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Newly elected UNI Finance President Rita Berlofa joined in the UNI Apro Finance Steering Group meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 5th December 2015. She thanked all the steering group members from APRO region for supporting her candidature and said that she was delighted to attend the very first event, after her election in Kuala Lumpur. Rita explained the principles behind the UNI Finance social compact for sustainable finance which was adopted by the UNI Finance World Conference held in Antalya, Turkey in October 2015 to the steering group.  

UNI Apro Finance President Masakazu Tahara  proposed  that the steering group   recommends  the Social Compact  to the Regional Conference; as a model to incite banks to focus on their primary role to serve for the real economy as a guiding framework  in the region.  The 4th UNI Apro Regional conference held on 6-7 December 2015, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia resolved to promote and propagate the principles enshrined in the UNI Finance compact in the respective countries to reform and restructure the finance industry.    

In his opening remarks UNI Apro Regional Secretary Christopher Ng, outlined the challenges confronting the trade union movement with the numerous global and regional economic integration process are underway. Christopher was commenting on the TPPA consensus; and the ASEAN Economic Community’s emergence at the end of 2015. Regional Secretary cautioned about the existing deficiencies in understanding the developments taking place in the world of work, the absence of no rules to safeguard worker’s interest will further expedite the race to the bottom. 

Regional Director for UNI Apro Finance Jayasri Priyalal reported the steps taken to revive the ASEAN Bank Unions Council, in line with the stepping up of ASEAN economic integration process, and the highlights of the outcome of the ABUC conference held in Manila to address the challenges of financial integration. Priyalal said the need for a structured regional social dialogue process was pushed by UNI Apro Finance steering Group members during a tripartite workshop organized by ILO in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2015.  

Steering group members suggested that UNI Apro Finance  to increase awareness about the labour chapter referred in the TPPA amongst the trade unions and to facilitate inter union cooperation during the events coming up in 2016.Inaugural conference of the ASEAN Bank Unions Council (ABUC) and the South Asia Finance Unions Council (SAFSUC) conference are the two major events in the work plan agreed for 2016 by the steering group.

REF RELATED FILE: Full text of the UNI Finance Social Compact for Sustainable Finance