Global economy should spread wealth, Vatican official tells ILO

( June 14,2006) The globalization of the economy should be accompanied by a more equitable distribution of resources, a Vatican diplomat told the International Labor Organization - ILO at a meeting in Geneva . Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the permanent observer for the Holy See at the ILO, spoke at the group's 95th session, which is devoted to the dignity of workers. The session began May 31 and will continue through June 16. Globalization has yielded great economic benefits, the archbishop said, but those benefits have produced "growing disparities between among and within countries." In some cases, he added, the process of globalization has blocked access to work and to international financial markets for certain developing countries and their peoples. Despite the growth of the world economy, Archbishop Tomasi said, far too many people remain unable to find decent work, and many more are exploited at substandard wages. He observed with concern that there are 270 million accidents on the job each year, resulting in 5,000 deaths every day and leaving 160 million people ill or injured. Employers must recognize, he said, that a "safe and healthy working environment" is an essential part of dignified labour.