US embassy cable - 04BRUSSELS3131

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003131 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/CCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2014 
TAGS: PHUM, ELAB, CU, ILO, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: ICFTU AND ETUC LIKELY PARTNERS ON CUBA LABOR 
RIGHTS ISSUES 
 
REF: STATE 153312 
 
Classified By: PolOff Rick Holtzapple, Reasons 1.4 (B/D) 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (C) In response to reftel action request, Post has 
identified the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and 
the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) 
as union organizations possibly willing to raise the issue of 
Cuban labor rights violations at regional labor meetings and 
take an active role in supporting the advancement of labor 
rights in Cuba. END SUMMARY. 
 
ETUC 
---- 
 
2. (C) The ETUC is based in Brussels and its membership 
includes 77 national trade union confederations from 35 
European countries, as well as 11 European industry 
federations, for a total of 60 million members.  Like most 
European labor organizations, the ETUC has socialist 
leanings, but it has not, to our knowledge, shown any degree 
of support for the Cuban regime or its labor practices. 
Although the ETUC concentrates almost exclusively on internal 
EU issues, it regards all EU policy relevant to labor issues 
as within its purview. It may therefore be willing to use its 
high level lobbying power in Brussels to pressure EU 
institutions to take a firmer line on Cuban labor practices. 
 
3. (C) In 1998 the ETUC passed a resolution calling on the EU 
to "play a more decisive role in the promotion of human 
rights," specifically in the area of labor rights. This 
resolution expressed the ETUC's deep disappointment in the EU 
Council's decision that year not to apply the provisions in 
the GSP system on principles of the freedom of association 
and child labor to the countries of Central America.  The 
ETUC thus does look outside the geographic boundaries of 
Europe in its promotion of labor rights and has criticized 
the EU's past failure to exert adequate pressure on the 
countries of Central America over their labor practices. 
This indicates the ETUC could be willing to raise the issue 
of Cuban labor rights violations at the EU and European 
level. We are not aware, however, that the ETUC has ever 
taken a position on Cuba in the past, so we cannot be sure of 
how they would react if asked to take one in the present. 
 
ICFTU 
----- 
 
4. (C) The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 
an organization of 234 affiliated organizations (including 
the AFL-CIO in the US, as well as ETUC), is also based in 
Brussels.  The ICFTU's main purpose is to organize and direct 
campaigns globally on labor rights issues.  It has already 
been active in raising the issue of Cuban labor rights 
violations, issuing a call in July 2003 for the release of 
trade unionists unfairly detained there and, more recently, 
preparing a very critical annual survey of trade union rights 
in Cuba in June 2004. 
 
SCOTT