The PSI Subregional Trade Union Forum on ADB Energy Policy and Projects (Nov 20-21, 2010) aims to provide a forum for PSI electricity unions to exchange information about their campaigns related to ADB/IFI-supported power sector reforms and initiate a subregional campaign platform. A total of 21 participants (4F, 17M) attended the workshop. Topics covered at the forum are the following: PSI’s campaign on ADB; Key ADB strategies and social policies, including Social Protection and CLS; ADB power projects in India; Critique of ADB’s Energy Policy; Unions resistance to electricity privatization, and experiences in Madya Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Philippines.
The unions suggested several activities that can be undertaken in future: (a) On non-compliance with CLS. PSI should urge ADB to ensure that CLS is respected in ADB loans; where there are violations, ADB loan should be immediately cancelled, to serve as example & non-compliance is not repeated; Include in loan agreement & procurement contracts independent or third party monitoring of CLS in ADB loans; File cases at ADB’s Accountability Mechanism. (b) On ADB’s Energy Policy. Challenge ADB’s Energy Policy on power sector reforms; resent experience of PPPs in India power sector, including IPPs; Develop comprehensive analysis of experience of power reforms in India/South Asia; Collect evidence for unions’ arguments through research; ADB must undertake the actual impact assessment, where trade unions should be a compulsory party; ADB should shelve the policy of unbundling of integrated utilities. ADB should earmark at least 10% of its profit for research on affordable renewable energy technologies without any copyright. (c) On ADB campaign. Develop ADB campaign strategy at different levels (e.g. India, Manila/Regional, taxpayers and citizens of donor countries), solidarity with donor-based unions, Keep message very focused (e.g. ‘Create Labor Desk’); Worker to worker solidarity is important; Organize awareness-raising fora, capacity-building / familiarization workshops, internship programs on ADB to build a pool of trainors from the unions.
DOCUMENTS CIRCULATED
A. GENERAL
PSI Toolkit on ADB (selected, in Hindi)
PSI-ADB dialogue
What is ADB
ADB’s Strategy 2020
Info Disclosure
Accountability
Core Labor Standards
Social Protection Strategy
Labor Desk
Labor issues in Madya Pradesh power
ADB Policies: Social Protection, CLS, IPSA, Consultation & Participation, Info Disclosure, Safeguard Policies (Corral, 2009)
PSI-BWI-UNI Campaign at ADB’s 43rd Annual Governors Meeting (May 2010, Uzbekistan)
B. ADB’s ENERGY POLICY / PROJECTS
ADB-India Operations (ADB-India Resident Mission, Nov 2010)
ADB’s 2009 Energy Policy (Excerpts)
ADB’s Energy Policy – How it Affects PSI Unions in Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan (Corral, 2009)
Critique of ADB’s Energy Policy: Indian context (Vinay Pandey, Western India Power Engineers Federation/WIPEF, Nov 2010)
ADB-funded Power Sector Projects in Asia-Pacific & Labor Issues (Corral, 2010)
PSI Asia-Pacific Electricity Forum (May 2009, Bali, Indonesia)
ADB Power Projects in India (Corral, Aug 2010)
Eight (8) Years of Power Sector Reforms in Delhi: An Overview (Indian National Electricity Workers Federation/ DSEWU, Nov 2010)
A Report on Nepal’s Energy Sector (Manoj Kumar Sah, UPSIN, Nov 2010)
Energy Sector Bangladesh and ADB (A.S.M.Hafizul Hossain, PGCB Workers & Employees Union, Nov 2010)
Privatization of Indonesia Power Industry (Suwoto, PJB Union, Nov 2010)
Philippines: A Litany of Unresolved Issues in Power Privatization (Abner Eleria, Napocor Employees Consolidated Union/NECU, Dec 2009)
C. CORE LABOR STANDARDS
Core Labor Standards & ADB (ADB, 2008)
Challenges, Gaps in ADB’s CLS Handbook (Corral, 2007)
ADB-ILO MOU Implementation Meeting (May 2009)
CLS & International Financial Institutions (Corral, Nov 2010)
Core Labour Standards and International Organizations: What Inroads Has Labour Made? (Bakvis & McCoy, ITUC, 2008)
Global Unions’ Secondments at World Bank (2003-05)
Unions allege labor violations in ADB-funded Indonesia road project (Sep 2010)
Workers’ protests in ADB-funded Sri Lanka highway project (May 2008)