Catherwood LibraryILR School

G8 labor ministers began meetings Sunday in Rome to address the human cost of the current global economic crisis. The conference is set to last three days, and comes just shortly before Thursday's summit of 20 nations meets in London to consider the financial crisis. The labor officials hope to get a seat at the mostly finance-minister dominated G20 summit in order to promote labor concerns. With jobless and poverty percentages growing rapidly, labor leaders are more concerned with the effects of the unemployment crisis than the financial crisis ? a common sentiment among those losing jobs and homes while banks are bailed out, as evidenced by widespread protests across Europe and other regions.