Swiss parliamentarians join calls for better working standards

Anne Catherine Menétrey who gave a final address at the World Social Forum on behalf of the Swiss delegation Keystone

Swiss parliamentarians attending the World Social Forum in Porte Alegre, Brazil, have added their voice to a charter calling for minimum standards for workers. The meeting was set up as an alternative to World Economic Forum summit in Davos.

The Swiss delegation of seven parliamentarians joined nearly 400 delegates from 35 countries in approving the charter, which calls for sustainable development and a greater level of social responsibility from big business.
Valérie Garbani, the Social Democrat MP for Neuchâtel told swissinfo that the charter summed up perfectly what the Swiss delegation had hoped to achieve.

She added that all delegates had shown a willingness to put political issues above purely economic concerns.

The charter calls for a number of reforms including more transparency in corporations’ business dealings and a minimum wage to guarantee an acceptable standard of living for all workers.

Anne Catherine Menétrey, a green from canton Vaud, told swissinfo that “the principles adopted in Porte Alegre are the same as those we are fighting for in Switzerland”.

The summit in Porte Alegre was set up as an alternative to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos.

swisssinfo