GENEVA (ILO news) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) concluded its 294th session following discussions by tripartite delegates on issues ranging from respect of basic labour rights in Myanmar, Cambodia, Colombia and other countries to strategies for new partnerships to promote a fair globalization.
The Governing Body's Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization discussed the consequences of the current international financial system for enterprises and workers, and how improved policy coherence between different international organizations, including the international financial agencies, could enhance growth, investment and decent work.
The Working Party welcomed the endorsement of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda at the UN 2005 World Summit held in September. Building on this, it discussed the idea of a Globalization Policy Forum to be held in 2007 to which the tripartite ILO could invite key partners in the multilateral system and others sharing a commitment to advancing policies for a fair globalization and decent work for all.
Detailed proposals for a forum will now be prepared by the Director-General in consultation with the Officers of the Governing Body for the next meeting of the Working Party in March.
The Governing Body meeting also considered ILO activities in the field of employment promotion and social protection. This included an interactive session with Mr. Augusto B. Santos, Secretary of Socio-economic Planning, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) of the Philippines, and Ms. Patricia Santo Tomas, Secretary of Labour and Employment of the Philippines on the impact of the ILO's work with its constituents on employment policies.
As a follow up to the Resolution concerning youth employment adopted by the 93rd session of the International Labour Conference in June 2005, the Governing Body examined plans for ILO action on youth employment.
Myanmar
The Governing Body expressed grave concern about the degradation of the situation in Myanmar. It firmly rejected attempts to influence the ILO's position through various forms of pressures and intimidation, including threats against the Liaison Officer in Yangon as well as announcements that the country was preparing to withdraw from the ILO.
The members of the Governing Body were particularly concerned and critical about a series of death threats, received by the ILO Liaison Officer as well as the former Acting Liaison Officer and Informal Facilitator, Mr. Léon de Riedmatten. The threats followed official and semi-official mass rallies and a media campaign against the ILO involvement in Myanmar which resulted in paralyzing the Liaison Officer's capacity to discharge his responsibilities.
The Governing Body requested urgently the authorities of Myanmar to guarantee that the Liaison officer can fully exercise his functions. In response to the readiness to cooperate, which was expressed by the government representative at the meeting, the Governing Body said that the government should take advantage of the time before the March 2006 session to resume an effective dialogue with the ILO.
This dialogue should be based on the mandate provided by the 2005 International Labour Conference. To be meaningful, it should also address the issues and cases raised in the debate. The Governing Body expressed particular concern about recent cases where individuals had been charged and sentenced for seeking redress on behalf of victims of forced labour.
The Governing Body conclusions specifically underlined that the authorities should cease prosecuting victims of forced labour and instead take action against those who perpetrated it.
Freedom of association
The Governing Body also approved the 338th and 339th reports of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. At its November meeting, the Committee examined 40 cases. Altogether there are currently 128 cases before the Committee.
The Committee drew special attention to the case of Cambodia concerning anti-union discrimination and employer interference in respect of union representatives at the two Raffles hotels in the country. The Committee urged the Government to ensure, in cooperation with the employer, that the workers dismissed as a result of their legitimate trade union activities were reinstated without loss of wages and without delay.
The Committee also requested the Government to ensure that the protection of workers' trade union rights was accompanied by efficient and enforceable procedures and that all workers who are subjected to anti-union discrimination have access to procedures that lead to final and binding decisions.
According to the government, whose representative spoke at the adoption of the report, the dismissed had already been reinstated. The Committee will continue to examine the details of the case.
The Committee also drew the attention of the Governing Body to the cases of Colombia and Georgia.
In the case of Colombia, the Committee examined several cases, including allegations in a case relating to the murder of four trade union officials, the denial of trade union leave and violation of collective agreements in a number of enterprises, as well as the dismissal of union leaders and members. Regretting that no new information had been provided relative to the investigation of the murders of the four trade union officials, the Committee strongly urged the Government to take the necessary steps without delay to ensure that those responsible would be identified and adequately punished in the near future.
On 29 October, a High-Level International Labour Organization Tripartite Visit completed its week-long information gathering on freedom of association and labour relations matters in the country. It made a number of recommendations based on its essential findings that impunity with respect to violence against trade unionists continues to exist and that trade unions face several obstacles in law and practice to the full exercise of freedom of association.
The recommendations ask for a full commitment to ongoing tripartite dialogue on fundamental human rights, clear and extensive political will and provision of the necessary resources to combat the prevalent impunity; the rapid reactivation of existing tripartite institutions; and the establishment of a permanent ILO presence within the country to ensure a more sustainable programme to combat impunity and to collect all relevant and up-to-date information.
In the case of Georgia, the Committee dealt with allegations of government interference in internal union affairs and, in particular, a series of measures taken to force the Georgian Trade Union Amalgamation (GTUA) into turning all of its trade union property over to the State. The Committee requested the Government to return all trade union documents that had been seized and condemned the anti-union tactics, pressure and intimidation by the Government. Regretting that the Government had so far refused all dialogue in this regard with the GTUA and the Committee, the latter invited the Government to settle this question through constructive dialogue.
The Committee also examined measures taken by the Government of Belarus to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry in its report to the November 2004 session of the Governing Body. Observing that virtually no concrete measures had been taken by the Government to give meaningful effect to these recommendations, the Committee once again urged the Government to take specific steps for the full implementation of all of the Commission's recommendations and to provide detailed information in this regard. As requested by the International Labour Conference in June 2005, an ILO mission will visit the country on 16-19 January 2006 to make an assessment of the situation.
The Governing Body is the executive body of the
International Labour Office (the Office is the
secretariat of the Organization). It meets three
times a year, in March, June and November and takes
decisions on ILO policy, the agenda of the
International Labour Conference and the draft
Programme and Budget of the Organization for
submission to the Conference.
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). Ten of the titular government seats are
permanently held by States of chief industrial
importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India,
Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom and the United States). The other
Government members are elected by the Conference
every three years.