International Labour Conference opens

GENEVA (ILO News) - The 90 ^th Session of the International Labour Conference opened today, electing as its president, Mr. Jean-Jacques Elmiger, Secretary of State of the Federal Department of the Economy of Switzerland.

The Conference elected as Vice-Presidents Mr. Max Arbesser-Rastburg (Employers) from Austria, Senator Zainal Rampak (Workers) from Malaysia and Mr. Farhad Hussain, (Governments) from Pakistan. Mr. Hussain is Secretary of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan, Mr. Arbesser-Rastburg
is the employers' delegate from Austria and Mr. Rampak is the President of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC).

Delegates to the International Labour Conference are to consider a wide range of issues, from decent work in the informal economy to safety and health, child labour and the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories.

The annual Conference will meet until 20 June and is expected to draw some 3,000 delegates, including labour ministers and leaders of workers' and employers' organizations from most of the ILO's 175 member States. Each member country has the right to send four delegates to the Conference: two from government and one each representing workers and employers, each of whom may speak and vote independently.

The role of the International Labour Conference is to adopt and oversee compliance with international labour standards, establish the budget of the Organization and elect members of the Governing Body. Since 1919, the Conference has served as a major international forum for debate on social and labour questions of worldwide importance.