[PEN-L:11701] RE: Re: WTO meetings

["Lisa & Ian Murray" <seamus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

13 days ago we had Ellen Gould of the Council of Canadians speak in Seattle
about the GATS 2000 proposals regarding int'l trade in services.  Her talk
would scare the p**s out of any public sector worker/union that heard it.
It's open season on the civil service, folks.  Everything from professional
accreditation [teachers, physicians-but not laywers] to who reads your tax
forms would become open to bidding on the part of any company on the globe
that had access to the contractor provisions-which must be provided by every
member government of the WTO.  Medical records--think Iceland--would be
pried open under GATS rules for extensive commodification by insurance
industries, hospital administrators etc.

Ms Gould's paper will be available shortly--hopefully on the Web--'till then
take a look at http://www.wto.org/wto/services/services.htm

ian

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Bill Rosenberg
> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 1999 6:57 PM
> To: pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [PEN-L:11699] Re: WTO meetings
>
>
> A discussion paper on the effect of such agreements on tertiary
> education (focusing on New Zealand) is available at
>
> http://www.aus.ac.nz/papers/brpaper.htm
>
> Bill Rosenberg
>
> > Date:          Sat, 25 Sep 1999 15:03:26 -0500
> > From:          phillp2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject:       [PEN-L:11690] WTO meetings
> > To:            pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Reply-to:      pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Priority:      normal
>
> > In parallel with the recent thread on the IMF, WB and other
> > international agenies advancing US imperialism, the following
> > appeared in the Can Assn of Univ Teachers Newspaper, "The
> > Bulletin" in the latest edition.
> >
> > New Trade Rules Target Education
> >
> > CAUT Bulletin,
> > September 1999
> >
> > Education unions and associations are warning that new rules being
> > considered by the World Trade Organization will lead to the further
> > subordination of post -secondary education to the dictates of
> > private corporations.
> >  Critics are pointing to a document prepared by the WTO in the run-
> > up to next year's millennium round of negotiations which identifies
> > post- secondary education as a potentially lucrative new market
> > ripe for exploitation.
> >  Citing with praise the growth of branch campuses, "virtual edu
> > cation" and the international marketing of curricula and academic
> > programs, the WTO paper notes that trade in post-secondary
> > education services has exploded in recent years. In 1996 alone, US
> > exports of higher education services reached $7 billion, making it
> > the country's fifth largest service sector export.
> >  Nevertheless, the WTO argues that the continued growth of this
> > market is being hampered by a number of so-called barriers to trade
> > in the sector. Private companies seeking to establish a commercial
> > presence abroad may be restricted by limitations in many countries
> > on the operation of private universities and colleges. Where
> > private institutions are permitted, the WTO maintains they may
> > still face other barriers. In some nations, students enrolled in
> > private universities and colleges may not qualify for financial
> > assistance or even, according to the WTO, subsidized bus passes.
> >  The paper asserts that these regulations not only constitute re
> > strictive trade practices, but also prevent "innovation" within
> > uni versities and colleges. The WTO praises a number of nations for
> > moving toward "greater market responsiveness" and "corporatization"
> > of public universities which "increase competition and encourage
> > investor and corporate participation in the education sector."
> >  "There is a lot of pressure mounting to open up post-secondary
> > education in Canada and other countries to increased privatization
> > and commercialization," said CAUT executive director Jim Turk. "That
> > clashes head-on with those of us committed to quality
> > publicly-funded education."
> >  Education International, representing 294 educational unions  and
> > associations worldwide, is also expressing concern about the WTO
> > initiative."Given the existence of huge disparities between
> > countries, is the idea of placing national education systems in a
> > competitive situation not tantamount to selling out the education
> > system in the weakest countries to a handful bf large transnational
> > corporations?" El asked in response to the WTO discussion paper.
> >  El notes that the import of higher education services by South-East
> >
> > Asia gives some idea of the harmful consequences which trade
> > liberalization will have: "increased dependence on foreign
> > educational resources, acculturation caused by the use of a foreign
> > language for teaching, a tendency to the standardization of
> > education, and a curtailment of sovereignty."
> >  WTO members, including Canada, are to meet in Seattle in
> > November.
> >
> >
> >
>