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The Carrefour Global Alliance Meeting was held on October 20th  and  21st at UNI Global Union's head office  in Nyon, Switzerland.  The meeting was attended by union representatives from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey.

The opening ceremony was led by Alke Boessiger, Head of UNI Global Commerce, who gave a warm welcome to all participants and reported on the activities and progress achieved since the last Alliance meeting in 2014.

She also highlighted the new international agreement reached between UNI Global Union and Carrefour, signed in September this year, and the steps that will lead to its implementation.

"We achieved an agreement which promotes social dialogue, diversity and respect for the rights of the workers. This is the start of a new stage that improves the quality of life of workers" she said.

Philip Jennings, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, affirmed the importance of this new agreement that replaces that of 2001.

"With this new agreement, which strengthens the rights of workers and promotes equal opportunities, we are entering a new era," he said.

Participants worked in groups to elaborate strategies and an action plan based on the problems faced by the unions, to present to the Director of Social Relations at Carrefour, Jean-Luc Delenne who was present on the second day of the meeting.

During the event various issues were discussed, such as freedom of association, creating grassroots delegates, empowering women, and equal opportunities in the sector.

The representatives of European unions said that the crisis they have been facing in recent years has had a direct impact on each and every worker, and has been used by the business sector as an excuse to reduce and even eliminate the labour rights achieved.

Moreover, representatives of the union "Sindicato dos Comerciários of São Paulo" of Brazil mentioned the difficulties experienced by workers in the country due to the company's anti-union practices. Some of the current claims of this union include: respect for weekly rest and and payment for their children's day care.

Participants resolved to continue working on all the problems raised in order to prepare an action plan.