Members from South Korean and international labour unions will gather in Seoul this week ahead of the G-20 summit to present their own alternative solutions to global economic and social concerns, their members said Monday.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) said it will hold the "Trade Union G-20 Summit" in Seoul from Wednesday to Thursday, bringing together top-level union officials from ITUC, the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD and two South Korean umbrella labour unions.
The ITUC, the world's largest labour organization representing 176 million workers in 151 countries, will adopt a "Seoul declaration" that calls for the G-20 leaders to actively tackle unemployment issues, organizers said.
The meeting comes ahead of the summit of leaders from leading and emerging economies Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday, ITUC President Michael Sommer and Secretary General Sharan Burrow will meet with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak and Labour Minister Bahk Jae-wan to deliver their messages regarding labour policy.
Representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) will hold talks with union leaders from Brazil, South Africa and Argentina at an open forum on Tuesday. They will also meet with leaders of the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday to talk about how expanding free trade agreements around the world jeopardize farmers' livelihoods.
Separately, a confederation of South Korean civic groups has designated Nov. 6-12 as a "week of action" to raise public awareness about the negative effects of G-20 goals through street rallies, demonstrations and conferences.
For the "People's Summit," the confederation and international activists gathered on Monday at Sogang University in Seoul and planned to rally in front of Seoul Station downtown.