In a tripartite declaration, the Governing Body emphasized the importance of social dialogue as an essential element in the response to the crisis. On behalf of the Workers’ Group, what is your message to the trade unions, especially in Europe, that have been hit by precarious employment and austerity measures?
Luc Cortebeeck: In 2008, the Governing Body issued a first tripartite declaration at the onset of the crisis. We in the Workers’ Group felt we couldn’t let this 316th Governing Body pass without saying something about this crisis and the way it has developed. So this declaration is a call to all the economic decision-makers, employers and governments, as well as the unions. I think what we have to do, as in the case of Greece which was discussed at this session, is to send out a call for social dialogue. Without that, there’s no way we can solve the problems caused by the crisis. So we must find solutions that are not just bound up with austerity measures, which are killing off the economy and employment. Rather, we should be moving towards negotiation and social dialogue, with employer involvement, so we can take fresh initiatives and have more jobs for the workers. We should opt for measures that foster sustainable growth. I know it’s not easy, but it’s up to each country and each trade union organization to find its own way. As far as the unions are concerned, they’ve been out demonstrating in the streets and I think they must go on protesting, but we also need to think about the strategy to be adopted by each union. Today, Europe is taking quite a battering and I think social dialogue is a vital step, even in the countries where the situation is difficult. And that’s the call that the Governing Body wanted to send out.
The youth employment crisis was discussed during this session. What measures does the Workers’ Group want to see taken to tackle this challenge?
Luc Cortebeeck: The classic measures like education and training are important, but they’re not enough on their own. Because after young people have been trained, if they can’t find jobs, that’s a problem. So we need investment in jobs, long-term infrastructure and macroeconomic measures. These measures can help both Europe and the emerging countries to end the austerity measures that are leading us in the wrong direction.
Workers’ social protection is one of the challenges that are also facing the countries of the South. What’s your position on that?
Luc Cortebeeck: A social protection floor is very important, but it’s not enough. I think that every country has the wherewithal to pay for workers’ social protection. I think the poor countries can raise funding through the World Bank and the regional investment banks in order to build their social protection systems. I think the major role of job creation needs to be stressed and I hope that, at the International Labour Conference in 2014, we will have the opportunity to discuss the informal economy, which needs to be formalized in order to facilitate the creation of a social protection floor. I think the developing countries must not suffer any more from the effects of the crisis that already exists in certain countries. I think the ILO Conventions provide us with certain means of tackling these challenges. Bear in mind that the social protection floor is also supported by other United Nations bodies. We in the Workers’ Group hope that, if the ILO works together with the other organizations, we will manage to find ways of putting that social protection floor in place.
Turning to international labour standards, the ILO now has 189 Conventions and 202 Recommendations. In your view, do States need to make an effort to strengthen the ratification and application of the international labour standards?
Luc Cortebeeck: Yes! Of course, the ILO has its monitoring and supervision mechanisms, but I think we must all take responsibility, including the unions. I think it isn't just a matter of asking the ILO to get these Conventions applied. The unions must also do everything they can in their countries to influence politicians, talk to them and ask them to shoulder their responsibility of ensuring that the international labour standards are applied. We trade unionists have our part to play in getting the international labour standards applied. Today, there are countries that have ratified Conventions. That’s a good thing, but they also have to build them into their national legislation and see to it that the international labour standards are applied.
Finally, how do see the ILO’s role on the international scene, with its new management team led by Guy Ryder?
Luc Cortebeeck: I think the internal restructuring within the ILO is headed in the right direction towards strengthening our Organization. Today, the ILO has a role that goes far beyond Geneva, in particular at the level of the world’s different countries and regions. In view of the crisis, we have to see how we can persuade the countries that are affected to launch a social dialogue. There, I think the ILO has an active part to play in strengthening social dialogue within countries. I also think the Organization’s participation in all the world-level debates and the G20 is important. In December, there’ll be an important meeting in Moscow on decent work, as well as the ILO European Regional Meeting in Oslo. I think the ILO’s work with the other UN agencies, the OECD, the IMF, the World Bank, the regional banks etc. is important, to ensure that the various international agreements always take account of the international labour standards. States must be able to respect the international labour standards. The ILO has already put a lot of effort into this over recent years, but I think we can still go on moving things forward. In 1919, when the ILO was founded, its constituents felt that, in order to achieve world peace, people had to live well and live socially and that was why the three parties were needed: governments, employers and workers. So we must strengthen that tripartism and social dialogue, even in the countries that are facing difficulties. It’s through social dialogue and tripartism that problems at the level of the states can be solved.
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