Global Deal side event at the International Labour Conference

 

30 May 2018, Geneva, Switzerland – In the margins of the International Labour Conference a presentation of the recently launched Global Deal Flagship Report was organized at the Palais des Nations. The meeting was well-attended with interesting speakers, namely Mr. Kris Peeters, the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy and Consumer Affairs, Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr. Philip Jennings, General Secretary of the UNI Global Union and Mr. Bruno Pluchet, Deputy Head of Group Industrial Relations, Solvay.

 

The speakers all expressed their support for the Global Deal and stressed the importance of an initiative that is gathering forces within a rich partnership and putting focus on social dialogue in a constructive and positive way. The ILO Director-General Guy Ryder briefly presented the content and role of the Flagship Report and the Belgian Minister Kris Peeters underlined how important it is to mitigate growing inequalities and the role that social dialogue can play in this regard. He also made a call to all those who haven´t joined the Global Deal yet to “get onboard”. Mr. Philip Jennings of the UNI Global Union voiced a clear message about how doing the right thing is good for business and that Global Deal is about getting things done in a constructive way. Finally, from the business side, Mr. Bruno Pluchet from Solvay mentioned that the title of the Flagship Report “Building Trust in a Changing World of Work“ described the day to day work of the company.

 

"It was very natural for Solvay to join the Global Deal because we strongly believe in the importance of social dialogue for the company's performance," said Mr. Pluchet.

 

The discussion was moderated by Ms. Sofia Östmark, Ambassador and Coordinator for the Global Deal from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sweden. Organizers were the Permanent Missions of Belgium and Sweden to the United Nation Offices, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva.