Events and meetings

March 2012

1. Addressing Labour Issues in Aquaculture, Shrimp and Seafood Processing Sectors in Thailand - Role of the Department of Fisheries A Joint-Initiative DOF-ILO-IPEC

   16 March 2012, Bangkok, Thailand

   The IPEC-Thailand project is organizing a 1-day workshop in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The workshop intends to address labour and workers' welfare issues in the aquaculture, shrimp and seafood processing sectors in the country. In details the workshop aims to: 1) Inform and engage with key officials in the DOF on labour issues including child labour, forced labour and more generally on working conditions in the aquaculture, shrimp and seafood sectors. 2) Create interlinks and synergies among different departments and programmes of DOF towards successfully working with other programme partners on issues related to labour and welfare in the aquaculture, shrimp and seafood processing sectors. 3) Brainstorm on the components of the Good Labour Management Practice system and to assess best implementation mechanism for the programme.

2. Meeting of Stakeholders to develop the Municipal Solid Waste Management sector in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.

   15 March 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka

   Key stakeholders of the Municipal Solid Waste Management sector in Sri Lanka joined together in the first steering group meeting on implementation of value chain development proposals in the Municipal Solid Waste Management sector on 15th March 2012 at the WMA Conference Room, Colombo. This meeting was organized by the Waste Management Authority (WMA) of Western Province together with ILO Green Jobs project, and was attended by fifteen key stakeholders from following organizations. Key amongst the proposals adopted for future work were the development of a database on employees in the SWM sector; work on systematizing the recruitment of workers for the sector; development of a database on government and private sector entities involved in composting sector; assistance to the WMA to register plastic recycling businesses and developing a database; and organizing of a study tour for WMA zonal managers to learn best practices for zonal managers and technical officers in waste management.

3. Strategic planning of the Bukidnon Provincial Child Labor Committee

   15 - 16 March 2012, Bukidnon Province

   The Bukidnon Provincial Child Labor Committee (PCLC) will have a two-day strategic planning to discuss how it can effectively complement the efforts of the IPEC Project in Bukidnon by covering other areas and other components to fully eliminate child labour in the province.

4. Awareness-Raising Activity on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers: Series of Thematic Discussions on Migrant Workers Issue

   13 - 27 March 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia

   For this particular program, ILO Combating Forced Labour and Trafficking of Indonesian Migrant Workers and SMART FM opt 3 (three) topics for series of discussions on the issue of labour migration. The topics are Policy development, Economic Empowerment of Indonesian Migrant Workers and the Rights of Health: HIV/AIDS related issues on Labour Migration.

5. ILO TRIANGLE Project Advisory Committee Meeting and Training on the International and Regional Normative Frameworks on Migration Viet Nam, 9-10 March 2012, Da Lat - Lam Dong Province.

   9 - 10 March 2012, Da Lat - Lam Dong Province, Viet Nam

   The Project Advisory Committee meeting was organized to review the TRIANGLE project’s 2011 activities, foster greater cooperation between constituent partners and endorse the project workplan for 2012. The Department of Overseas Labour (DoLAB) of Viet Nam's Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs also used this opportunity to organize a training for officials on the international and regional instruments on migration.

6. Commemorating the 2012 International Women’s Day: The Launch of Employers’ Guideline on Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

   8 March 2012, Jakarta, Indonesia

   The Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo) as the main voice of employers on labour and social issues in Indonesia takes seriously the issue of the sexual harassment at the workplace.

7. 

   United Nations Photo Exhibit on Indigenous Women (International Women’s Day 2012)

   8 - 14 March 2012, SM Mall of Asia, 2F South Wing Entertainment Mall, Pasay City

   The ILO Country Office for the Philippines, as the Chair of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Technical Working Group, has partnered with the SM Cares for a photo exhibit on indigenous women. The week-long photo exhibit will be launched on 8 March 2012, 11:00 a.m. at the 2F South Wing, Entertainment Mall Area of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. The photo exhibit will then be moved to other SM Malls in Metro Manila.

8. International Women's Day

   8 March 2012, Bangkok, Thailand

   To observe International Women's Day, a panel discussion on Youth Voices UNITE to End Violence against Women and Girls is held on 8 March at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

9. Training Programme for conciliators of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment for effective prevention and settlement of disputes pertaining to migrant workers

   8 - 10 March 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka

   Grievances of the migrant workers are mainly handled in Sri Lanka by the Conciliation Division of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment which has 16 conciliation officers located in the SLBFE and in regional centers island-wide. In addition several other government and non-governmental organizations including recruitment agencies are involved in receiving complaints from the migrant workers in Sri Lanka, which channel the complaints to the Conciliation division of the SLBFE. Key issues concerning grievance handling mechanisms include delays, lack of access despite the availability of officers, lack of knowledge among migrant workers and their families on available mechanisms and duplication of services due to the lack of coordination between the institutions involved in handling grievances. ILO undertook as a part of the project, to map out the available grievance mechanisms with the objective of creating a centralized national grievance handling mechanism to ensure the protection and empowerment of migrant workers and their families. The report has highlighted a number of institutional problems. Whilst focusing on creating a centralized grievance handling mechanism, it is paramount that the Conciliation division of the SLBFE which is mandated to handle migrant worker’s grievances in Sri Lanka in strengthened. In this background, in close consultation with the SLBFE and the Ministry, the ILO seeks to support the design and implementation of a long term capacity building programme for Conciliation officers of the SLBFE. The first phase of the training of the training will take place from 8-10th March 2012 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

10. Provincial Awareness Raising Events: Media Briefings and Broadcast Events on Decent Work for Domestic Workers

    7 - 26 March 2012, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar, Bandung and Kupang, Indonesia

    To address these issues, it is crucial for the media to focus and influence attitudes on domestic workers’ conditions among decision-makers, employers and the public in general.

11. Public finance management and resource generation

    7 - 9 March 2012, Manila

    The local government units (LGUs) play a pivotal role in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goal Fund (MDG F) Joint Programme on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth in the four pilot provinces, namely Masbate, Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao.

12. Stakeholders forum on livelihoods in Northern Samar

    5 - 8 March 2012, Northern Samar Province

    Consultant on value chain development will present for validation and approval the results of its study to stakeholders of Northern Samar province.

13. Strategic planning of the Quezon Provincial Child Labor Committee

    5 - 6 March 2012, Quezon Province

    The Quezon Provincial Child Labor Committee (PCLC) will have a two-day strategic planning to discuss how it can effectively complement the efforts of the IPEC Project in Quezon by covering other areas and other components to fully eliminate child labour in the province.

14. Tripartite validation workshop of the Cambodia decent work country profile

    1 - 2 March 2012, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

15. Training Workshop for Staff of Cambodian Migrant Worker Resource Centres, 1-2 March 2012, Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.

    1 March 2012, Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.

    Staff of the three Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) in Cambodia received training to increase their knowledge and skills related to the provision of MRC services and MRC management. The training covered emigration procedures and the legal framework in Cambodia, admission policies and rights at work in Malaysia and Thailand, counselling services, networking, M&E, etc.

16. Opening of Migrant Worker Resource Centres in Xaiyaboury and Champasack Province, Lao PDR.

    1 March 2012, Lao PDR

    Under the cooperation between the ILO TRIANGLE project and the Department of Employment and Skills Development, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Lao PDR, the Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) in Xaiyaboury and Champasak provinces were officially opened in March. The MRCs provide potential migrants, return migrants and members of their families with information, counselling and legal advice related to safe and legal migration, rights at work, support services, etc. The centres also serve as a focal point of coordination between migrant workers, local authorities, recruitment agencies, and other key stakeholders. A third MRC, managed by the Lao Federation of Trade Unions, has been running in Savannakhet province since December 2011.

February 2012

1. ILO and Cambodia sign decent work cooperation framework

   29 February 2012, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

   ILO and Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on Decent Work Country Programme (2011-2015).

2. High-Level Tripatriate Meeting to present the Diagnostic Report on FOA & CB and develop the National Plan of Action

   29 February 2012, Dhaka, Bangladesh

   For presentation of the diagnostic assessment report on ‘Towards full freedom of association and collective bargaining in Bangladesh garment factories’ and to develop a national plan of action, the meeting was held on 28 February 2012 at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.

3. Fourth Tripartite Regional Seminar on Industrial Relations in the ASEAN Region

   29 February - 1 March 2012, Bangkok, Thailand

   This tripartite regional seminar, organized by the ILO with the support of the Ministry of Labour of Thailand and the ASEAN Secretariat, under the theme "Setting Minimum Wage and Wage Guidelines: Role of Tripartite Partners and Impact on Industrial Relations", aims to provide opportunities for ASEAN member states (tripartite) to discuss and share experiences on different mechanisms/processes in setting national minimum wage as well as wage guidelines; and role of tripartite partners in the context of good industrial relations practices. The seminar is funded by the ILO/Japan Multi-bilateral Programme through its ASEAN-ILO/Japan Industrial Relations for ASEAN Integration project.

4. Public-Private partnership forum for youth employment in Maguindanao

   29 February 2012, Maguindanao

   The Millennium Development Goal Fund (MDG F) Joint Programme on Alternatives to Migration: Decent Jobs for Filipino Youth through the through the ILO and in partnership with the Provincial Local Government Units (PLGUs) of Masbate, Antique, Maguindanao and Agusan del Sur will conduct Public-Private Partnership Forum for Youth Employment.