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Trade union leaders satisfied with their "historical" meeting with Putin

01.01.70

Trade union leaders from the G8 countries are satisfied with their "historical" meeting with President Vladimir Putin, they said at a news conference on Thursday. John Evans, General Secretary of the Paris-based Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), said meetings [with the head of the G8 host country] were held every year, but this year's meeting with Putin could be described as historical. Evans said the meeting lasted 75 minutes, during which they discussed the trade union statement, in particular its three key sections on energy security, education and healthcare. He said the trade union leaders would closely monitor the implementation of the G8 summit results. John Sweeney, head of the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations, said the meeting embraced a broad range of issues. He said the trade union leaders drew Putin's attention to issues that should be put on the G8 agenda.

Sweeney said the Russian leader's concluding remarks largely answered the questions put to him at the meeting. Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said it was a very good meeting: practical, detailed and well organized. He said Putin had expressed understanding of and support for the role of trade unions in society and praised their contribution to the work of the G8. Ryder said the Russian president acknowledged the importance of working for the recognition of workers' rights worldwide. A consultative conference of leaders of international trade union organizations and national trade unions from the G8 countries was held in Moscow on July 5 and 6. They formulated a common stance on the key issues on the agenda of the St.. Petersburg G8 summit, notably energy security, education and healthcare, as well as the fundamental rights of workers and the issue of migration. The trade union leaders approved a statement calling on the G8 leaders to respect workers' rights and labor norms, and to adopt long-term strategies on energy security, the environment, and competition.

Expert opinion

Halter Marek

02.12.06

Halter Marek
Le College de France
Olivier Giscard d’Estaing

02.12.06

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing
COPAM, France
Mika Ohbayashi

02.12.06

Mika Ohbayashi
Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliñy
Bill Pace

02.12.06

Bill Pace
World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
Peter I. Hajnal

01.12.06

Peter I. Hajnal
Toronto University, G8 Research Group


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