Brussels, 31/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The new International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is to be created in Vienna on 1 November. It will be composed of former organisations affiliated to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), which were dissolved this week, as well as eight other national trade union organisations that have never before had any affiliation at international level. An ICFTU press release states that the new organisation will be better able to raise the challenge of globalisation in that it revives the energy and hopes of the international trade union movement. The creation of the ITUC will strengthen the ability of the trade union movement at both national and international level, said Guy Ryder, former Secretary General of ICFTU and candidate for the post of ITUC general secretary. “Thus reinforced, we shall have more influence over enterprise, governments and international financial institutions. The founding of the ITUC is an integral part of the process of trade union unification”, he added. ITUC will be an effective counter-weight within a society that has seen great changes but which has also seen workers' rights flouted under the pressure of globalisation, said Willy Thys, former WCL General Secretary. ITUC will represent 166 million workers in 309 affiliated organisations in 166 countries and territories. http: /: www;icftu.org. (hb)