Labour rights
24 October 2012
Many domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers – which will come into force in a year’s time – offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of people who work in this profession.
Feature
05 April 2012
People working in the informal economy are vulnerable and often lack social protection. When natural disasters such as the 2011 flood in Thailand strike, they are frequently left without adequate support. But now the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other United Nations agencies are working with the Thai Government to change this and create a suitable social protection system. Alice Molinier and Kakkanang Ghettalae, ILO Social Protection Consultants, and Poonsap Tulaphan, Foundation for Labour and Employment Promotion report.
Feature
27 March 2012
Low levels of education, lack of skills, diplomas or certificates within a technical field severely limit the chances of gainful employment for a vast number of youth in India. A new programme of skills developing and training, however, is providing an alternative. Neelam Agnihotri, ILO communication officer in New Delhi, reports how this initiative is providing new jobs for youth in the centuries-old traditional brassware industry in Moradabad, northern India.
Video
12 October 2009
A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world curbs countries ability to benefit from trade openings. ILO Director General, Juan Somavia, and WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy, opened a meeting in Geneva to launch the study.
Video
06 June 2008
Daniel Funes de Rioja, Executive Vice-President of the International Organization of Employers, discusses the Decent Work agenda, informality in the Latin American economy and the relevance of the International Labour Organization to today's world.
Video
02 April 2008
In Ghana, local authorities are teaming up with informal workers to find solutions for reducing poverty and bringing decent work opportunities to their communities. It’s a new initiative that has been so successful in the two areas where it’s been trialed, that it’s going to be rolled out across Ghana in the months to come. ILO TV reports.
Article
09 February 2007
In Bangkok, food sold by street vendors provides more than just a cheap and healthy meal. For tens of thousands of people it is a vital source of income and a recipe for reducing poverty. According to a study recently published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), street vendors shouldn't be seen as a nuisance and a traffic obstruction but as entrepreneurs who generate "cultural capital" while building a healthier future for themselves and their families. The study says the right policies and positive social attitudes can benefit not just the vendors and their customers but entire economies as well. ILO Online reports.
Video
10 October 2006
In Peru, a group of women are using their traditional skills to update a perennial fashion favourite: The Converse hi-top sneaker. They’re not only giving the well-known brand a boost: they are also giving themselves a step up on the income ladder by creating sustainable new jobs for their region. ILO TV explains.
Article
02 June 2006
With between a half and two-thirds of the world's working women and men outside the formal economy, breaking out of informality is the single biggest challenge for labour market governance worldwide.
Article
28 February 2006
With 33 million women joining the labour market between 1990 and 2004, women now represent 40 per cent of the economically active population in urban areas in Latin America. A recent detailed ILO study of progress achieved in women's labour force participation shows mixed results in terms of access to quality jobs, unemployment, remuneration and social protection. ILO Online reports from Bolivia where women's rights activist Casimira Rodriguez Romero was recently appointed Minister of Justice and Human Rights.