News

The UNI Head Office is to host the latest edition of the “What’s Next?” public forum which takes place in Nyon on 1st October 2015.

The theme for this year’s event is Global Economy – Local Commerce and it will examine the impact of new forms of business on local high streets and shopping centres.

New consumption patterns arising with the development of e-commerce are not only impacting the retail sector. Global companies such as Air BnB and Uber show are changing the face of local business. The forum will debate how local authorities and businesses can help town centres and local companies prosper in the changing high-street setting.

UNI is the global union representing retail workers in 150 countries worldwide. The digitalization of the economy is reshaping the commerce sector and its labour market. There are now 30 million people working in the commerce sector, or one worker out of seven in Europe. General Secretary Philip Jennings said “The commerce sector is going through major transformations related to rising inequalities, climate change and digitalization and we want to make sure that workers have a seat at the table to discuss and plan this new global transformation.”

Nyon mayor Daniel Rosselat, said “The state should be responsible for levelling off the playing field and regulating the commerce sector to foster innovation but also protection for local businesses in the face of globalization. What we can do at local level is to foster a vibrant and lively city.”

The “What’s Next?” forum was created by UNI Global Union in 2010 to mark the 10th anniversary of the organisation’s presence in Nyon. Among the speakers at this year’s event will be Harry Allegrezza, Director of Marketing at the Swiss supermarket Migros and Elâ Borschberg, co-founder of Ta Cave, an innovative new restaurant located in Lausanne.