Trade Union Leader Attends WEF Protests In Davos

MEDIA ADVISORY

26 January 2001 For immediate release

TRADE UNION LEADER ATTENDS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM PROTESTS IN DAVOS

Trade Union Federation President Maxine Gay will be marking the last few days of the Federation by continuing to fight for those issues that have become her hallmark. She will be in Europe protesting at the effects of globalisation on the international working class and attending a conference on issues facing working women.

The Trade Union Federation winds-up on 31 January 2001 as the second to last step of the merger between TUF unions and Council of Trade Unions.

Maxine Gay arrives in Davos, Switzerland today to attend protests and a counter forum to the annual World Economic Forum. The WEF brings together international business leaders and politicians to promote the globalisation and free trade agenda. An Asia Pacific WEF in Melbourne last September saw tens of thousands of people demonstrating including Green MPs Sue Bradford and Nandor Tanczos.

The last Davos WEF in January 2000 saw major clashes between protesters and the police. This year protests have been officially banned in Davos but are still expected to take place.

Following Davos Maxine Gay will be attending a high powered international conference of women unionists, academics and Government officials on quality of life issues for working women and families. The conference will take place in Bellagio in northern Italy.

The conference has been organised by the Institute for Women and Work of Cornell University led by internationally acclaimed feminist writer Betty Freidan, author of “The Feminine Mystique”. Maxine Gay has been invited to attend the Bellagio conference following her speech to an American Human Rights in the Workplace conference also organised by Cornell University in October last year.

ENDS

Maxine Gay can be contacted in Davos at tel: +(41-81) 413 5644.

The counter forum is called “The Public Eye on Davos” and is organised by the “Berne Declaration” Group Tel +(41-1) 277 7006 Fax +(41-1)277 7001, E-mail: davos@evb.ch web: http://www.davos2001.ch

For further information: Robert Reid, tel: (04) 389 5399 (h), (04) 237 5062 (w)
(025) 276 9225 (m)

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