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The letters were addressed to the UN Secretary General, the Prime Minister of the UK, as current chair of the G20, the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, as well as to the heads of the Financial Stability Forum (FSF), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).



In their letters, Philip Jennings, UNI Global Union General Secretary and the IOE General Secretary, Antonio Peñalosa, set out the conclusions of the Global Dialogue Forum on the Financial Crisis that was held within the framework of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) from 24 to 25 February 2009.



In particular, the trade union and employers’ representatives from the finance industry, as well as governments, emphasised that due account must be taken of the social and labour dimension in the international debate on improving the regulation of and stabilising financial markets.



The letters were addressed to the UN Secretary General as well as to the heads of the Financial Stability Forum (FSF), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).



At EU level, addressees were the President of the European Council, the Czech Prime Minister Topolánek, and the President of the European Commission, Barroso. A special letter was also sent to the British Prime Minister, Brown, as chair of the G20.



The letters read:



We would like to draw your attention to the Conclusions of the Global Dialogue forum on the Financial Crisis that was held within the framework of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) from 24 to 25 February 2009.



The Director General of the ILO will formally communicate the Conclusions to governments and the international organizations concerned.



In these Conclusions, trade union and employers’ representatives from the finance industry, as well as governments, emphasis that due account must be taken of the social and labour dimension in the International debate on improving the regulation of and stabilizing financial markets.



These conclusions highlight that "The Financial Stability Forum, the G20 and other forums are actively discussing ways to improve the regulation of and stabilize the financial markets to avoid the problems that have led to the current crisis. These reforms are likely to be far-reaching and international. They may affect the way in which all institutions and workers in the financial services sector operate. The ILO should be actively involved in these forums and ensure that this Global Dialogue Forum’s Conclusions are taken into account."



Trade unions, employers and governments also stress that in stabilizing the crisis, the reform process – including state aid and bail-outs – should take account of the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and other relevant ILO declarations and policies. Social dialogue plays a key role in mitigating the effects of the crisis and in finding possible solutions.



Yours sincerely,



Philip J. Jennings

General Secretary

UNI Global Union



Antonio Peñalosa

Secretary-General

International Organisation

of Employers