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May 2011
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How to EASE social dialogue between sports professionals and their employers
01 May 2011
They are the men and women who each weekend run out on to the world’s football stadiums, basketball courts, baseball diamonds and athletics arenas. But are the world’s professional sportsmen and women also workers?
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Employment in the tourism industry to grow significantly
01 May 2011
The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest and most dynamic industries in today’s global economy. It is expected to generate about 9 per cent of total GDP and provide more than 235 million jobs in 2010, representing 8 per cent of global employment. Last November, over 150 government, employer and worker delegates from more than 50 countries, meeting at the ILO’s Global Dialogue Forum on New Developments and Challenges in the Hospitality and Tourism Sector, discussed new developments and challenges in the sector. The Forum was opened by Mr Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Mr Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO.
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The International Labour Conference: Motor of the ILO
01 May 2011
In October of 1919, the first International Labour Conference (ILC) opened in an atmosphere of hope and anticipation. As delegates gathered in Washington, D.C., they were about to set in motion elements of the Treaty of Versailles that concerned the world of work.
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Pension reform and ageing populations in developed economies
01 May 2011
The forthcoming Session of the International Labour Conference will also discuss pension reform in developed economies. The debate will be continued in 2012 when the Conference will hold a general discussion on employment and social protection in the new demographic context.
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Social security and ageing populations in developing countries
01 May 2011
It is common knowledge that life expectancy in Western countries has increased over the past several decades and will continue to rise. However, it may come as a surprise to some that the ratio of elderly people is rising faster in the developing world than in industrialized countries.
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Fighting forced labour through labour inspection: A report from Brazil
01 May 2011
This June, the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva will hold a general discussion on labour inspection. Efficient labour inspectorates have the potential to prevent accidents at work, protect workers, improve their working conditions and enhance productivity by guaranteeing a decent working environment.
December 2010
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Gundo Lashu (Our Victory): Labour intensive public roads programmes in South Africa
01 December 2010
With more than 25 per cent of jobless people, the Republic of South Africa is faced with rampant unemployment – coupled with high levels of poverty and a lack of skills. As part of the South African Government’s strategy to provide poverty and income relief through temporary work, the labour intensive Expanded Public Works Programme was introduced in 2004. It received technical support from the ILO, which is also assisting the Government with the development and formulation of policy. South African journalist Eleanor Momberg reports from Johannesburg.
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The long struggle for a social foundation of the global economy
01 December 2010
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Green jobs in construction: Small changes – big effect
01 December 2010
Construction was the first specific sector of the economy to be addressed in the ILO’s Green Jobs Initiative. The sector is responsible for 25-40 per cent of global energy use, and 30–40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Andrew Bibby, a London-based journalist, reports from the suburb of Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest informal settlement, where the Kuyasa Initiative has targeted 2,000 homes for basic energy-saving measures, creating jobs at the same time.
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Pakistan’s devastating floods: Rebuilding lives and livelihoods
01 December 2010
Sher Hassan watched helplessly through the driving rain as flood water approached his house. Horrified and panicking, and with little time to spare, the 24-year-old managed to take his elderly mother, five sisters and one younger brother to higher ground. Within an hour his home in the village of Masma was submerged under two metres of water.