Webinar

The COVID-19 and Labour Inspection

The events will gather regional and national institutions to exchange on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour inspectorates and how are these shifting priorities and adapting operations to respond to the new needs of the labour market.

ILO Webinar on the role and action of labour inspection systems in face of the COVID-19 pandemic

Tuesday, 16. June 2020 10:00-11:30, Europe Summer Time (Paris, GMT+02:00)

This webinar is organized with the International Association of Labour Inspection, IALI.

DESCRIPTION

As part of national systems of labour administration, labour inspectorates play a key role in national responses to COVID-19. Through their technical expertise, in addition to verifying compliance with national legislation, labour inspectors provide advice to employers and workers assisting them in the development and implementation of workplace policies and programmes to prevent and control COVID-19 contagion, and to adapt work practices to applicable labour legislation.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, labour inspectorates in many countries are being affected in their normal operation, either because of an increased demand for their services or because this public health crisis affects inspectorate’s resources, namely when inspectors need to stay home because of their health condition or to comply with lockdowns. Many such organizations have been reprioritising and changing methods of operation with regards protection of the safety and health of workers, control and assistance to the implementation of employment retention measures such as lay-offs, or changes in workplaces related to working time arrangements and other. Attention is and should also be paid to the safety and health of labour inspectors themselves when visiting workplaces.

The webinar will bring together labour inspectorates’ representatives from different countries and regions, specialized regional platforms, other government agencies, ILO specialists, and workers’ and employers’ organizations, in order to exchange on the challenges to the effective undertaking of labour inspection functions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the strategies labour inspectorates are using to overcome new challenges, and be prepared for new challenges. Presentations and discussions will revolve around the changes operated in labour inspectorates further to the outbreak of the pandemic. Among others, the following questions will be addressed:

  • How the Covid 19 pandemic is affecting the public service and the relations with the users of the Labour Inspection system;
  • How labour inspectorates are redefining priorities and dealing with increased demands;
  • Strategies, methodologies, and operational procedures adopted by labour inspectorates to adapt to the “new normal” (teleworking, electronic follow up of cases, visits…) and to deliver effectively;
  • How is technology being used or could be used to provide more efficient labour inspection services in face of a pandemic;
  • Protective measures adopted to guarantee the safety and health of labour inspectors;
  • Lessons learned and strategies to be deployed to ensure the effective discharge of labour inspectors’ duties now and in the post-COVID-19 future.

AGENDA - GLOBAL WEBINAR (English)

  • Opening
  • Global overview of the COVID-19 and the role of labour inspectorates according to ILO standards (ILO)
  • A global view of the Pandemic from a labour inspection perspective (IALI)
  • PANEL: The situation in different regions
  • PANEL: Labour inspection and the COVID-19 pandemic – views of workers’ and employers’ organizations (ITUC/IOE)

PANELISTS

  • Europe (representative from the Senior Labour Inspectors’ Committee - TBC)
  • ASIA (representative from ASEAN OSH_NET - TBC)
  • ARAB States (representative from ACLAE - TBC)
  • AFRICA (Representative from SADC–- TBC)

LINKS FOR THE REGISTRATION Please register at this link.