The failure of the World Trade Organisations talks in Cancun, Mexico, represents a lost opportunity for a fairer international trading system, the ACTU said.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow, who attended non-government talks at the WTO Ministerial meeting in Cancun, said the intransigence of European and United States negotiators on the issue of agricultural subsidies made a new agreement impossible.
“The failure to agree on a framework for agricultural reform has also cost any agreement on other important issues including labour and environment standards and the social impact of globalisation,” Ms Burrow said.
“When confronted with a strong negotiating block of developing nations in the G21, the US and Europe were not prepared to compromise. Farm industries and employees in Australia and in poor and developing nations again will miss out on the benefits of greater access to overseas markets.
“International unions are calling on world governments to try to revive the WTO and global multilateralism by dealing with the needs of the developing world.
“WTO leaders need to address the issues of development, poverty, employment, and workers’ rights to restore the credibility of the global trading system,” Ms Burrow said.