GENEVA (ILO News) - Some 4,000 worker, employer and government representatives from around the world gather here beginning 31 May for the annual conference of the 178-member International Labour Organization (ILO) to discuss issues ranging from forced labour and working hours to work in the fishing industry, occupational safety and health and youth employment.
The 93rd International Labour Conference will also be called upon to examine and adopt the programme and budget proposals of the ILO for the 2006-07 biennium and other financial and administrative matters that the ILO Governing Body decided to bring to its attention. At its March 2005 session, the Governing Body recommended a budget, which at the 2004-05 budget rate of exchange amounted to US$568.6 million. The 2006-07 budget proposes moderate real growth of 1.1 per cent to address institutional investment needs and extraordinary items.
Two eminent guest speakers will honour the Conference with their presence this year: H.E. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria will address the Conference on 7 June and H.E. President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will address the Conference at a date to be announced later.
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia will provide an overview of ILO issues and concerns in an address to the Conference on 6 June.
The Conference will also select the governments not permanently represented in the Governing Body and the Employer and Worker members of the Governing Body on 6 June. The Governing Body is the executive body of the ILO. It is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers).
The World Day Against Child Labour will focus attention on the plight of child labourers in mines and quarries this year. The Day will be recognized in countries around the world on 12th June and on 10th June at ILO Headquarters in Geneva with a special event highlighting the commitment of concerned Governments and social partners to join with the ILO in taking action to eliminate child labour in small-scale mines and quarries.
Working agenda
The delegates will hold a second and final discussion on a new international labour standard that revises the seven existing ILO standards on fishing that were adopted between 1920 and 1966. The discussions will focus on safety and working conditions of some 30 million people who work in the global fishing sector, one of the world's most dangerous.
A new fishing Convention would cover more than 90 per cent of workers in the world's fishing industry, the vast majority of whom work on small vessels in developing countries. The existing Conventions cover only about 10 per cent of all fishing industry workers. It is intended that fishers on large vessels and those on international voyages would also be adequately covered, including by special provisions, as appropriate.
The Conference will also discuss a survey on the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919, (No.1), and the Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No.30). According to a survey prepared for the Conference, internationally accepted standards on hours of work are still needed as they contribute to fair competition between countries in a globalized world. However, the survey notes Convention Nos. 1 and 30 do not fully reflect modern realities in the regulation of working time and are viewed by an increasing number of countries as prescribing overly rigid standards.
The survey notes that the changes having taken place since the two Conventions were adopted warrant their revision. If such a decision is taken by the tripartite membership of the ILO, any new instrument would need to provide an effective protection for workers as well as to contain more flexible forms of working time arrangements for both workers and employers.
The Conference will also discuss pathways to decent work for youth and the role of the international community in advancing the youth employment agenda. Youth unemployment has reached record levels in recent years. Globally, less than half of the youth available for work had jobs in 2004.
The ILO promotes decent work for young people through knowledge building, advocacy and technical assistance. Furthermore, it has been called on to play a leading international role in the context of the UN Secretary-General's Youth Employment Network (YEN) and the Millennium Development Goals. On June 7 the YEN will hold a high level dialogue to debate on the issue of "Bringing youth employment into the international development agenda".
The Committee on Occupational Safety and Health will consider a promotional framework in the area of occupational safety and health. Delegates will discuss the elements of a possible future ILO instrument in this area which could take the form of a Convention, a Recommendation, or both, or a Declaration.
Other issues
On 4 June, the Conference will discuss the situation of forced labour in Myanmar in its Committee on the Application of Standards. An update on recent developments will be provided to the Committee by the ILO liaison officer ad-interim in Yangon.
On 8 June, the Plenary Session of the Conference will be devoted to a discussion of the ILO's Global Report on forced labour entitled A global alliance against forced labour. The report is the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken by an intergovernmental organization of the facts and underlying causes of contemporary forced labour in all regions of the world and in all types of economies.
The Global Report is issued under the follow-up of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted in 1998, and is aimed at producing an action plan against forced labour for the next four years.
During the discussions in the plenary, tripartite delegates will also address the latest report of the ILO on the situation of workers in the Occupied Arab Territories.
The role of the International Labour Conference is to adopt and oversee compliance with international labour standards, establish the budget of the Organization and elect members of the Governing Body. Since 1919, the Conference has served as a major international forum for debate on social and labour questions of worldwide importance.
The Conference is expected to draw some 4,000 delegates including labour ministers and leaders of workers' and employers' organizations from most of the ILO's 178 member States. Each member country has the right to send four delegates to the Conference: two from government and one each representing workers and employers, each of whom may speak and vote independently.