October 2004

1. Press release

   New ILO report examines future of work and quality in the media, culture and graphical sector

   15 October 2004

   New media, multimedia and information and communication technologies may increase the demand for journalists, editors, artistes and others in the media, graphical and culture sectors, but compromise the quality of their work and of their working conditions, according to a new International Labour Office (ILO) report.

2. Press release

   Report of ILO Commission of Inquiry says trade union independence has been undermined in Belarus

   08 October 2004

   According to a report ( Note 1) issued by an ILO Commission of Inquiry, several acts by the Government of Belarus give rise to the conclusion that the Belarus trade union movement has been and continues to be the subject of significant interference on the part of Government authorities.

3. Article

   Frail older people – the long-term care challenge

   04 October 2004

   As the population in industrialized countries ages rapidly, the number of destitute and dependent people is growing. An average pension rarely covers the high costs of qualified care for the elderly. For this reason, Germany and Japan have introduced mandatory insurance systems to support care giving family members and relieve some of the burden on the state. German journalist Antje Soleimanian reports.

4. Article

   Fair globalization gathers momentum at the United Nations: An interview with ILO Director-General Juan Somavia

   01 October 2004

5. Press release

   New ILO programme to tackle discrimination, integration of migrant workers in Europe

   01 October 2004

   The International Labour Office (ILO), with the support of the European Union, today launched a new programme designed to tackle on the job discrimination that in some countries afflicts up to a third of migrant workers.

September 2004

1. Press release

   Preparatory Technical Maritime Conference concludes successfully Delegates forge new Convention for the maritime industry

   24 September 2004

   The International Labour Organization (ILO) today took a significant step toward the creation of a major new international labour standard that provides a "Seafarers' Bill of Rights" for some 1.2 million maritime workers by consolidating a wide range of maritime standards adopted since the 1920's.

2. Article

   The time-money squeeze: ILO study shows the difficulties of workers with family responsibilities

   21 September 2004

3. Press release

   World leaders call for fair globalization to achieve millennium development goals

   20 September 2004

   UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, noting that too many people - particularly in developing countries - feel excluded and threatened by globalization, called on world leaders Monday to summon the political will to better manage the economic and social effects of globalization.

4. Press release

   Note to correspondents: Leaders from North and South join forces for a fair globalization

   15 September 2004

   In the most significant attempt yet to shift international debate on globalization from confrontation to dialogue, world leaders from North and South, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), meet here on 20 September to launch a new global discussion on how creating a fair globalization is essential to ensuring peace, prosperity and security for all.

5. Article

   Combating bonded labour in rural Pakistan

   14 September 2004

   Debt-bondage and slavery-like conditions await many workers in the world who fall prey to coercive recruitment practices in rural areas, especially those in agricultural plantations or domestic work. But there are also successful efforts to combat bonded labour in countries like India, Nepal and Pakistan. ILO officials Patrick Daru and Caroline O'Reilly report from a successful ILO programme in Hyderabad, Pakistan.