Global Unions - Global Business

FOUNDING CONGRESS OF
THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC)
Vienna, 1-3 November 2006

PLENARY PANEL II
“GLOBAL UNIONS - GLOBAL BUSINESS”
15.00 – 16.30, THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER

15.00 Introduction by Co-President of the Founding Congress
• Moderator (Mr. Aidan White, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists) introduces the four Panellists:
• Mr. Toolsyraj Benydin, President, National Trade Union Council, Mauritius
• Mr. Larry Cohen, President, Organising Committee of AFL-CIO, USA
• Ms. Anita Normark, Vice-Chair, Conference of the Global Union Federations and General Secretary, Building Workers’ International
• Mr. Brent Wilton, Deputy Secretary General, International Organisation of Employers (IOE)
15.05 Moderator begins the Debate with Congress
This is envisaged as a spontaneous debate. There will be no pre-prepared opening speeches. Instead, the moderator will seek to strike a balance between enabling as many Congress Delegates to take the floor as possible (leading him to gather a number of questions at a time, before turning to the panellists for responses) and directing one or more specific questions to one or other panellist in particular (including the possibility of questions from the moderator himself when following up on a panellist’s comment), with the objective of achieving the most interactive and stimulating debate possible.
16.17 Moderator calls on each of the four Panellists to make a closing remark
16.25 Closing Remarks by Co-President of the Founding Congress
16.30 End of Plenary Panel

Key Questions for Panel II “Global Unions – Global Business”
This panel gives Congress a chance to tackle a central component of the ITUC programme and of the new trade union internationalism – Global Unions and Global Business. It brings together leaders of the Global Union Federations (GUFs) which have key responsibilities in dealing with multinational enterprises, of international employers, and of national trade union organisations. Some of the key issues will be:
• Is there need for new trade union initiatives to internationalise our organising and bargaining strategies?
• If so how can the GUFs and the ITUC work together to meet that need?
• How do we link national and international strategies?
• Is international business ready to engage with trade unions internationally?
• What is the scope for positive relations between Global Unions and Global Business, and what are the limits?