Press releases

June 2000

  1. Press release

    Child labour Convention achieves fastest ratification pace in ILO history

    07 June 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - The world's fundamental international standard on the worst forms of child labour, ILO Convention No. 182 (1999) has been ratified by 27 governments 1 in its first year, racking up more ratifications than any other ILO Convention during a comparable period, the International Labour Office announced today. The Convention will come into force on 19 November of this year.

  2. Press release

    ILO Participation in Beijing + 5

    05 June 2000

    NEW YORK (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) is organizing a series of high-level panel discussions on decent work for women, women's empowerment and micro-finance and galvanizing action for older women, during the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century to be held in New York on 5-9 June 2000.

  3. Press release

    ILO Director-General highlights need for strengthened maternity protection

    05 June 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - Launching an appeal to the 88th International Labour Conference to strengthen maternity protection for women workers, Mr. Juan Somavia used his plenary address to the delegates to highlight "the need for a successful outcome to the revision of the ILO Standard on Maternity Protection". He said that this issue provides "a perfect example of how gender equality is at the heart of decent work".

  4. Press release

    Mr. Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio, President of the Portuguese Republic addresses the International Labour Conference

    05 June 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - Mr. Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio, President of the Portuguese Republic and guest of honour of the 88 th Session of the International Labour Conference, today called on the international community of intellectuals, writers, artists and reporters "to support with the same generosity that led you to side with great causes of mankind, the International Labour Organization in carrying out a world campaign to dignify work."

May 2000

  1. Press release

    International Labour Conference opens

    30 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - The 88 th Session of the International Labour Conference opened today and in its first act of business elected as its President, Mr. Mario Alberto Flamarique, Minister of Labour, Training and Human Resources of Argentina.

  2. Press release

    ILO roundtable to discuss learning and training for decent work

    29 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) will hold a Roundtable on "Learning and Training for decent work" on 30 May at 3 p.m. at the Palais des Nations, room XVI.

  3. Press release

    ILO Conference to debate maternity protection health and safety in agriculture

    29 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - Delegates to the 88 th session of the International Labour Conference, which gets underway in Geneva on Tuesday, 30 May 2000, are set to adopt a new International Convention on maternity protection and will begin debate on the development of possible new standards on safety and health in agriculture, one of the three most dangerous sectors in terms of health and safety in the world.

  4. Press release

    Pioneering ILO Global report calls for more widespread respect for rights at work

    25 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - "Intimidation, threats and even murder still await many workers who attempt to organize in a number of countries around the world", says a new ILO report, Your Voice at Work, released today.

  5. Press release

    ILO mission opens talks with Government in Myanmar (Burma)

    23 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - A technical cooperation mission of the International Labour Office (ILO) is expected to begin discussions on Wednesday in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) with the Government of Myanmar on the implementation of the recommendations of a 1998 Commission of Inquiry *, which found the use of forced and compulsory labour in that country to be widespread.

  6. Press release

    Globalization forges revolution in transport equipment manufacturing (TEM)

    05 May 2000

    GENEVA (ILO News) - Globalization is forging a revolution in the US$ 1.7 trillion transport equipment manufacturing (TEM) sector, with fierce competition leading to unprecedented mergers and acquisitions, increasing downward pressure on wages and unionized jobs, and "the end of the factory as we know it," according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO).