trade unions can play a special role as stakeholders, because they are part of both global civil society, and of global industry.

11. It is important that the DOT Force argues against any undue fascination with new technologies and new economy business models. We would advise against a "more of the same" approach which will eventually mainly focus on network readiness, connectivity, and imaginative, well-hyped, but ultimately unsustainable pilot projects.

12. Representatives of the DOT Force have stated that it's work will be "demand-driven", in order to identify priority targets for concerted action. It is important that the DOT Force not fail in identifying correctly the societal stakeholders and partners so vital to the eventual success of the DOT Force initiatives. We are concerned that demand may come mainly from ICT manufacturers and vendors, and, as a result, may be less related to the urgent needs of the poor. Deregulated and liberalised markets for telecommunication services, continuing price-decreases of IT-devices and private sector initiatives alone are not a panacea for narrowing the divide. A comprehensive and effective approach is needed, including a broad set of policies and actions embedded in an overall framework of promoting sustainable development.

Globalisation, the digital revolution and workers

13. The chances of a backlash against globalisation, targeting the digital revolution are likely to grow, if workers in developed and developing countries cannot experience any positive impact on standards of living and quality of life. Moreover, workers in developing countries (particularly in Africa) are marginalised from the increasingly intensive informational collaboration between workers at the international level. Thus the digital revolution, if allowed to continue unchecked, will contribute to reduced information flow between poorer and richer countries, and will intensify the backlash.

14. We propose that trade unions be more closely associated with regional information society initiatives, such as the African Information Society Initiative, as well as in global initiatives, such as the DOT Force and the UN's ICT Task Force.

15. We welcome the G8's initiative to mobilise international attention around the challenge of bridging the digital divide. The international trade union movement is not only interested in the success of this initiative, but convinced that its participation as a core stakeholder will contribute significantly towards its success.

TUAC's affiliates consist of over 55 national trade union centres in the 29 OECD industrialised countries which together represent some 70 million workers. (http://www.tuac.org)

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), was set up in 1949 and has 221 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and territories on all five continents, with a membership of 155 million. (http://www.icftu.org)

Link: http://www.dotforce.org