Features

2010

1. 

   HIV/AIDS and the world of work

   Questions and Answers on the proposed Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work

   02 June 2010

   The year’s International Labour Conference will see the second, and final discussion on the development of a labour standard on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. If adopted, the recommendation will be the first international human rights instrument on AIDS in the workplace. ILO Online spoke to ILO/AIDS Director, Dr. Sophia Kisting about the Recommendation.

2. 

   Domestic workers

   Decent work for domestic workers: towards new international labour standards

   31 May 2010

   Domestic work employs millions of workers, mostly women, around the world. The June 2010 session of the International Labour Conference will hold a first discussion on a new international labour standard for a domestic workforce that is growing worldwide. ILO Online spoke with Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Employment Programme, about working conditions of domestic workers, and how they can be improved.

3. 

   Interview

   Employers’ organizations responding to the impact of the crisis

   17 February 2010

   With the adoption of the Global Jobs Pact by the 183 member States of the ILO at the International Labour Conference in June 2009, the world’s governments, employers and workers have at their disposal an integrated portfolio of policies to address the global economic and social crisis. ILO Online spoke with Jean-François Retournard, Director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities, about a new report which shows that employers’ organizations played a major role in worldwide efforts to stem the crisis.

2009

1. 

   Article

   Decent Work for domestic workers: a long way to go.

   17 June 2009

   The ILO and other women’s advocacy groups consider domestic work to be among the most precarious of occupations. The present economic downturn and jobs crisis sweeping the world is likely to aggravate those vulnerabilities depicted in a report to the 2009 International Labour Conference taking stock of gender equality in the world of work. ILO press officer Allan Dow reports from Bangkok.

2. 

   Article

   Taking the crisis as an opportunity: How the garment industry in Kyrgyzstan faces a 40 per cent decline in exports

   16 June 2009

   After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the country’s transition to a market economy, the Kyrgyz garment industry was one of the first to recover. Today, it is the first sector that has been severely hit by the global economic and social crisis.

3. 

   98th International Labour Conference

   Work sharing: A strategy to preserve jobs during the global jobs crisis

   05 June 2009

   Work sharing could be a relevant response to the global jobs crisis, according to a new ILO policy brief prepared for discussion at the International Labour Conference in Geneva from 3-19 June 2009. Work sharing policies and programmes can result in a “win-win-win” solution benefiting workers, employers and governments. ILO Online spoke with ILO working time expert Jon C. Messenger.

4. 

   Article

   Questions and answers on the global jobs crisis

   02 June 2009

   More than 4,000 delegates representing governments, employers and workers are meeting at the annual Conference of the ILO from 3 to 19 June to discuss ways of addressing the global crisis in jobs and social protection. ILO Online asked Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO International Institute for Labour Studies about the current jobs situation, and how decent work policies can tackle the crisis.

2008

1. 

   Article

   International Labour Conference, June 2008 - Decent Work in rural areas: a key path for poverty reduction

   30 May 2008

   Some 3.4 billion people, slightly under half of the world’s population, now live in rural areas. Though the great majority live in developing countries and are poor, their situation, along with the impact of climate change, food price rises and other factors are visibly in the news. Promotion of rural employment and poverty reduction is one of the main topics of discussion at this year’s International Labour Conference meeting in Geneva from 28 May to 13 June. Here are some questions and answers on the state of rural employment today and the key issues for consideration when discussing how to reduce rural poverty through the promotion of Decent Work.

2. 

   Article

   International Labour Conference, June 2008 - Tools for success: skills training in Timor-Leste

   29 May 2008

   Ranked as one of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Timor-Leste faces a daunting development challenge. But it also provides a practical example of the ‘virtuous circle’ fostered by skills development in terms of higher productivity, more employment of better quality, income growth and development – to be discussed at this year's International Labour Conference in Geneva. ILO Online reports from Timor-Leste.

2007

1. 

   Article

   Promoting sustainable enterprises: safe work is also good business

   21 June 2007

   “Sustainable enterprises cannot afford to have injuries and diseases at work, which would not only interrupt operations but may have strong economic and reputational consequences”. Eleven enterprises from the Leningrad region in Russia’s North-West had a chance to check this statement from an ILO report to the International Labour Conference against daily practice. Olga Bogdanova reports from North-West Russia.