Articles

December 2007

Future harvests without child labour

03 December 2007

The vast majority of the world’s working children are not toiling in factories and sweatshops or working as domestics or street vendors in urban areas. They are working on farms and plantations, often from sun-up to sundown, planting and harvesting crops, spraying pesticides and tending livestock.
Trade union responses to globalization

03 December 2007

Significant developments are taking place as unions search for new ways of operating in a globalized world. Andrew Bibby reports on a new study.
The 1919 Session of the ILO Governing Body

03 December 2007

As this issue of World of Work goes to press, the 300th Session of ILO Governing Body is in progress. What was the first meeting like, in November 1919?
The end of child labour: Millions of voices, one common hope

03 December 2007

The past decade has seen an unprecedented convergence of thought and action within the worldwide movement against child labour. In the 15th year of the ILO’s International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), World of Work looks at its achievements and its vision for future action. Alec Fyfe, IPEC Senior Child Labour Specialist, contributed to this article.

November 2007

Fully Fit at Work: disabled workers in Poland

29 November 2007

Like in other European, countries inactivity rates of Polish workers with disabilities tend to be much higher than that of other workers. While their share of the working age population in Poland is 10 per cent, their share in employment is only 3.8 per cent. But there are also signs of improvement as the story of Paweł and his employer show. ILO Online reports from Poland on the occasion of International Day of Disabled Persons.
Collaborating for change: Government, teachers and trade unions join the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ukraine

29 November 2007

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, annual HIV diagnoses in Ukraine have more than doubled since 2001, reaching 16,000 in 2006. However the Government is also taking urgent steps to respond.
Jamaica HIV/AIDS workplace education: Changing attitudes, saving lives, and protecting jobs

29 November 2007

AIDS remains one of the leading causes of death among Caribbeans aged 25 to 44 years, making the region the second most affected in the world after sub-Saharan Africa. The ILO’s ‘SHARE’ programme works with governments, employers and workers to provide prevention and care, helping save the lives of workers and keep them in decent jobs. ILO Online reports from Jamaica on the occasion of World AIDS Day 2007.
How microfinance institutions can finance lasting social change

21 November 2007

An estimated US$4 billion is invested annually in microfinance around the world. But while microfinance institutions must have strong business models in order to survive, they face the challenge of making profits while creating lasting social change. A new ILO study provides practitioners and donors with guidance on how to deal with the issue of balancing business and poverty reduction by defining criteria for supporting microfinance institutions.
Trade unions and globalization: trends, challenges and responses

21 November 2007

Globalization has proved a complex and multi-faceted process for workers around the world, as are the strategies they must develop to face its challenges. A new ILO book examines some of the crucial issues facing the trade union movement...
ILO Forum Marking 30th anniversary of the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy.

15 November 2007

This year, the ILO marks the 30th Anniversary of one of its most significant achievements – the adoption of the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. The anniversary forms the basis for “MultiForum 07” which begins today, and brings together around 200 participants from companies, governments and labour organizations from around the world.