Behind the Wire

The answer to "Behind The Wire" unfair attack on Export Processing Zones and Free Trade Zones by the International Confederation Of Free Trade Unions, Brussels, Belgium - the I.C.F.T.U.

In the left hand column on the following pages are 312 paragraphs of the ICFTU statement taken from the Internet in December 1996 just before the WTO Conference of all the world's trade ministers in Singapore.

Only 20 of these paragraphs name EPZs - only 11 EPZs are named out of over 800 in the world from only 8 countries out of over 75 which have EPZs.
Of the 11 zones only 3 were accused of housing factories which maltreated employees. The very idea of condemning all of them by the actions of 3 is ridiculous!

In the right hand column are questions and comments (as of 1997) of the World Export Processing Zones Association (WEPZA) secretariat. WEPZA changed its name in 1999 to World Economic Processing Zones Association to better reflect the growing complexity of EPZs as they move into new markets such as tourism, health, education and training, but the same management is in place at The Flagstaff Institute today as then. The requirement WEPZA seeks in the halls of the multilaterals is the same need for EPZs to have freedom to operate in the best interests of their respective countries -- with necessary tax and other incentives protected by WEPZA's vigilance

At the end the reader will understand how silly is the position the ICFTU has now gotten itself into and, at the same time, will learn much about EPZs!

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