Media Advisory - Opening Press Conference - Now the People -- From the Crisis
to Global Justice

Second World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation

    
    21 - 25 June 2010
    Vancouver Convention Centre
    1055 Canada Place
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    

VANCOUVER, June 19 /CNW/ -

    
    What?

    -   Press conference - opening of second International Trade Union
        Confederation World Congress
    -   The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) regroups 315 trade
        union national centers in 155 countries, representing 176 million
        workers worldwide.
    -   Trade union delegates from around the world, including many
        developing countries, discuss trade union priorities for next few
        years
    -   VIP speakers and panelists, including Dominique Strauss Kahn (IMF),
        Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), Pascal Lamy (WTO)

    When?

    -   Monday, June 21, 8.30am

    Where?

    -   Vancouver Convention Centre - Ballroom A, 1st floor

    Who?

    -   ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder
        (bio: http://www.ituc-csi.org/+-about-us-+.html )
    -   ITUC President Sharan Burrow
    -   Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti (Congress host)

    Why is this important?

    -   The theme of the congress is "Now the People: From Crisis to Global
        Justice."

        The Congress will discuss a number of issues critical to the global
        labour movement, including:

        -  labour's demands for restructuring and reform of the global
           economy with an emphasis on workers' rights
        -  migrant workers
        -  climate change and green jobs
        -  HIV-AIDS
        -  Election of a new ITUC General Secretary

    -   VIP Speakers and panelists expected at the Congress include
        -  Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International
           Monetary Fund (June 22)
        -  Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization
           (June 22)
        -  Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development
           Programme (June 22)
        -  Christina Kirchner, President of Argentina (speaking time tbc)

    -   One thousand delegates representing the whole ITUC membership will be
        present. Half the delegates are expected to be from developing
        countries on all continents, including Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico
        and Burma - countries where labour rights are regularly flouted, and
        trade unionists killed for exercising their rights to freedom of
        association

    -   A number of labour leaders involved in the June 2010 ITUC Congress
        will also participate at meetings with G8 and G20 political leaders
        in Ontario immediately following the ITUC Congress.

    For more details, please refer to

    -   Congress website: http://www.ituc-csi.org/+-congress-+.html
    -   Draft Congress program: http://tinyurl.com/ITUC-WC-programmeEN
    

Media accreditation for the Congress available on-site, or online here: http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?page=congresspressreg

For further information: ITUC Press Officer Mathieu Debroux (in Vancouver), tel: + 604 830 7704 or e-mail: [email protected]