Sharan Burrow: Opening speech to ITUC 2nd World Congress
Union Power - Global Justice
Four years ago we met and took an historic decision to build a new international organisation a new internationalism. Delegates came to Vienna give birth to the ITUC; to strengthened global unionism.
Our commitment was to a new internationalism to tackle poverty, unemployment, violations of human and trade union rights and the power of corporate globalisation; an exploitative globalisation that was driving a crisis in food security, precarious employment, and the increase in the informal economy.
We also recognised the need for union influence in other areas such as action on climate change – in short we committed to the ITUC with renewed determination to deal with all areas of growing inequity and insecurity.
We warned then of the challenges of creating employment, of economic migration, of the declining wage share relative to corporate profits, of social exclusion, and of an unfair trading system.
Sadly we were right and the global imbalances evident then were only set to deepen as the world was plunged into the Global Financial Crisis, a crisis created by extreme corporate greed and weak regulation on behalf of governments, too often captured by the power of the boardrooms.
From crisis to global justice: this journey we are committed to requires an economic and social transformation that means putting people first. Hence our theme: “Now the people”.
Four years ago we met and took an historic decision to build a new international organisation a new internationalism. Delegates came to Vienna give birth to the ITUC; to strengthened global unionism.
Our commitment was to a new internationalism to tackle poverty, unemployment, violations of human and trade union rights and the power of corporate globalisation; an exploitative globalisation that was driving a crisis in food security, precarious employment, and the increase in the informal economy.
We also recognised the need for union influence in other areas such as action on climate change – in short we committed to the ITUC with renewed determination to deal with all areas of growing inequity and insecurity.
We warned then of the challenges of creating employment, of economic migration, of the declining wage share relative to corporate profits, of social exclusion, and of an unfair trading system.
Sadly we were right and the global imbalances evident then were only set to deepen as the world was plunged into the Global Financial Crisis, a crisis created by extreme corporate greed and weak regulation on behalf of governments, too often captured by the power of the boardrooms.
From crisis to global justice: this journey we are committed to requires an economic and social transformation that means putting people first. Hence our theme: “Now the people”.
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