GENEVA (ILO News) ─ The 97th annual Conference of the International Labour Organization concluded its work here today after adopting a landmark Declaration designed to strengthen the promotion of Decent Work and develop new ways of responding to the growing challenges of globalization.
The annual International Labour Conference, which attracted more than 4,000 delegates representing governments, workers and employers from the ILO’s 182 member States, also held wide-ranging discussions on rural poverty reduction, enhancing skills development, and considered a number of issues regarding adherence to international labour standards. In addition, it hosted a high-level panel discussion on the global food crisis and marked the annual World Day Against Child Labour.
The Conference hosted three eminent guest speakers, including H.E. Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia, H.E. Martin Torrijos Espino, President of the Republic of Panama, and the Right Honourable Mr Pakalitha Mosisili, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The Conference was presided over by Mr. Edwin Salamín Jaén, Minister of Labour and Labour Development of Panama. Conference Vice-Presidents were Mr. Tayeb Louh, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Algeria, Mr. Ashraf W. Tabani, President of the Employer’s Federation of Pakistan and Ms Rabiatou Sérah Diallo, Secretary General of the National Confederation of Workers (CNTG) of Guinea.
At the conclusion of the Conference, ILO Director-General said, “This Conference demonstrated again the vitality of tripartism at the heart of the Organization, now re-energized to fully discharge its mandate in the context of the challenges of today.” Mr. Somavia said the Conference had “placed decent work at the heart of the ILO's institutional system” through the adoption of the “Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization”. (For further details see press release ILO/08/30)
Today in the plenary, Dr. Carlos Tomada, Minister of Work, Employment and Social Security, Republic of Argentina, announced formally the recipients of the ILO’s second annual Decent Work Research Prize as Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and leading Canadian labour researcher Harry Arthurs (For further details see press release ILO/08/22).
On 6 June, the Conference Plenary discussed the ILO’s new Global Report on freedom of association. During the last 10 years, the ILO has achieved a 50 per cent increase in ratifications of its eight fundamental Conventions on forced labour, child labour, discrimination, and freedom of association and collective bargaining, bringing universal ratification within reach.
On 2 June, the Conference elected new members to the ILO’s Governing Body for its next three-year term.
The Committee on Rural Employment held an in-depth discussion on the promotion of rural employment for poverty reduction. The Committee underscored the central role of agriculture as an engine of growth and poverty reduction. A wide range of topics were analysed, including trends in rural employment and decent work deficits, extending social protection coverage and the application of international labour standards in rural areas, as well as promoting better governance, empowerment and institutions.
The Committee on Skills adopted a set of conclusions to guide Governments and the social partners in strengthening the linkages between skills, productivity, employment, development and decent work. Improving the quality and availability of education and training for women and men can engender a virtuous circle in which skills development fuels the innovation, investment, technological change, enterprise development, economic diversification and competitiveness that are needed to accelerate the creation of more and better jobs and improve social cohesion.
International labour standards
This year, the Conference Committee on Application of Standards marked the 60th anniversary of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, 1948 (No.87), the 50th anniversary of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation Convention, 1958 (No.111) and the 10th anniversary of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 1998.
The Committee again held a special sitting on the application by Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), following up measures taken in the context of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.
Extending its sympathies and condolences to the people of Myanmar in the wake of cyclone Nargis, the Committee expressed its sincere hope that the humanitarian needs are met and that the required reconstruction work is undertaken without any use of forced labour, in full respect of civil rights and international standards.
The Committee expressed its profound concern at the forced labour situation in Myanmar, as reflected in the observation of the Committee of Experts. It concluded that none of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry had yet been implemented, and that forced labour continued to be widespread, including the recruitment of children into the armed forces. The Committee again urged the Government to fully implement all the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry which had been adopted by the Governing Body more than ten years ago.
The Committee took note of the fact that the complaint mechanism on forced labour continued to operate, and that the authorities were investigating the cases referred to them by the Liaison Officer and taking action against those officials found to have illegally imposed forced labour. It however expressed its concern that, in general, penalties had not been imposed on perpetrators under the Penal Law and that no criminal convictions of the armed forces had taken place.
While noting that an international staff member has been appointed to assist the Liaison Officer, the Committee also noted with concern cases of retaliation and harassment against complainants and volunteer facilitators who cooperate with the Liaison Officer. The Committee called on the Government to ensure that all retaliation and harassment cease with immediate effect and that the perpetrators are punished.
The Committee also stressed the need to allow all citizens of Myanmar to fully exercise their civil rights and called on the Government to immediately end the detention of Daw Aung San Su Kyi.
In addition to this special sitting, the Committee carried out the examination of 23 other individual cases covering the whole range of concerns addressed in ILO standards. The Committee also discussed the application by Colombia of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), following the voluntary presentation of the Government to submit information on the steps it had taken, and the progress it had achieved taking into account the report of the ILO High Level Mission to Colombia discussed in the March 2008 Governing Body.
In the case of Belarus, the Committee welcomed the information provided by the government that it was not going forward with the draft trade union law in its current form. It however expressed its deep concern about new allegations of harassment and pressure exercised on independent trade unions. It also regretted once again that the key recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry had not yet been implemented. The Committee expected that the Governing Body would be in a position to note positive developments at its November 2008 session.
The Committee also drew the attention of the Conference to two special cases concerning the application by Bangladesh and Zimbabwe of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87).
In the case of Bangladesh, the Committee referred to serious violations of the Convention in law and practice, including allegations of the raiding of the offices of the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers’ Union Federation (BIGUF), the arrest of some of its officers as well as further arrests and police harassment of other trade unionists; and obstacles to the establishment of workers’ organizations in export processing zones (EPZs). The Committee called upon the Government to take measures to ensure that no person was arrested, detained or injured for having carried out legitimate trade union activities and to ensure that all workers, including casual and subcontracted workers, were fully guaranteed the protection of the Convention.
In the case of Zimbabwe, which refers to serious allegations of the violation of basic liberties, including the quasi-systematic arrest and detention of trade unionists following their participation in public demonstrations, the Committee deeply deplored the persistent obstructionist attitude demonstrated by the Government through its refusal to come before it in two consecutive years. The Committee called upon the Government to halt immediately all arrests, detentions, threats and harassment of trade union leaders and their members, drop all charges brought against them and ensure that they are appropriately compensated. It urged the Government to accept a high-level special investigatory mission in this case of flagrant disregard for the most basic freedom of association rights.
The General Survey discussed by the Conference Committee this year was on the Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention (No. 94 and Recommendation (No. 84) adopted in 1949. The discussion highlighted the importance of the social dimension of public procurement. There was a clear consensus that the question of labour clauses in public contracts called for further study and analysis. Both the employer and the worker members, as well as a number of governments proposed that a tripartite meeting of experts should be convened to examine whether and how to integrate social clauses into public procurement contracts.
The annual Conference of the ILO drew more than 4,000 delegates, including heads of State, labour ministers and leaders of workers' and employers' organizations from most of the ILO's 182 member States. Each member State 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.
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.