Articles

April 2006

1. Full steam ahead! ILO adopts "super Convention" for the maritime sector

   01 April 2006

   Over 1.2 million seafarers represent the world's most global and globalized workforce, and it is they and the shipowners for whom they work who move the bulk of world trade as well as serving on passenger ships. The importance of this sector - and the need to update and revitalize ILO standards, some of which were nearly as old as the Organization - came together at the recent International Labour Conference on maritime matters. As a result, the Conference adopted what has been called a "super Convention" for the world's maritime sector, providing a comprehensive charter for seafarers and shipowners alike. Here - in question and answer format - World of Work discusses the new Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and why it's so important.

2. The Decent Work Deficit: A new ILO report outlines the latest global employment trends

   01 April 2006

   The ILO's 2006 Global Employment Trends Brief paints a sombre picture not only of growing unemployment and poverty but of a significant lack of decent job opportunities, especially for young people. Despite the robust world economic growth of 2005, the global economy failed to deliver enough new jobs. But the ILO's stance is a strong one, involving a global strategy of communication, education, sound policy enforcement and the promotion of entrepreneurship to encourage the creation of more and better jobs.

3. Disabled people in Ethiopia: Making public services work for poor people

   01 April 2006

   Most of Addis Ababa's estimated 3 million population lives in slums and informal settlements. In June 2005 the President of Ethiopia officially opened the first of 30 modern public shower and toilet facilities run by a cooperative of disabled persons in Addis Ababa with the support of the ILO. This innovative proposal by the Ethiopian Federation of Persons with Disabilities (EFPD) to renovate existing sanitary facilities and unlock the economic potential of unemployed people with disabilities won a World Bank Development Marketplace Competition prize in 2003.

March 2006

1. 

   Questions for a global economy: protecting workers against factory fires

   30 March 2006

   Fires in the workplace are among the most feared industrial events, and have left their mark on history. From the 1911 factory fire in New York City that killed 146 textile workers, to more recent industrial accidents or incidents around the world that have left hundreds of dead and injured, such events often lead to the adoption of labour laws to protect factory workers. A spate of recent industrial fires have again underlined the need for vigilance, planning and preparation for dealing with the unexpected - especially in the form of a viable evacuation plan. ILO occupational safety and health expert David Gold spoke with ILO Online about fire protection and emergency management.

2. Offshoring and job losses:Is the rising international integration of products and services good for labour markets in the developed world?

   27 March 2006

   We live in a world where more and more products and services are composed of parts sourced from all over the globe. This could symbolize that labour markets all over the world profit from globalization. However, job losses and the degradation of working conditions in the industrialized world have been blamed on globalization, internationalization and offshoring of work, but is this true? A new ILO publication analyzes trends and patterns in the internationalization of employment, and argues that while winners might outnumber losers over the long term, policies for losers are of utmost importance for a fair globalization to progress. ILO Online spoke with ILO employment analyst Peter Auer.

3. "Looking for greener pastures": Nurses and doctors on the move

   16 March 2006

   The global health care profession employs an estimated 100 million people, but is not attracting enough new recruits in both developed and developing countries alike. So fierce is the competition to secure scarce health care professionals, that private recruitment agencies stage promotional events and aggressive recruitment campaigns in supplying countries. A recent ILO study examines these shortages of health care professionals and the role played by private recruitment agencies in the flows of international migration.

4. 

   Labour migration in the twenty-first century: E Pluribus, Unum?

   10 March 2006

   The world's 90 million migrant workers constitute 3 per cent of the global workforce, and migrant experiences range from red carpet welcomes for some computer programmers to detention and deportation for some apprehended unauthorized workers. What can be done to ensure that international labour migration is a force for global betterment? A recent study, co-authored by two ILO experts presents a comprehensive analysis of the causes and effects of labour migration.

February 2006

1. 

   International Women's Day 2006: More, but not always better jobs for women in Latin America

   28 February 2006

   With 33 million women joining the labour market between 1990 and 2004, women now represent 40 per cent of the economically active population in urban areas in Latin America. A recent detailed ILO study of progress achieved in women's labour force participation shows mixed results in terms of access to quality jobs, unemployment, remuneration and social protection. ILO Online reports from Bolivia where women's rights activist Casimira Rodriguez Romero was recently appointed Minister of Justice and Human Rights.

2. 

   Maritime Session of the International Labour Conference (7-23 February 2006): "labour history": ILO adopts new consolidated maritime Convention

   23 February 2006

   The consolidated Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 adopted by the ILO today is a ground-breaking, comprehensive global legal instrument concerning maritime labour standards for the world's ship owners, seafarers and maritime nations. The new Convention will not only address the need for decent working conditions for the world's more than 1.2 million seafarers, but may also provide the impetus and support for similar innovative and balanced approaches in other sectors. ILO Online spoke with Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO's International Labour Standards Department, about the new Convention.

3. Sharing profit, knowledge and power: Worker-owned businesses

   21 February 2006

   The number of employee-owned businesses such as John Lewis in the United Kingdom where the share capital is held for the benefit of the workforce remains relatively small. However, a recent ILO publication ( Note 1), suggests that this form of company structure is both successful in business terms and more widely applicable. Andrew Bibby reports for ILO Online from London.