As business leaders and heads of state gather in Davos for the World Economic Forum which begins today, the TUC says issues on the agenda like inequality and employment need a greater range of voices around the table.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, who is attending the Forum as part of a small international contingent of trade union leaders, said: “Just one per cent of the global population owns half the world’s wealth, so we need some voices at Davos to speak up for the other 99 per cent. That’s why I’m here as part of a delegation of international trade union leaders.

“If Davos is a closed shop for the wealthy and powerful elites who caused today’s global inequality, it won’t come up with the answers needed for a more fair and prosperous future for all the world’s workers and their families.

“We need to get living wages and the protection of public services onto the agenda. And we need the business leaders attending to commit to cleaning up supply chains, paying their taxes and investing in decent jobs instead of the casino capitalism that caused the crash.”