Call to better inform society of free trade’s benefits

Business people and politicians should highlight the benefits of free trade to society as a whole, according to Niall FitzGerald, the Irishman who used to lead household products giant Unilever.

Speaking at a British-Irish Chamber of Commerce council meeting in London, Mr Fitzgerald warned that society should be concerned when people blame trade for people being less well-off. Addressing the growth of isolationism, he argued that politicians should distribute the benefits of trade fairly while businesses should listen to people’s concerns to rebuild trust.

“When people don’t believe that the ability to work for a firm which does business beyond its locality is something that makes them better-off, not worse, it’s as much a challenge to business as to our politicians and we have to work together to deliver the answers people seek,” he said.

“When trust in business is only 30 per cent among lowest-income groups, that’s not just a problem for them, it’s an even bigger problem for us. So we better listen up and not just speak out.”