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International trade unions back Annan on globalisation

UNITED NATIONS: International trade unionists voiced support on Thursday for UN efforts to persuade big companies to adopt global norms on human rights, labour laws and the environment.

In a joint statement with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, the labour leaders said global markets "require global rules".

They added: "Markets do not exist in a vacuum. National markets are held together by shared values that balance the objectives of market efficiency with the imperative of social justice".

The statement followed a meeting between Annan and a delegation led by Bill Jordan, the general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICTFU), a body representing 125 million workers.

The statement endorsed a call made by Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 31 last year for a Global Compact with big business. The compact urged businesses to enact nine principles for ethical business practices.

These included: supporting human rights and the freedom of association and collective bargaining of workers; eliminating discrimination in the workplace, forced labour and child labour; taking a precautionary approach to environmental problems, and encouraging the development and use of environmentally friendly technologies.

The principles were derived from earlier international conventions and UN summit declarations. AFP