17 June, 2010Two Global Union Federations (GUFs) representing a combined 45 million workers will conduct a two-day conference on economic, environment, and social dimensions of sustainability in Toronto beginning tomorrow, aimed at forging a worldwide workers' and communities' declaration for the upcoming G8 and G20 summits.
GLOBAL: The "Triple Crisis of Sustainability" Conference is sponsored by Geneva, Switzerland-based International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers' Union (ICEM) and International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), and will include voices from 270 trade union and other leaders from over 50 countries.
The conference runs from 9h00 to 17h30 on both 18 and 19 June in the Dominion Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West.
"The financial crisis that brought the world's economy to its knees needs correcting and it needs the resonating voices of those most affected by runaway greed and banking calamities," said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. "Environmental catastrophes, monetary disparities, and destabilized societies all have related origins, and this is the pivotal time for the world's economic and political leaders to correct the imbalances."
Added Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IMF: "The uncertainties that workers and their families face is now unprecedented. We want guarantees that the G8 and G20 summits address the legitimate concerns of workers for social justice and long-term, sustainable employment, and include the introduction of a global tax on financial institutions."
The two GUFs believe that the crises of failing economies, environmental inaction, and social disorder are interconnected. ICEM and IMF also believe these crises have been produced by absence of global financial and environmental regulations, as well as inept financial governance of markets. The conference will ensure that the voices of global workers are heard on these issues before the G8 and G20 summits convene.
Jobs, workers' rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability - both on environmental stewardship and in providing decent work - will serve as the heart of a common declaration from the conference to the G8 and G20.
A keynote speech on 18 June will be delivered by United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, whose union has been victimized by the merciless globalization and one of the world's largest and most profitable mining companies in Ontario. A panel on the opening day will address the economic crisis.
Other panels will be on topics of sustainable development and climate change, and on corporate governance. On the concluding day, 19 June, David Donnelly, a leading environmental attorney connected with Canada's Blue-Green Alliance, will speak, as will John Evans, the General-Secretary of the Paris-based Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The conference's programme has been built to allow for maximum comments from the 250 participants in order to gain a wide-ranging discourse over the effects of the social, environmental, and economic crises.
The ICEM counts 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries, and represents 20 million workers. The IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries.
For more, contact: Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer on-site at [email protected], +41 79 734 8994 (mobile); or Alexander Ivanou, IMF Communications, [email protected], +41 22 308 5033 (land line).