Luc Cortebeeck, President of the Workers'Group

ACTRAV INFO: The 325th Session of the ILO’s Governing Body has just finished. What’s your assessment of this meeting of the Governing Body?


Luc Cortebeeck: I think this session of the Governing Body was the most interesting and the most successful since 2011, which is when I took up my position as President of the Workers’ Group and Vice-President of the Governing Body. We got some very important results at this session.

For example, the problem of violence against women and men in the world of work was discussed, and has been put on the agenda of the International Labour Conference for 2018, with a view to normative action. Today, many men and women suffer violence at their place of work; that’s why it’s necessary for ILO to have both a convention and a recommendation to regulate this issue. We are not there yet, but we’ve made a good start.

Then, the evaluation of the impact of the Declaration on Social Justice (2008) will be tackled by the Conference in June 2016; this could fall within the scope of preparations for the ILO centenary in 2019. The centenary will be the opportunity to discuss the future of ILO, of the world of work in general and the future of labour rights, of social dialogue, the role of the social partners and of the trade unions in particular.

We discussed issues relating to violations of labour rights in certain countries, and got some positive results. After the discussions on the situation of workers in Qatar, a member of the Employers’ Group said to me at this session “at this session of the Governing Body, we got the sense that ILO has a conscience”. That shows that the key to success, without forgetting the role of governments, also depends on good negotiation and frank dialogue with the Employers.

ACTRAV INFO: Several complaints concerning respect of labour rights were discussed at this session. What’s your assessment of the Governing Body’s decisions regarding the cases of Qatar, Myanmar, Fiji and Guatemala?

So far as Qatar is concerned, a high-level tripartite mission is to be sent to the country, in accordance with the decision of the Governing Body. For the record, the members of the Governing Body voted 35 in favour and 13 against with 7 abstentions to send the tripartite mission. There hasn’t been a vote in the Governing Body since 2001. Qatar did everything it could to avoid a vote on whether to send the mission but the Governing Body decided otherwise. In March 2016, the Governing Body is going to consider the case of Qatar again, but it will depend on the conclusions of the mission, if the government agrees to allow it. Otherwise the decision on a ‘Commission of Inquiry’ under article 26 of the Constitution becomes almost inevitable. I think that’s a strong signal sent by the world, well represented in the ILO Governing Body, to the Qatari Government, in the face of the violations of workers’ rights: forced labour and modern forms of slavery.

On Myanmar, the Governing Body decided to extend the activities of the International Labour Office in the country, which were due to have ended in December 2015. The aim is to protect and strengthen the progress made in Myanmar with regard to combating forced labour, freedom of association and the right to organize, social dialogue and the protection of workers’ rights. In extending the activities until March 2016, the aim is to redefine ILO’s support, in consultation with the new government that is being formed, in order to achieve these objectives. There is still much to be done in Myanmar.

In regard to the Fiji Islands, the situation is different because the tripartite agreement signed by the government and the social partners was not applied by the country’s authorities. Consequently, a tripartite high-level mission is to be sent to Fiji before next March. For years, the trade unions in the country, FTUC, have had lots of problems with freedom of association and collective bargaining and we are demanding that the situation now improves very quickly. The Government has given its consent for the mission and above all must execute the agreement that it signed with the trade unions and employers organization last March. If there is not a change of attitude by this Government, then for Fiji too, we are not far from a decision on a Commission of Inquiry under article 26 of the ILO Constitution.

Lastly, so far as Guatemala is concerned, the Governing Body decided to extend the activities of the special office of the ILO in the country, in collaboration with the new Guatemalan authorities, to strengthen freedom of association and the right to organize. The mandate of the Special Representative of the ILO Director-General will be spelled out in order that effective measures are taken by the new government to protect workers’ rights. More than 70 trade union leaders have already lost their lives in Guatemala and a radical change of policy by the government is needed in order that workers’ rights, freedom of expression and trade union freedoms are protected.

ACTRAV INFO: One of the items on the agenda at this Session was the global refugee crisis and its implications for the labour market. What measures does the Workers’ Group plan on taking in response to this crisis?

I think this global refugee crisis is the worst since the end of the second world war, because every country is being affected in some way by this migratory phenomenon. Naturally, this is a serious humanitarian crisis and we believe that the international community and States have an important role to play in ending and preventing conflicts. So far as ILO is concerned, the refugee question poses itself in terms of the challenges involved in the employment of these displaced persons. Many refugees have diplomas or qualifications, and we have to think about their integration into the labour market in their host country.

I think every government needs to reflect with the social partners on possible solutions for integrating displaced persons into the world of work: access to employment and to social protection is one of the paths to integration and this experience could serve as a springboard for their eventual return, if peace is restored in their country of origin.