Impact and people
2006
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International drivers: from delays to disease, a heavy load to haul
20 October 2006
An ever increasing demand for international road transport has brought up new and difficult challenges for the road transport sector, including excessive border delays, inefficient or corrupt border control officers and drivers' vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. A new ILO report prepared for a forthcoming tripartite meeting at the ILO in Geneva examines socially responsible solutions to these problems.
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International Day for Poverty Eradication 2006 Working Together out of Poverty
16 October 2006
This year's theme for the International Day for Poverty Eradication is " Working Together out of Poverty". Nearly half of the world's 2.8 billion workers are unable to earn enough to lift themselves and their family members above the US$2 a day poverty line. Promoting decent work opportunities for all is therefore vital for global efforts to achieve international development goals to cut the numbers of people living in extreme poverty by half by 2015, according to ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.
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New UN Report on violence against children: the workplace setting Zero tolerance for violence against children in the workplace
12 October 2006
A new report by the United Nations on violence against children is to be transmitted to the UN General Assembly this week. One of its sections is devoted to violence as it affects children who work. According to the report, the key departure point has to be a policy of zero tolerance of violence against children who are working - whether legally or in child labour. Frans Roselaers, Director of the ILO's Department of Partnerships and Development Cooperation and member of the editorial board of the report says that although the end of child labour may be in reach, stopping violence against working children is an urgent need.
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"My Future Is Not a Dream": Chinese migrants start their own business
29 September 2006
An exciting and unusual new TV drama series started on Sichuan TV's public channel last month. "My Future Is Not a Dream" is more than an ordinary soap opera written simply to entertain people. The drama series was set up to encourage migrant workers to start their own businesses. The programme is the result of a unique collaboration between Sichuan TV, the Chinese Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the ILO's Start and Improve Your Business Programme (SIYB).
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Mongolian child jockeys – balancing cultural heritage with safety
22 September 2006
Horse races with child jockeys are part of Mongolia's cultural heritage, but the growing number of races and serious, sometimes fatal accidents have drawn increasing public attention. The issue was discussed for the first time at a recent national forum which was supported by the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). N. Mongolmaa, IPEC's National Project Manager, and B. Bayasgalan, ILO Programme Officer, report from Mongolia.
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The global jobs crisis: Address the growing imbalance between growth and jobs creation
20 September 2006
Faced with the fact that growth is not producing enough jobs worldwide, the world's financial leaders recently gathered in Singapore must focus on more than trade and financial imbalances, says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. In this article, Mr. Somavia calls for significant policy reforms to deal with global imbalances between growth and job creation.
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The "Future Store Initiatives": technological and structural change in the retail industry
15 September 2006
The introduction of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology replacing bar codes on products will be one of the driving factors contributing to productivity gains in the retail sector but also affect the levels and quality of employment, says a new ILO report. It was prepared for discussion at a forthcoming ILO meeting in Geneva that will examine the role of new retail technologies in shaping the employment landscape in commerce.
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Social security for all: combating poverty through basic welfare schemes
06 September 2006
A number of developing countries have in recent years introduced basic pensions or child benefit schemes financed from the general exchequer which are proving to be a powerful means of combating poverty. Strong evidence of positive experience comes from countries as diverse as Brazil, Mauritius, Namibia, Nepal and South Africa. ILO Online reports from Namibia where a private/public partnership helps to pay pensions and other social security benefits in the whole country.
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The roots of an enduring principle
01 September 2006
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Coming clean: Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace
01 September 2006
Workplace drug testing is an inherently controversial subject, one that questions where the line should be drawn between the right to privacy and the right to professionalism. Planet Work takes stock of the issue and explores how new legislation, studies and prevention programmes are evolving..