Trade Union education and the third world The attitudes towards the third world or development countries in Finland and among trade union members are ambiguous or conflicting. On one side the members of trade union want to be loyal and equal with others workers. This solidarity is confirmed in manifestos and is in principle global. But on the other side - in practice - main interest of trade unions often is what we can call achieving economic benefits. Often trade union activists talk also that "we never give up of so called achieved benefits". Economic benefits consist on the one thought of good incomes or pays and on the second thought of cheap or moderate prices of consumer goods. So what, we all know that one or even main reason of cheap prices is the import prices of raw material from for example different African countries. This means that majority of the producers or workers in African countries must live at the subsistence level. They cannot get proper pay or money for their striving. When I talk for example about the so called fare trade movement and recommend people to buy fare trade products which means moderate incomes to the producers and workers in Africa, it is in probable conflict with the economic benefits thinking. I think the economic benefits thinking - "more or all for me or us just now" - is a great snare or at least challenge for Finnish trade unions. The whole idea has no moral or ethical responsibility of the future, of nature and of other people. You can build nothing lasting or durable with the help of simple economic benefits thinking. I also think that typical Finnish preconception towards people from other cultures has one but only one root or background in this thinking. Or at least it makes more difficult to encounter strange people or manners. All seems to threaten our security and benefits. Anyway, people grow up, little by little they become curious and they begin to think wider. Think globally, act locally, is our slogan. Humour is also one strong instrument in describe the relationship between the rich North and the poor South. Here I have some jokes about that. I can also tell about one friend of mine, a shop steward in a paper mill. He and his wife who works in trade union have adopted three children from Ethiopia. And why just from there. " The Finnish people, my neighbours my friends, they must see immediately that the children are not Finnish or even European". Just now we in Kiljava institute have begun two special projects to open these knots. We have planned together with the Ministry of Labour some courses with topic "ethnic equality in working life". Its purpose is to help immigrants and refugees to get in into the Finnish working life and also to be equally treated both by employers and workers. The other project is a seminar next autumn or winter. We have got so called "information support" from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange an international seminar or meeting on the topic " Global economy, trade unions and the third world". The seminar will be arranged together with SASK, Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland and Kepa, Service Centre for Development Co-operation So we´ll see if we meet here in Kiljava again in November or one possibility is that I work In Morogoro in Tanzania just then in a work brigade of SASK. Anyway - some certain topics in the seminar will be global ethics, trade unions in the third world, Attac and the so called Tobin tax. Still one point of view. Last time I visited Morogoro I learned to know a wise, adult woman, Mama Agnes Hellar in Tushikamane Vocational Schooling Centre. We asked her what we can do to help people and especially children in Tanzania. - " Of course we can co-operate and you can support us materially. You can also take godchildren", she said, " but most important is that you rear your own children and educate your own youths honest, warm hearted and responsible citizens". Leo Lindstedt Reilun kaupan kriteerit: Tuotteista maksetaan reilu korvaus tuottajalle Työntekiöiden työolosuhteet noudattavat ILO:n säännöksiä Tuotteiden teossa ei ole käytetty lapsityövoimaa Välikäsien määrä yritetään minimoida Luomumääräyksiä noudattavat tuottajat saavat lisäkorvauksen Tunnistat reilun kaupan kahvin tai teen alla olevasta merkistä