In recent weeks, trade unions representing 10 million workers have joined the call for a bulletproof treaty.
Last week, the Trade Union Confederation (TUC) in the United Kingdom presented an appeal to British Foreign Secretary William Hague. The appeal was delivered on behalf of Brendan Barber, the General Secretary of the TUC. In it he stated that “…the unlawful cross-border trade in small arms and ammunition occurs with little transparency and few restrictions, and fuels conflict, aggravates human rights violations and deepens poverty. It also contributes to violence against women.” The TUC is part of the International Trade Union Confederation and a partner with Amnesty International on the “No more arms for atrocities” global appeal to support a strong ATT – the same petition being advanced by the Control Arms coalition.
The TUC’s letter comes on the heels of a similar appeal from the President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Kenneth Georgetti. In March, Georgetti issued a strong letter on behalf of the CLC’s 3.3 million members to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In it, the CLC recognized the constructive role the Canadian government has played overall in the ATT process, but noted recent objections were not universally supported by Canadian constituencies. Specifically, Georgetti pointed to the fact that the ATT only encompassed international transfers and would not have any impact on domestic availability on “sporting and hunting firearms and recreational use.”