Pfizer’s Power: “Pfizer Reserves the Right to Silence Governments”

 

Pfizer’s Power: “Pfizer Reserves the Right to Silence Governments”

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Global Research Editor’s Note.

There is evidence that Pfizer is routinely involved in bribing numerous politicians at the highest levels of  government. 

Moreover, Pfizer has a criminal record. I2009 Pfizer Inc. pleaded guilty to criminal charges. It was The Largest Health Care Fraud Settlement” in the History of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The criminality surrounding the 2020-21 mRNA vaccine far surpasses the 2009 “fraudulent marketing” charges directed against Pfizer.

We bring to the attention of our readers this important and carefully documented study by Public Citizen on Pfizer’s contractual agreements with governments. Our Thanks to Public Citizen and author Zain Rizvi.

Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, October 22, 2021

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In February, Pfizer was accused of “bullying” governments in COVID vaccine negotiations in a groundbreaking story by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.[1] A government official at the time noted, “Five years in the future when these confidentiality agreements are over you will learn what really happened in these negotiations.”[2]

Public Citizen has identified several unredacted Pfizer contracts that describe the outcome of these negotiations. The contracts offer a rare glimpse into the power one pharmaceutical corporation has gained to silence governments, throttle supply, shift risk and maximize profits in the worst public health crisis in a century. We describe six examples from around the world below.[3]


TABLE 1: SELECT PFIZER CONTRACTS REVIEWED[4]
PurchaserDateTypeDosesPrice Per DoseTotal Cost
AlbaniaDraft[5]Draft Definitive Agreement500,000$12$6 million
Brazil03/15/21[6]Definitive Agreement100 million$10$1 billion
Colombia02/02/21[7]Definitive Agreement10 million$12$120 million
Chile12/01/20[8]Definitive Agreement (Redacted)10 millionRedactedRedacted
Dominican Republic10/29/20[9]Binding Term Sheet[10]8 million$12$96 million
European Commission11/20/20[11]Custom Advance Purchase Agreement200 million$18.6[12]$3.7 billion
Peru17/9/20[13]Binding Term Sheet10 million$12$120 million
United States21/07/20[14]Custom Advance Purchase Agreement (Redacted)100 million$19.5$1.95 billion
United Kingdom12/10/20[15]Custom Advance Purchase Agreement (Redacted)30 millionRedactedRedacted

 


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Pfizer’s demands have generated outrage around the world, slowing purchase agreements and even pushing back the delivery schedule of vaccines.[16] If similar terms are included as a condition to receive doses, they may threaten President Biden’s commitment to donate 1 billion vaccine doses.[17]

High-income countries have enabled Pfizer’s power through a favorable system of international intellectual property protection.[18] High-income countries have an obligation to rein in that monopoly power. The Biden administration, for example, can call on Pfizer to renegotiate existing commitments and pursue a fairer approach in the future. The administration can further rectify the power imbalance by sharing the vaccine recipe, under the Defense Production Act, to allow multiple producers to expand vaccine supplies.[19] It can also work to rapidly secure a broad waiver of intellectual property rules (TRIPS waiver) at the World Trade Organization.[20] A wartime response against the virus demands nothing less.

1.     Pfizer Reserves the Right to Silence Governments.

In January, the Brazilian government complained that Pfizer was insisting on contractual terms in negotiations that were “unfair and abusive.”[21] The government pointed to five terms that it found problematic, ranging from a sovereign immunity waiver on public assets to a lack of penalties for Pfizer if deliveries were late. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism soon published a scathing story on Pfizer’s vaccine negotiations.[22]

Less than two months later, the Brazilian government accepted a contract with Pfizer that contains most of the same terms that the government once deemed unfair.[23] Brazil waived sovereign immunity; imposed no penalties on Pfizer for late deliveries; agreed to resolve disputes under a secret private arbitration under the laws of New York; and broadly indemnified Pfizer for civil claims.[24]

The contract also contains an additional term not included in other Latin American agreements[25] reviewed by Public Citizen: The Brazilian government is prohibited from making “any public announcement concerning the existence, subject matter or terms of [the] Agreement” or commenting on its relationship with Pfizer without the prior written consent of the company.[26] Pfizer gained the power to silence Brazil.

Brazil is not alone. A similar nondisclosure provision is contained in the Pfizer contract with the European Commission and the U.S. government.[27] In those cases, however, the obligation applies to both parties.

For example, neither Pfizer nor the U.S. government can make “any public announcement concerning the existence, subject matter or terms of this Agreement, the transactions contemplated by it, or the relationship between the Pfizer and the Government hereunder, without the prior written consent of the other.”[28] The contract contains some exceptions for disclosures required by law. It is not clear from the public record whether Pfizer has elected to prohibit the U.S. from making any statements thus far. The E.C. cannot include in any announcement or disclosure the price per dose, the Q4 2020 volumes, or information that would be material to Pfizer without the consent of Pfizer.[29]

2.    Pfizer Controls Donations.

Pfizer tightly controls supply.[30] The Brazilian government, for example, is restricted from accepting Pfizer vaccine donations from other countries or buying Pfizer vaccines from others without Pfizer’s permission.[31]  The Brazilian government also is restricted from donating, distributing, exporting, or otherwise transporting the vaccine outside Brazil without Pfizer’s permission.[32]

The consequences of noncompliance can be severe. If Brazil were to accept donated doses without Pfizer’s permission, it would be considered an “uncurable material breach” of their agreement, allowing Pfizer to immediately terminate the agreement.[33] Upon termination, Brazil would be required to pay the full price for any remaining contracted doses.[34]

3.    Pfizer Secured an “IP Waiver” for Itself.

The CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, has emerged as a strident defender of intellectual property in the pandemic. He called a voluntary World Health Organization effort to share intellectual property to bolster vaccine production “nonsense” and “dangerous.”[35]  He said President Biden’s decision to back the TRIPS waiver on intellectual property was “so wrong.”[36] “IP, which is the blood of the private sector, is what brought a solution to this pandemic and it is not a barrier right now,” claims Bourla.[37]

But, in several contracts, Pfizer seems to recognize the risk posed by intellectual property to vaccine development, manufacturing, and sale. The contracts shift responsibility for any intellectual property infringement that Pfizer might commit to the government purchasers. As a result, under the contract, Pfizer can use anyone’s intellectual property it pleases—largely without consequence.

At least four countries are required “to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Pfizer” from and against any and all suits, claims, actions, demands, damages, costs, and expenses related to vaccine intellectual property.[38] For example, if another vaccine maker sued Pfizer for patent infringement in Colombia, the contract requires the Colombian government to foot the bill. At Pfizer’s request, Colombia is required to defend the company (i.e., take control of legal proceedings.)[39] Pfizer also explicitly says that it does not guarantee that its product does not violate third-party IP, or that it needs additional licenses.

Pfizer takes no responsibility in these contracts for its potential infringement of intellectual property. In a sense, Pfizer has secured an IP waiver for itself. But internationally, Pfizer is fighting similar efforts to waive IP barriers for all manufacturers.[40]

4.    Private Arbitrators, not Public Courts, Decide Disputes in Secret.

What happens if the United Kingdom cannot resolve a contractual dispute with Pfizer? A secret panel of three private arbitrators—not a U.K court—is empowered under the contract to make the final decision.[41] The arbitration is conducted under the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Both parties are required to keep everything secret:

The Parties agree to keep confidential the existence of the arbitration, the arbitral proceedings, the submissions made by the Parties and the decisions made by the arbitral tribunal, including its awards, except as required by Law and to the extent not already in the public domain.[42]

The Albania draft contract and Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Peru agreements require the governments to go further, with contractual disputes subject to ICC arbitration applying New York law.[43]

While ICC arbitration involving states is not uncommon, disputes involving high-income countries and/or pharmaceuticals appear to be relatively rare.[44] In 2012, 80% of state disputes were from Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and West Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.[45] The most common state cases were about the construction and operation of facilities.[46] In 2020, 34 states were involved in ICC arbitrations.[47] The nature of state disputes is not clear, but only between 5 to 7% of all new ICC cases, including those solely between private parties, were related to health and pharmaceuticals.[48]

Private arbitration reflects an imbalance of power. It allows pharmaceutical corporations like Pfizer to bypass domestic legal processes. This consolidates corporate power and undermines the rule of law.

5.    Pfizer Can Go After State Assets.

The decisions reached by the secret arbitral panels described above can be enforced in national courts.[49] The doctrine of sovereign immunity can sometimes, however, protect states from corporations seeking to enforce and execute arbitration awards.

Pfizer required Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Peru to waive sovereign immunity.[50] In the case of Brazil, Chile and Colombia, for example, the government “expressly and irrevocably waives any right of immunity which either it or its assets may have or acquire in the future” to enforce any arbitration award (emphasis added).[51] For Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, this includes “immunity against precautionary seizure of any of its assets.”[52]

Arbitral award enforcement presents complex questions of law that depend on the physical location and type of state asset.[53] But the contract allows Pfizer to request that courts use state assets as a guarantee that Pfizer will be paid an arbitral award and/or use the assets to compensate Pfizer if the government does not pay.[54] For example, in U.S. courts, these assets could include foreign bank accounts, foreign investments, and foreign commercial property, including the assets of state-owned enterprises like airlines and oil companies.[55]

6.    Pfizer Calls the Shots on Key Decisions.

What happens if there are vaccine supply shortages? In the Albania draft contract and the Brazil and Colombia agreement, Pfizer will decide adjustments to the delivery schedule based on principles the corporation will decide. Albania, Brazil, and Colombia “shall be deemed to agree to any revision.”[56]

Some governments have pushed back on Pfizer’s unilateral authority for other decisions. In South Africa, Pfizer wanted to have the “sole discretion to determine additional terms and guarantees for us to fulfill the indemnity obligations.”[57]South Africa deemed this “too risky” and a “potential risk to [their] assets and fiscus.”[58] After delays, Pfizer reportedly conceded to remove this “problematic term.”[59]

But others have not been as successful. As a condition to entering into the agreement, the Colombian government is required to “demonstrate, in a manner satisfactory to Suppliers, that Suppliers and their affiliates will have adequate protection, as determined in Suppliers’ sole discretion” (emphasis added) from liability claims.[60] Colombia is required to certify to Pfizer the value of the contingent obligations (i.e., potential future liability), and to start appropriating funds to cover the contingent obligations, according to a contribution program.[61]

Pfizer’s ability to control key decisions reflects the power imbalance in vaccine negotiations. Under the vast majority of contracts, Pfizer’s interests come first.

A Better Way

Pfizer’s dominance over sovereign countries poses fundamental challenges to the pandemic response. Governments can push back. The U.S. government, in particular, can exercise the leverage it holds over Pfizer to require a better approach. Empowering multiple manufacturers to produce the vaccine via technology transfer and a TRIPS waiver can rein in Pfizer’s power. Public health should come first.

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Zain Rizvi is an expert on pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicines. He has provided technical assistance to state and national governments, coordinated civil society coalitions, and published on intellectual property, access to medicines and global health. He was a Gruber Fellow at SECTION27, a Johannesburg-based public interest organization. Zain obtained a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was student director of the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership. He has a bachelor’s degree from McMaster University and has published in medical and legal journals, including The Lancet and the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.

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Our thanks to Public Citizen and Zain Rizvi

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References

Sarah Teng, intern in the Access to Medicines Program, designed the cover image.

[1] Madlen Davies, Rosa Furneaux , Iván Ruiz, Jill Langlois, ‘Held to Ransom’: Pfizer Demands Governments Gamble with State Assets to Secure Vaccine Deal, Bureau of Investigative Journalism (Feb 23 2021), https://tinyurl.com/t2z39a63.

[2] Id.

[3] While there are similarities across the contracts, each agreement is unique. The specific examples outlined below should not read as reflective of other contracts.

[4] In several cases, governments signed additional deals with Pfizer. We reviewed select contracts that were publicly available.

[5] Albania-Pfizer Contract Draft, (“Albania Draft Contract”), (Jan. 6 2021) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20616251-albanian-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-contract. The final provisions of the agreement may have differed from this draft. However, given similarities between this draft and the other reviewed agreements, we believe the modifications, if any, were likely not substantial. The contract was first leaked on Twitter, and then shared widely in the press.

[6] Brazil-Pfizer Contract (“Brazil Contract”), (March 15 2021) https://aurores.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Brazil-Pfizer.pdf. The contract was leaked online and later covered by The Guardian in August. See e.g., https://tinyurl.com/yupsz2j4.

[7] Colombia-Pfizer Contract (“Colombia Contract”), (Feb. 2 2021), https://www.nodal.am/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DOCUMENTO.pdf. The contract was leaked in the Colombian Media in August. https://tinyurl.com/4vswvrz4. It is currently referenced in the UNICEF Vaccine Market Dashboard.

[8] Chile-Pfizer Contract (“Chile Contract”) (Dec. 1 2021), https://www.chiletransparente.cl/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Acuerdo-de-fabricacion-y-suministro-PFIZER.pdf. A Chilean transparency initiative published a redacted version of the contract.

[9] Dominican Republic-Pfizer Contract (“D.R. Contract”) (Oct. 29 2020), https://www.keionline.org/35485. Knowledge Ecology International obtained the contract through a freedom of information law request.

[10] The text was subject to the approval of the Dominican Republican National Congress, which reportedly approved the text with no objections. Pfizer and AstraZeneca, The Game of Contracts with Small Print, Dominican Today, https://tinyurl.com/yhasn7um.

[11] European Commission-Pfizer Contract (“E.C. Contract”) (Nov. 20 2020), https://tinyurl.com/3bph89wy. The Italian public broadcaster RAI published the EC Contract in April.

[12] 15.5 EUR.

[13] Peru-Pfizer Contract (“Peru Contract”) (Sept. 17 2020), https://tinyurl.com/y2ap74xz. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism published the contract.

[14] United States-Pfizer Contract (“U.S. Contract”) (July 21 2020), https://tinyurl.com/4k5j7d5u. The contract is available on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.

[15] United Kingdom-Pfizer Contract (“U.K Contract”) (Oct. 10 2020), https://tinyurl.com/45vt6vd5. This likely is the definitive agreement that follows on from initial agreement announced in July. The contract is available on the U.K government website.

[16] Madlen Davies, Rosa Furneaux, Pfizer backs down over “unreasonable terms” in South Africa vaccine deal (April 19 2021). https://tinyurl.com/tnys9u2c. (“He described how Pfizer’s late demand caused delays in the discussions, which in turn put back the anticipated vaccine delivery dates.”). See also the impasse in Philippines. Philippines receives side letter from Pfizer; WHO sees resolution of ‘impasse’ soon (Feb 23. 2021),  https://tinyurl.com/3fs8z3cb (“The delivery of 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses, initially expected in mid-February, was delayed by concerns on indemnification.”).

[17] White House, FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Historic Vaccine Donation: Half a Billion Pfizer Vaccines to the World’s Lowest-Income Nations (June 10 2021), https://tinyurl.com/he8bm9tk

[18] Peter Drahos and John Braithwaite, Information Feudalism: Who Owns the Knowledge Economy? (2007) (tracing the role of Pfizer in advocating for a system of international patent protection).

[19] Zain Rizvi, Jishian Ravinthiran, Amy Kapczynski,  Sharing The Knowledge: How President Joe Biden Can Use The Defense Production Act To End The Pandemic Worldwide, Health Affairs Blog (August 6, 2021), https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210804.101816/full/

[20] Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

[21] Madlen Davies , Rosa Furneaux , Iván Ruiz , Jill Langlois, ‘Held to Ransom’: Pfizer Demands Governments Gamble with State Assets to Secure Vaccine Deal, Bureau of Investigative Journalism (Feb 23 2021), https://tinyurl.com/t2z39a63.

[22] Id.

[23] One clause that appears to have changed is the number of doses supplied by Pfizer. It is also not clear whether Brazil developed a foreign bank guarantee fund.

[24] Brazil Contract, footnote 6, Article 9.4 (Waiver of Sovereign Immunity), pg. 45, Article 2.6 (Delivery Delays), pg. 34, Article 9.4 (Waiver of Sovereign Immunity) pg. 45, Article 3.1 (Indemnification by Purchaser), pg. 43, respectively.

[25] The other Latin American contracts reviewed contain a more limited nondisclosure obligation. For example, under the Colombia contract, neither Pfizer nor Colombia can “use the name, trade name, service marks, trademarks, trade dress or logos of the other Party in publicity releases, advertising or any other publication, without the other Party’s prior written consent in each instance.” This does not appear to prohibit the government from talking about the contract, as long as it is not a “publicity release, advertising, or any other publication.”

[26] Brazil Contract, Article 12.3 (Publicity), pg. 32 (“Purchaser shall not make, or permit any person to make, any public announcement concerning the existence, subject matter or terms of this Agreement, the wider transactions contemplated by it, or the relationship between the Parties (except as required by Law, and subject to the protections set forth in Section 10.1), without the prior written consent of Pfizer (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed)”.

[27] E.C. Contract, footnote 11, Article II.10 (Announcements and Publicity), pg. 36.

[28] U.S. Contract, footnote 14, Article 11.11 (Announcements), pg. 25.

[29] E.C. Contract, footnote 11, Article II.10 (Announcements and Publicity), pg. 36.

[30] For example, Colombia is also required to distribute the vaccine only in its territory. Colombia Contract, footnote 7, Article 4.6 (Diversion Issues), pg. 23 (“All Product delivered to Purchaser shall be: (a) stored securely by Purchaser; and (b) distributed by Purchaser only in Colombia in a secure manner appropriate to the transportation route and destination, in each case (a) and (b) to guard against and deter theft, diversion, tampering, substitution (with, for example, counterfeits) resale or export out of Colombia, and to protect and preserve the integrity and efficacy of the Product.”).

[31] Brazil Contract, footnote 6, Article 2.1 (f) (Agreement to Supply), pg. 31 (“Purchaser, including any related Person or any agents of Purchaser, covenants to exclusively obtain all of its supply of any Vaccine of Pfizer, BioNTech or their respective Affiliates intended for the prevention of the human disease COVID-19 (including the Product) either (i) directly from Pfizer or from Pfizer through the COVAX Facility, or (ii) from a Third Party, whether by donation, resale or otherwise, only if Purchaser has obtained Pfizer’s prior written consent.  Any breach of this Section 2.1(f) shall be deemed an uncurable material breach of this Agreement, and Pfizer may immediately terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.2.  For clarity, nothing in this Section 2.1(f) shall prevent Purchaser from purchasing competing vaccine products of any Third Party.”).

[32] Brazil Contract, footnote 6, Article 4.6 (Diversion Issues), pg. 38 (“Purchaser shall not directly or indirectly resell, donate, distribute, export or otherwise transport the Product outside the Territory without Pfizer’s prior written consent.”).

[33] Brazil Contract, footnote 6, Article 2.1 (f) (Agreement to Supply), pg. 31.

[34] Brazil Contract, footnote 6, Article 6.2 (Termination for Cause), pg. 27 (“In the event that this Agreement is terminated by Pfizer under this Section 6.2, Purchaser shall pay within thirty (30) days of the date of notice of termination of this Agreement the full Price for all Contracted Doses less amounts already paid to Pfizer as of such date.”)

[35] Ed Silverman, Pharma leaders shoot down WHO voluntary pool for patent rights on Covid-19 products, STAT (May 28 2020), https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/05/28/who-voluntary-pool-patents-pfizer/

[36] U.S. Backs Waiver of Intellectual Property Protection for Covid-19 Vaccines, Wall Street Journal (May 6 2021), https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-backs-waiver-of-intellectual-property-protection-for-covid-19-vaccines-11620243518

[37] WTO delays decision on waiver on COVID-19 drug, vaccine rights (Dec. 10 2020), https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-wto-idUSKBN28K2WL

[38] This extends to all civil claims, including adverse effects. That has been detailed elsewhere: Madlen Davies, Rosa Furneaux , Iván Ruiz , Jill Langlois, ‘Held to Ransom’: Pfizer Demands Governments Gamble with State Assets to Secure Vaccine Deal, Bureau of Investigative Journalism (Feb 23 2021), https://tinyurl.com/t2z39a63.

[39] Colombia Contract, footnote 7, Article 8.2 (Assumption of Defense), pg. 31.

[40] Pfizer signed the letter opposing the TRIPS waiver sent to President Biden in March, for example. PhRMA Letter Opposing TRIPS Waiver to President Biden (March 5 2021), https://patentdocs.typepad.com/files/2021-03-05-phrma-letter.pdf

[41] U.K. Contract, footnote 15, Article 23 (Dispute Resolution) pg. 36. (“The arbitration award shall be final and binding on the Parties, and the parties undertake to carry out any award without delay. Judgment upon the award may be entered by any court having jurisdiction of the award or having jurisdiction over the relevant party or its assets.”)

[42] Id.

[43] Article on Governing Law. Albania Draft Contract pg. 34, Brazil Contract pg. 45, Chile Contract pg. 29, Colombia Contract pg. 43, DR Contract pg. 17, Peru Contract pg. 9.

[44] Our analysis is limited by a lack of transparency.

[45] Arbitration Involving States and State Entities under the ICC Rules of Arbitration – Report of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2012), https://iccwbo.org/publication/arbitration-involving-states-state-entities-icc-rules-arbitration-report-icc-commission-arbitration-adr/, pg. 4.

[46] Arbitration Involving States and State Entities under the ICC Rules of Arbitration – Report of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2012), https://iccwbo.org/publication/arbitration-involving-states-state-entities-icc-rules-arbitration-report-icc-commission-arbitration-adr/, pg. 4.

[47] 194 state-owned entities were also involved. ICC Dispute Resolution 2020 Statistics, https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-dispute-resolution-statistics-2020/pg. 11. See also, an analogous mechanism known as investor-state dispute resolution, which is based on international law as opposed to contract: Global Trade Watch, Table of Foreign Investor-State Cases and Claims Under NAFTA and Other U.S. “Trade Deals” (Jan. 15 2021), https://www.citizen.org/article/table-of-foreign-investor-state-cases-and-claims-under-nafta-and-other-u-s-trade-deals/

[48] ICC Dispute Resolution 2020 Statistics, https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-dispute-resolution-statistics-2020/ pg. 17.

[49] United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 10 June 1958) (“Each Contracting State shall recognize arbitral awards as binding and enforce them in accordance with the rules of procedure of the territory where the award is relied upon, under the conditions laid down in the following articles.”)

[50] Article on Waiver of Sovereign Immunity. The language differs in some of the contracts. Brazil Contract, pg. 45, Chile Contract pg. 24, Colombia Contract pg. 36, DR Contract pg. 17, Peru Contract pg.  9.

[51] Id.

[52] Id.

[53] In the U.S., the governing statute is the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). 28 U.S.C § 1602. Sovereign property used for commercial activity can be used to execute a judgment based on an arbitral award if the state has waived immunity. Property belonging to an instrumentality of a foreign state engaged in commercial activity can also be used. 28 U.S.C § 1610. However, certain kinds of foreign sovereign property are absolutely immune from award attachment and execution. This includes property belonging to the foreign central bank or monetary authority and property used for military purposes. 28 U.S.C §1611.

[54] Under FSIA, this is known as “attachment prior to the entry of judgment” and can be done if the state waives this kind of immunity and “the purpose of the attachment is to secure satisfaction of a judgment that has been or may ultimately be entered against the foreign state.” 28 U.S.C § 1610

[55] Other jurisdictions may handle these questions differently, potentially exposing other types of sovereign assets. These assets may also be vulnerable in settlement negotiations.

[56] Albania Draft Contract, pg. 14. Brazil Contract, pg. 22. Colombia Contract, pg. 15.

[57] Pfizer Backs Down Over Unreasonable Terms in South Africa Vaccine Deal (April 19 2021), https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2021-04-19/pfizer-backs-down-over-asset-seizing-clause-in-south-africa-vaccine-deal.

[58] Id.

[59] Id.

[60] Colombia Contract, footnote 7, Article 8.5 (Privileges and Immunities), pg. 32. This includes but is not limited to funding state contractual contingency funds.

[61] Id.

CAVALLO DI TROIA DELL'ANTICO REGIME


 

CAVALLO DI TROIA DELL'ANTICO REGIME

 


US making it hard to admire democracy

 OPINION / VIEWPOINT

US making it hard to admire democracy
Published: Jan 20, 2021 09:56 PM
   

Weak democracy Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

My aunt Vincenzina was 101 when she died. When I was a boy growing up in Yonkers, New York, I was her favorite little one in our classic Italian American immigrant family. 

As a little girl in the early 1900s, she was a passenger on a steam ship for the long journey from Italy to have a dream come true: the dream of freedom and democracy, the dream of America. Imagine how many millions of exhausted immigrants after weeks of discomfort on the high seas across the vast Atlantic Ocean suddenly felt the elation, the joy, the rising of their spirits upon entering New York harbor and the sight of the magnificent Statue of Liberty. America! Beautiful America!

More than a century later, I will reveal an amazing story to you. The story of my son Vincent. His name in Italian is Vincenzo and I named him after our dear Aunt Vincenzina and all the love she gave me as a little boy growing up in Yonkers. 

In turn, I have since come to China 21 years ago and married into a Chinese family here in Northeast China's Shenyang. 

Believe it or not, our son is the very first child in over a century of the entire Italian immigrant Cavolo family to be born outside of the US; since those days of beautiful America.

The days of our beautiful America are gone. It is clear. It is sad, a travesty to everything America meant, a travesty to genuine freedom, a travesty to democracy. 

Thankfully, the original dream and vision of America still lives in the hearts and minds of many and let's not forget the simple reality it was based upon, to be free from the tyranny of a corrupt, unfair British government. 

If we take a moment to understand the true meaning of democracy and freedom, we can notice why more and more foreigners living in China are openly stating they have more true freedom in today's China than they do in today's US or European countries. I have heard these words from countless foreigners living here with their families, "We have more freedom here than we would back there in our home country." 

And so we must ask, "Why?" What happened to democracy and freedom in the US? On the surface, the answer seems incredibly complex, with pieces to the puzzle scattered across political divisions the worst we have ever witnessed in our lifetimes. The country is more divided and corrupt today than we have ever seen it. 

But I am here to remind you the answer is far simpler. The abandonment of your freedom, the abandonment of democracy whose noble intent was fairness, equality and representation for every person in the society was not rooted in left or right politics. It was not rooted in race wars nor religious divisions. All of those concerns are real but they are just surface noise underneath the ocean of truth where the US - the beautiful, worthy American experiment we have all admired - was simply hijacked by the wealthy. 

The decline of the US is the decline of its government and economic system. No more, and no less. It is no more than a case of greed, the formation of an oligarchy by the wealthy and powerful who somehow decided about 30 years ago that the greed of unbridled capitalism without the responsibility to the society in which we all live together was somehow OK. 

The politicians and bankers, those in charge of the big corporations and institutions, and regulators were corrupted in their lust for money and power, and steadily lost interest in their responsibility to the society as well as economic system within which they became wealthier and wealthier. 

The screams and protests grew louder. I first noticed them as a young man chatting with my dad in the mid 1990s. The country was changing, becoming more and more unfair. And if your wages are flat for 20 years, your freedom is certainly to become reduced. The powerful leaders in the corridors of Washington DC and the boardrooms of corporations knew it was happening. They were the ones causing it, themselves growing fatter and richer by the day. The democracy that so preciously allowed people to complain louder and louder was to no avail; the fake neoliberal democratic freedom of speech did nothing and changed nothing. 

As these decades wore on, the situation became worse and worse, the bright light of democracy and freedom growing dimmer and dimmer. 

After 21 years living here in China, I can tell you that Chinese democratic ideas are terrific. And when the government puts out policy surveys to find out what the people's interests, opinions, and needs are, they are being very democratic in doing so by taking care of the Chinese people. 

The Chinese government is surely not a two party democracy and yet, we can see that China is now the largest, safe, stable, and successful society and country on the planet. And that is because the central government system has done its job well. If the government, any government, including any democratic system of government, becomes hijacked by corruption and greed, the people suffer. That is what we have sadly been witnessing these past 20 years in the US.  

There are over 2,000 definitions of democracy, yet at its core the meaning is "rule by the people." But if I live within a pure democratic government within which I pay myself $50 million or even become worth billions while still paying my employees only minimum wage, that surely is unfair. 

By implication of this, I have created a society for all of those employees with far less democracy and freedom than I have for myself while I watch from offshore aboard my superyacht sipping expensive champagne. Government, whether central, parliamentary or democratic by structure, has a responsibility to every citizen of its country. 

And that is the failure we find at the root of the continuing decline of the US and the challenge it poses to the rest of the world.

The author is CEO of M Communications Group and a senior fellow of the Center for China & Globalization. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

ANDATEVENE TUTTI AD HAMMAMET A NUOTO!!! NON VI VOGLIAMO PIU' VEDERE IN ITALIA!!!

SMETTETE DI COMPRARE NEI SUPERMERCATI, SE ANCORA AVETE SOLDI - CERCHIAMO DI COLPIRE I POTENTATI ECONOMICI AL LORO CUORE COME LORO VOGLIONO COLPIRE NOI

CHI HA SOLDI IN BANCA, LI RITIRI - BLOCCHIAMO TUTTO IL SISTEMA!!! ADESSO!!!

CAVALLO DI TROIA DELL'ANTICO REGIME

 


CAVALLO DI TROIA DELL'ANTICO REGIME

 


CAVALLO TROIANO DELL'ANTICO REGIME

 


CAVALLO DI TROIA DELL'ANTICO REGIME

 


w.byoblu.com/diretta-tv/

w.byoblu.com/diretta-tv

CALL CENTER DI AMAZON, APPLE E UBER IMPONE AI DIPENDENTI DI INSTALLARE TELECAMERE NELLE LORO STANZE DA LETTO

 

CALL CENTER DI AMAZON, APPLE E UBER IMPONE AI DIPENDENTI DI INSTALLARE TELECAMERE NELLE LORO STANZE DA LETTO

CALL CENTER DI AMAZON, APPLE E UBER IMPONE AI DIPENDENTI DI INSTALLARE TELECAMERE NELLE LORO STANZE DA LETTO

Per alcuni lavorare da casa potrebbe avere degli aspetti positivi, ma non la pensano in questo modo i dipendenti della Teleperformance, la compagnia di call center che lavora per Amazon, Uber e Apple.

Ai lavoratori del call center è stato infatti imposto di installare delle telecamere gestite con l’intelligenza artificiale nelle loro stanze.

I dipendenti di Teleperformance lavorano da casa, non in ufficio e le telecamere sarebbero una palese violazione della privacy, cosa che all’azienda sembra non interessare, perché nel contratto sottoposto ai dipendenti è chiaramente scritto che:

A) il lavoratore è tenuto a installare le videocamere nella stanza dove lavora; B) deve permettere la registrazione di dati che riguardano anche i familiari del dipendente; C) i dipendenti devono sottoporsi anche al riconoscimento elettronico, tramite foto e impronte digitali.

Il contratto davvero singolare sarebbe stato inviato al 95% dei 39.000 dipendenti dell’azienda in Colombia, che evidentemente non sono rimasti positivamente colpiti.

Il contratto consente un monitoraggio costante di ciò che facciamo, ma anche delle nostre famiglie  – spiega un’operatrice colombiana –  non lavoriamo in un ufficio, ma nella camera da letto. Non voglio avere una videocamera nella mia camera da letto“.

Molti dei dipendenti che si trovano in Colombia servono il mercato europeo di lingua spagnola, questo significa che spesso lavorano di notte. Alcuni di loro riferiscono che, durante le ore notturne, l’unica stanza disponibile per lavorare è quella da letto, dove dormono altri componenti della famiglia. Le telecamere quindi si troverebbero a registrare video e audio delle stanze da letto.

Una chiara mancanza e violazione di privacy.

Mentre Amazon ha negato di aver chiesto a Teleperformance di monitorare i suoi dipendenti, Uber ha confermato di aver richiesto all’azienda di monitorare i lavoratori che gestiscono il suo account per verificare che solo i dipendenti autorizzati accedano ai dati privati e sensibili degli utenti, inclusi i dettagli della carta di credito e le informazioni sui viaggi. Non è stato richiesto alcun monitoraggio aggiuntivo, ha spiegato un portavoce.

Un rapporto dell’emittente NBC ha rilevato che il problema potrebbe potenzialmente interessare 240.000 dei circa 380.000 dipendenti di Teleperformance in 34 paesi.

La mossa della compagnia Teleperformance sarebbe una strategia comune all’interno delle aziende del settore. In pratica, da quando sono aumentati i lavoratori a distanza, le aziende stanno incrementando i metodi per aumentare il controllo sui lavoratori.

Teleperformance In Audizione Alla Camera: FUORI DALL'ITALIA CHI NON VUOLE RISPETTARE LA PRIVACY DEI LAVORATORI

 

Teleperformance In Audizione Alla Camera

Teleperformance Ã¨ stata ascoltata dalla Commissione Lavoro della Camera nell’ambito dell’indagine conoscitiva sui rapporti di lavoro presso i Call Center presenti sul territorio italiano.

Durante l’audizione pubblica, effettuata presso la XI Commissione Lavoro della Camera dei Deputati da parte di Teleperformance Italia, Gabriele Piva, General manager di Teleperformance, ha presentato una relazione, che rimarrà agli atti, per fornire un punto di vista da leader mondiale sulla situazione del settore in Italia.

Nel documento vengono segnalate le maggiori criticità del mercato:

  1. Gare pubbliche e private a cui molti degli outsourcer rispondono con “offerte al massimo ribasso” ovvero perfino al di sotto del costo del lavoro.
  2. Imposizione fiscale fortemente penalizzante (IRAP) dovuta anche in caso di perdita, applicata al costo del lavoro in un settore, tipicamente labor intensive, dove tale voce rappresenta il 75% del conto economico;
  3. Fondi Strutturali: queste società, seppure inquadrate come grande impresa, non possono quasi mai accedere ad Accordi di Programma (finanziamenti dei fondi strutturali) che richiedono investimenti pari ad almeno 10 milioni di Euro, sostenibili più da attività industriali che non di servizi;
  4. La formazione del personale operativo, costo spesso non riconosciuto dai committenti, sostenuto come investimento sul capitale umano sempre da parte degli outsourcer.
Nel documento vengono inoltre indicate una serie di soluzioni ed interventi:
  1. Modifica del Codice degli Appalti per quanto concerne le gare al massimo ribasso;
  2. Rimodulazione del sistema degli incentivi e Aiuti di Stato, evitando che vengano utilizzati in maniera speculativa nel breve periodo, senza generare occupazione stabile
  3. Maggiore flessibilità in uscita
  4. Maggiore sistematicità dei controlli dell’Ispettorato del lavoro al fine di far rispettare le norme vigenti;
  5. Costituzione di un Ente Terzo che certifichi criteri e procedure attraverso cui devono operare le società del settore, rispettando parametri di tempo, modalità di erogazione del servizio ed organizzative, con una Governance composta dalle associazioni datoriali, dalle parti sociali, dalle associazioni dei consumatori ed auspicabilmente una componente istituzionale;
  6. Verifica della pubblicazione dei Decreti Attuativi da parte del Ministero del Lavoro del Comma 22 delle Legge di Stabilità 2014, attesi entro 60 giorni dall’approvazione della Legge, che a fronte di un’iniziativa parlamentare ha previsto sgravi contributivi per sostenere l’occupazione pro-futuro nelle aziende “virtuose” del settore, ovvero le società che hanno effettuato le stabilizzazioni secondo i criteri previsti dalla Circolare 17/2007 del Ministero del Lavoro.
Potete scaricare il documento integrale qui

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