On May 1, the global labor movement will launch an unprecedented public poster campaign in workplaces, union halls and government offices in 148 countries to press for the International Labor Organization’s “Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.”

The poster (shown at right) will display the rights of workers “to reject child labor, to refuse forced labor, to work free from discrimination and to organize and bargain collectively.” The ILO is an agency of the United Nations.

“In a very real sense, we are calling the question on child labor, forced labor, discrimination and freedom to form and join unions,” said AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.

The poster campaign will put a human face on the unrestrained globalization that continues to undermine conditions and standards for millions of workers around the world.

Discrimination and forced labor are major features of the economy in many countries, and 250 million children are trapped in child labor.

The campaign is an outgrowth of the historic Seattle confrontation over globalization between students and labor on one hand and the World Trade Organization. The labor movement says that in the global economy, human rights, worker rights and the environment should be protected right along with business interests.