August 10, 2010
Dennis Van Roekel
President
Lily Eskelsen
Vice President
Rebecca S. Pringle
Secretary-Treasurer
John I. Wilson
Executive Director
Re: IMF and Jamaican Teachers Association
Dear Secretary Geithner:
The National Education Association (NEA) would like to express our concern about reports that pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is causing violations of fairly negotiated agreements between Jamaican Teachers Association and the Government of Jamaica. We respectfully request that you look into this matter.
The Brown amendment included in the Supplemental Appropriations bill, which also contained the United States’ IMF funding request, requires the U.S. director at the IMF to oppose any loans that fail to exempt health, education and other safety nets from budget caps. As the major shareholder and the only party with veto power at the IMF, the United States is in a critical position to exercise leadership in its voting at the IMF Executive Board.
The Brown Amendment is essential to defend countries’ right to invest in their public services and stimulate their economies. Especially in a time of recession, it is vitally important that the United States make use of the Brown Amendment by explicitly instructing our IMF director to oppose any and all IMF programs that do not exempt health, education and other safety nets from budget caps.
We request your assistance in determining how the United States’ representative voted on the recent IMF agreement with Jamaica and in ensuring that the tenets of the Brown Amendment inform all of our actions with the IMF.
Thank you for your assistance in this important matter. Sincerely,
Dennis Van Roekel, President
The National Education Association of the United States
cc: Executive Directors, International Monetary Fund
Senator Sherrod Brown
Bill Ratteree, International Labor Organization
Fred Van Leeuwen, General Secretary, Education International
Peter Waldorff, Public Services International
Adolph Cameron, General Secretary, Jamaican Teachers Association
Michael Stewart, President, Jamaican Teachers Association
Assibi Napoe, Chair, Global Campaign for Education
Please find attached a copy of the original letter that NEA President Dennis Van Roekel just sent to US Treasury Secretary Geithner regarding the current situation facing the Jamaican Teachers Association.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| NEA letter to Treasury on IMF in Jamaica.pdf | 34.52 KB |