Articles

February 2007

1. 

   The spicy taste of entrepreneurship: street food sellers and economic development

   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.

2. Decent work in New Zealand: Thinking globally, acting locally

   05 February 2007

   The launch last week of a new campaign on decent work and a website by the government, employers and workers of New Zealand reinforces the reputation of the country as a leader in promoting more and better jobs, social protection, fundamental rights at work and social dialogue. ILO Online reports.

January 2007

1. International Framework Agreements: a global tool for supporting rights at work

   31 January 2007

   France Telecom has become the latest company to sign an international framework agreement with a global union federation. Covering more than 200,000 employees worldwide, the global agreement signed on 21 December 2006 between the French multinational, the Union Network International (UNI), and telecom unions around the globe, addresses respect for ILO core standards across the group - including the right to join a union and to bargain collectively and freedom from discrimination and forced or child labour. ILO Online spoke with Dominique Michel, Team Leader of the ILO's Multinational Enterprises Programme, about these global agreements.

2. 

   Creating a "socialist harmonious society in the countryside": Towards universal health insurance in rural China

   30 January 2007

   In 2003, the government launched a New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance (NRCMI) with an ambitious objective of covering all rural residents by 2010. The new health insurance system is seen as a central pillar of the government's plan to improve the working and living conditions of the country's huge agricultural workforce and eliminate poverty in the countryside. Will it be feasible?

December 2006

1. International Migrants Day (18 December 2006) Reversing the brain drain in China: the return of the 'sea turtles'

   11 December 2006

   As China's economy continues to grow exponentially, the country faces a shortage of locally educated managers with international experience. But more and more Chinese who previously left the country to study abroad are heading back to the land of opportunities, according to a recent article in the ILO's International Labour Review ( Note 1).

2. 

   Abandoned but not lost: Towards global protection for abandoned seafarers

   07 December 2006

   The complexities of globalization and its impact on shipping have made helping seafarers abandoned in foreign ports more pressing than ever. A recently created ILO database on reported incidents of abandonment of seafarers ( Note 1) is the first step in this direction. Since January 2004, the database has registered 40 cases of abandonment worldwide.

3. 

   Protecting labour rights - A crucial ILO body celebrates its 80th anniversary

   01 December 2006

   On 24-25 November 2006 the ILO’s International Labour Standards Department organized a twoday meeting on “Protecting labour rights as human rights: Present and future of international supervision”, focusing on the effectiveness of supervision in the international legal system.

4. 

   Cooperating out of poverty: Cooperative reform in Tanzania

   01 December 2006

   African cooperatives are recreating themselves through member empowerment and increased commercial viability. British journalist Andrew Bibby reports from the United Republic of Tanzania where cooperatives are adopting a new approach to sustainability.

5. 

   Working together out of poverty No miracles, just decent work

   01 December 2006

   Every day tens of millions of people around the world seek their own way out of poverty through a simple act: they go to work. For many, however, their efforts are not enough to escape the poverty trap. What people need are jobs - and a fair chance of getting a decent one. On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in October, the ILO urged that steps be taken to deal with the global poverty problem. This issue of World of Work highlights some of the options that people may use to work their way out of poverty.

6. 

   Microinsurance: The social finance and social protection nexus

   01 December 2006

   By helping low-income households manage risk, microinsurance can assist them to maintain a sense of financial confidence even in the face of significant vulnerability. A new publication, Protecting the poor: A microinsurance compendium, contends that microinsurance has to be one of weapons in the arsenal of governments, donors, development agencies and others in combating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.