Call for global union lobby on worldwide financial crisis

29 October 2008

The ITF’s executive board has urged global union leaders to spearhead a campaign of action to demand that international financial institutions protect the world’s most vulnerable workers. 

The executive board, which met on 23-24 October in London, UK, issued a statement on the global economic crisis, calling for a concerted campaign to be launched at a summit of global union leaders. The campaign would support the establishment of a new financial system. It would also call for institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization to include social protection for the most vulnerable on their agenda.

Greater use of “workers’ capital” mechanisms should also be made; this would ensure that workers’ representatives play a major role in controlling the assets accumulated in pension schemes and other funds, which form the basis of the financial system. It was agreed that the ITF and its global union partners needed to develop strategies to take forward these objectives by working with trade unions, civil society as well as other organisations that defend workers’ interests.

During the meeting, the board also issued a statement condemning violent politically motivated attacks carried out against Valentina Tzvetkova, Federal Secretary for Air Transport in FTW Podkrepa and Ekaterina Yordanova, President of the ITF- and ETF-affiliated Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria, executive committee member of the Confederation of the Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and a Sofia City Council member.

In addition, the theme of the ITF’s next congress in Mexico in 2010 was discussed, including the possibility of reflecting growing concerns regarding climate change and sustainable transport. A final decision on the theme is set to be made during the ITF executive board meeting in April next year.

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