GATT-Fly Project
Organization profile published 1982

Year Published:  1982  
Resource Type:  Organization
Cx Number:  CX2485
Inactive/Defunct Organization
Abstract:  GATT-FLY is a project of Canadian churches working for global economic justice. The name of Gatt-Fly is a play on the words "gadfly" and the "General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)", which is the international trade forum instituted by the industrialized capitalist countries for global negotiations over trade.
GATT - FLY was set up in 1973 by Canadian churches (Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United) to challenge unjust economic structures. There are four areas of research carried on: Energy, Food & Agriculture, Sugar and an educational program designed to enable workers and coalitions of groups to work on action strategies for change.
In July 1977, about 30 sugar workers from the Caribbean, Latin America, the Phillipines, the United Kingdom and Canada gathered in Trinidad for an International Sugar Workers Conference. The Conference was sponsored by GATT-FLY and the Caribbean Conference of Churches. The sugar workers came to exchange information on the situation of sugar workers in their countries, to learn more about how the international sugar economy works and to explore ways of building links of solidarity with sugar workers in other countries. This was the beginnig of what continue to be the links of solidarity with sugar workers around the world. Strikes and plant closures in Canada affect sugar workers on plantations in Latin America. Information about working conditions and pay levels in Trinidad encourage workers in the Phillipines to demand a better deal in their negotiations with plantation-owners.
GATT-FLY regularly publishes "GATT-FLY Report", which keeps its readers up to date in the areas of Energy and Food and Agriculture. "Sugar World" is published in English and "Mundo Azucarero" in Spanish as a way of keeping the contacts made in 1977 active. For a $ 12 subscription, readers will receive both publications 5 times a year. GATT-FLY has also published a number of articles and education kits. "The Power to Choose" (published in 1981 presents an evaluation of Canadian energy development systems.

This abstract was published in the Connexions Digest in 1982.
See also CX91, CX2792.