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On the 1st of August, general secretary of UNI Global Union, Philip Jennings, made the keynote speech at the Swiss national day festivities in Nyon.

In a wide-ranging speech, Jennings told the Nyon crowd, “Today we celebrate the 1st of August, rather than the 1st of May, but my message is still the same – together, we are stronger.”

“UNI Global Union moved to Nyon in 2000. We love this town, and are honoured to call it our home. In an increasingly disturbing world, do not lose sight of how wonderful this town is.”

“The message of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in 1291 still resonates today – together, we are stronger.”

“When Winston Churchill visited the Domaine de Choisi in 1946, he wrote his own contemporary version of the Rütli Oath. A united Europe – together, we are stronger. In Zurich, Churchill laid out his vision for a United States of Europe.”

“My message today is: if we forget the errors of the past, we are doomed to repeat them.”

“The result of the Brexit referendum shocked the world and has plunged us into the spiral of economic turbulence.  This protest vote - nourished by hate, xenophobia and rage against a political elite which ignores the needs of the people - shows the risks of division.”

“We live in a difficult time, but we must be wary of populism, reject hate and reject terror. Let us instead focus on the strong points of Switzerland – peace, democracy, humanity, unity.”