LIFE AND debt : A movie debrief - let’s break this down!

LIFE AND DEBT: A MOVIE DEBRIEF- LET’S BREAK THIS DOWN!

JAMAICA: A BRIEF HISTORY 1655: English occupied Jamaica and

created agricultural-based economy (slave labour) to support industrial revolution in England

18th Century: sugar cane export flourished

1807: abolition of slave trade= no more sugar cane exports, followed by serious drought

1865: social, economic progress from English including new technologies (irrigation)

1920: sugar cane increase; increase in land size

19th century: rise in banana trade, 1890= banana replaced sugar cane as major export

Great Depression (1930s): demand for economic development from British rule= 1 million pounds/ yr for 20 yrs on development

BUT… funds were not implemented to deal with Jamaica’s structural problems

ABSTRACT Jamaica’s indebtedness to international

lenders, especially the IMF= structural adjustment policies and forced free trade

The weakness of the Jamaican dollar= due to a series of devaluations imposed by the IMF

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE IMF? The IMF is only concerned with short-term

borrowing to meet immediate needs of a country- the effect is more $ in the pockets of 1st world nations (U.S., Great Britain, etc.) because of high interest rates

The World Bank was established to help rebuild countries after WWII (i.e. England)- Jamaica under British rule

1962: Jamaican Independence after 300+ yrs

POST- INDEPENDENCE: WHAT DID THIS MEAN?

Post independence, countries like Jamaica quickly realized they had financial troubles because lack of economic strength= they needed time to build their economy!

1973: hike in oil prices= a large $$ impact Jamaica is oil importer- went to private

banks for loans IMF: try to cutback spending, THEN come

to us

PRESSURE FROM THE IMF Manley: felt pressured to approach IMF

because Jamaica unable to pay for imports

Wanted repayment plan compatible for long-term development

IMF: development is Jamaica’s problem IMF: loaned $$ short term with high

interest rates, imposed heavy conditions

IMF’S CONDITIONS 1. Budget cut-backs 2. Devaluations in currency ($$) 3. Interest rates under their control 4. Free trade 5. Privitization

= vicious cycle, because there is no money allocated fordevelopment of Jamaican economy

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS IMF restricted spending to healthcare &

education Initially, IMF: decrease imports, increase

exports Imports: what comes INTO the country Exports: what goes OUT of the country

Jamaica is dependent on imports from other countries: oil, medicine, books, food, etc.

Debt reaches $7 billion

CROPS Jamaican crops are rotting, because U.S.

crops are cheaper to buy in Jamaica (CRAZY!)

IMF put pressure to openup to imports: previousmeasures prevented imports,ensuring Jamaican farmerstheir own market (too smallto be self-supporting)

PRODUCE (THINK: HONEYDEW MELONS) Jamaican produce is more expensive ($

$) because it is not mechanized- “Can a machine compete with a machete?”

Produce doesn’t meet standards

“Free trade flows inone direction: towardthe U.S.A.”

DAIRY INDUSTRY

Dairy industry had been growing in Jamaica 1992: government took out loan of $50

million from Inter-American Development Bank to support dairy industry

Condition: had to abandon local subsidies (additional financial support to farmers, i.e. tax cuts), and abandon restrictions on imported milk products

Abandon restrictions on imports= U.S.A. started importing powdered milk

Powdered milk: cheap (affordable), does not spoil (for longer transportation), easier storage

Result: Jamaican farmers went out of business= could no longer keep up with imports of powdered milk; cut back on business dramatically

BANANA INDUSTRY: THE LOME AGREEMENT

Jamaica produces 90, 000 tonnes of bananas- exported to UK (former colony)

Europeans who had colonies in the past wanted to give them extra help

The Lome Agreement is an agreement of African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries with the European Union, which gave former colonies extra help in trade= guaranteed market, tariff free

IS THE LOME AGREEMENT FAIR? U.S. (on behalf of Chiquita) went to the WTO and charged that this preferential treatment of certain countries was against WTO rules of free trade

Chiquita, Dole, and Del Monte (U.S. owned) control 95% of world banana market= most grown in Latin America under repressive and exploitive regimes; very low wages (sometimes $1/day).  

In Honduras, Chiquita banana workers went on strike; they were forced back to workat gunpoint: there are no unions to protect

workers!!

Under these conditions, the multinationals can bring their produce to market more cheaply.

Banks won’t invest in Jamaican bananas

FREE TRADE ZONE In the free trade zones, workers paid less than

what American workers would be paid.   Kingston Free Trade Zone (FTZ), encircled with

fencing and barbed wire, rows of factories, assembly of garments

FTZ not part of Jamaica= not subject to things like income tax, duties, not subject to any other Jamaican laws.

Don't meet the quotas= don't get paid for the work you did.  $30/week wages. 

On the job, one can't talk or go to the bathroom freely.  Workers have to pay many taxes (where is the $$ going?!)

Foreign companies were promised that Jamaican workers would not form unions

Chinese workers imported= tension between Jamaican workers and Chinese workers- WHY? Chinese getting paid in US $$!

FTZs are counterproductive- factories now moving to Mexico= cheaper labour, loss of 18,000 jobs

How is Jamaica going to repay loans they took out to open the FTZ?

WHAT WAS THE IMF’S RESPONSE? Director of IMF says: key to growth is to

attract foreign investment (private investors)

Manley says that private foreign investors won't provide money for some of the things the country needs: infrastructure, education, healthcare, food self-sufficiency= they are only interested in making a profit

HOW CAN JAMAICA CHANGE IMF POLICY? Votes in IMF are proportional to the size of the

country in the world economy, so U.S. has 17.5% of the vote, then Japan and Germany.

To change an IMF policy, need 80% of the vote (can't be done without the support of U.S. and W. Europe). 

Does Jamaica really have a “say” in changing policies? How is this ironic?

MCDONALDIZATION

McDonald’s could be purchasing Jamaican products- instead, they import them (Why?)

McDonald’s using cheaper imported beef American ranchers use an anabolic

steroid Stilbestrol that isn't sold in Jamaica, enabling them to produce more meat more quickly (and therefore, more cheaply)= “Cancer-causing agent”

SLAVERY? In slavery, the master would take the best part of the food.  Similarly, today in America, only the best parts

of the chicken are sold (the back, neck, feet, etc.), are dumped into Third World countries.  

Dark meat from U.S. being sold into Jamaica at 20 cents/lb., even though it costs 50 cents/lb. to produce, simply because it can't be sold in the U.S= Jamaican chicken farmers are suffering