Labour Leaders at the
WSF Porto Alegre and WEF Davos: "Democratising Globalisation: A World with Peace, Jobs, Rights and Social Justice"

NEW:
UNI's webpage on
Outsourcing & Offshoring

WTO - GATS - TRADE
"UNI unions must wade in"
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has profound implications for workers in all services. The trade-union objective is to reform the WTO and the functioning of GATS

NEWS World Bank takes major step on labour standards 14.12.06 Labour Conference call for global standards 13.06.2006

The local effectiveness and activities of unions have been increasingly impacted by changes in the world economy. Over the past two decades, changes in international business have underscored the need for the labour movement to understand the increase in globalisation, and to develop a co-ordinated approach to this continuing, seemingly irreversible trend.
The operations of multinational corporations are central to economic globalisation. UNI’s aim to improve social responsibility of business must now move to workers’ capital.

There is an urgent need to re-write the rules of globalisation, to make it work for people and not just for the record profits generated by the rapid rise of multinationals. UNI has already initiated a number of activities to counter the negative effects of multinationals.

• UNI Multinational Union Alliances. The establishment of multinational union alliances to bring together all the UNI affiliates to provide a co-ordinated response to multinationals.

• UNI Regional and Global Councils. The establishment of worker representation in business decision making through Works Councils.

• Development of Codes of Conduct/Operating protocols/operating principles.

• Co-operation with the TUAC to ensure that the OECD develop and implement new and sustainable Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

• UNI and workers’ capital. The researching and the development of a paper on union and workers’ pension funds and the role they can play in influencing multinational companies, titled "An International Strategy for Union Pension Investment", April 2000, UNI.

• Research and publication of reports and papers on multinational companies and mergers & acquisitions.

• Development of databases and publication of data and information on UNI web pages.

• UNI solidarity. A commitment to provide solidarity support within 24 hours.

• Campaigns in respect of specific multinational companies, for example the campaign to gain union recognition at the Cable & Wireless company.

• Targeted union recruitment in multinational companies.

• World Economic Forum - World Social Forum New York and Porto Alegre

• Global Compact of shared values and principles aimed at giving a human face to the global market

• ILO UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights

• OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

• TUAC Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD

• UNHCHR United Nations High Commission for Human Rights

• World Bank is an international financial institution, owned by its 181 member-governments

• WTO-GATS General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, signed by all WTO (World Trade Organisation)
                           member countries