News

Following the release of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, Philip Jennings, General Secretary of UNI Global Union made these comments:

“Many of the Global Competitiveness Report top performers, including the Nordics, understand the true value of having a strong social dimension to their economy. They are competitive because they place a high value on the unionisation of the work force and collective bargaining, not despite of it. "

On United States drop:

"The United States has dropped down to 7th place and is hurting. There is a growing divide between the 99% and the super rich, built on the stagnating wages of a generation and the irresponsible behaviour of the bankers who speculated rather than invested in real wealth and jobs. This jobs’ deficit is being fuelled by anti-union behaviour and the collapse of collective bargaining. We need a more inclusive society. Short-termism led by unscrupulous Wall Street bankers and lack of job security are holding the US economy back. If the US wants to top the competitiveness rankings and create an environment for sustainable growth it must address the twin peaks of banker greed and the threat to workers’ rights."

On performance of European countries:

"The report shows that in Europe the north-south divide is widening with the southern European countries languishing far behind their northern neighbours and Greece close to dropping out of the top 100. We now have a two tier Europe with the southern countries, especially Greece, being further undermined by the inflexibility of the Troika. Europe has to pull together. The northern European countries cannot distance themselves from the pain of Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. This week Moody's put the whole of the EU bloc's AAA credit rating on a negative alert. Europe has to recognise that we are in it together and only a recovery plan for the whole of the region will pull us out of the crisis."