Trade union leaders gathering at the XIV Asia Pacific Labour Network Conference, taking place in Lima (Peru) on 27-28 of October, have called for a far-reaching reorientation of the policies of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
APEC leaders must take a leadership role in tackling the social consequences of the current global financial turmoil. “We are living a global financial crisis that may leave at least 20 million additional people unemployed by next year, according to the ILO,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. ” APEC must broaden its scope away from trade and investment liberalisation in order to deal with the economic and social realities of the people of the region. Equally, APEC leaders must take a leadership role in tackling the social consequences of the current global financial turmoil.”
continue reading