Say No to TiSA


The GMB general union has called on the EU to oppose the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) which transfers sovereignty over labour market regulations from elected parliaments to multinationals.


The proposed trade agreement would remove the right of 52 nations to make labour market laws in 37 sectors of the economy and promotes undercutting and race to the bottom, said the GMB.


TiSA commits participating countries to enact non-reversible privatisations and deregulate a wide range of services for the benefit of multinationals. There are paragraphs on the removal of restrictions concerning the movement of “natural persons”, a reference to migrant workers who would have no legal protections for their labour rights.


The EU, USA, China and Canada are all involved in the negotiations.


Some of the 37 industries covered include: construction, which in the UK is classed as a production industry; tourism and related services; environmental services; and research and development.


Bert Schouwenburg, GMB international officer, said: “If TiSA becomes a reality, it will herald a wholesale transfer of power from elected parliaments to corporate boardrooms in an effective privatisation of the world’s governance. The desire and need for infinite profit growth on the part of transnational companies will accelerate a race to the bottom for workers and their families. 


“If EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström is serious about protecting the social and regulatory model in the EU she will not sign up to this agreement.”


www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/eu-must-say-no-to-tisa