WORLD OF WORK
No. 40, August 2001

GENEVA - "If this Conference has a single message, it is that all of us together must now move the Decent Work Agenda from aspiration to action, from design to implementation, from a vision to a policy." With those words, Director-General Juan Somavia summed up the discussion on his annual report ¹ "Reducing the Decent Work Deficit" during the 89th International Labour Conference which met on 5-21 June.

Many of the 410 speakers during Plenary sessions echoed the words of Conference President Ms. Patricia A. Sto. Tomas, Secretary of Labour and Employment of the Philippines who said globalization meant "we have to produce more, serve better and do both at the lowest possible cost."

Bringing those persons suffering from a deficit of decent work up to a level playing field was indeed a major focus of this year's discussions. In his annual report, the Director-General declared that"a global decent work deficit of immense proportions" was "the fault line in the world today."

The decent work deficit, the report said, "is expressed in the absence of sufficient employment opportunities, inadequate social protection, the denial of rights at work and shortcomings in social dialogue." These failings, it said, provide "a measure of the gap between the world that we work in and the hopes people have for a better life" and fall into four categories.

An employment gap revealed by ILO estimates of some 160 million people openly unemployed in the world, with underemployed people bringing the total of at least 1 billion. Of every 100 workers worldwide, the report said, six are fully unemployed and another 16 are unable to earn enough to get their families over the most minimal poverty line of US$1 per day.

A rights gap involving such abuses as "the denial of freedom of association and the incidence of forced and child labour and discrimination." The report cited research by the ILO's International Institute for Labour Studies which "suggests that close to two countries out of every five have serious or severe problems of freedom of association."

A "truly alarming" social protection gap with an estimated 80 per cent of the world's workers lacking in adequate social protection. In many low-income countries, "formal protection for old age and invalidity, or for sickness and health care reaches only a tiny proportion of the population: meanwhile 3,000 people a day die as a consequence of work-related accidents or disease."

A social dialogue gap reflecting shortfalls in organizations and institutions and often in attitudes that have resulted in a major "representational gap in the world of work resulting from the fact that workers and employers have frequently and for diverse reasons, not organized to make their voices heard." Examples include the roughly 27 million workers worldwide in Export Processing Zones and millions more in the informal economy who are either excluded from or under-represented in tripartite dialogue.

In his comments to the delegates, Mr. Somavia noted "Many of you spoke of challenges in making all work decent, of tangible deficits in health and safety, of workers without representation or social security, without rights or even work. These are all deficits and we can set measurable objectives as to how we wish to reduce them."

Social dimensions of globalization

Many delegates saw their concerns about the decent work deficit expressed in the discussions surrounding the Working Party on the Social Dimensions of Globalization. Said South African Minister of Labour, Mr. M.S. Mdladlana "we should all recognize that, in this global village, no country can sustain itself as an island of wealth and opulence surrounded by a sea of poverty, hunger and disease." Added John Sweeney, the Workers' delegate from the United States:"a new global economy is being forged and in response across the globe people are stirring: they are demanding a far deal-basic dignity, basic rights, decent work."

What would be the nature of this "fair deal"? Conference President Conference President Ms. Sto. Tomas said, work that is meaningful, dignified, and that "elevates the human spirit."

During the Conference, the Working Party met and agreed on a number of steps to strengthen its action and establish a programme to look at certain issues in depth. The first item in this programme concerns trade liberalization and employment, which will be examined in November. It also agreed that the Working Party should offer a permanent forum for exchange of views and dialogue.

The Working Party supported the suggestion that an authoritative report be prepared on the social dimension of globalization under the responsibility of the Director-General. It also gave some guidance as to the issues this report should cover, notably that it should take full account of the development dimension. The Working Party will also pursue the idea of creating a world commission of eminent personalities to prepare this report for which there was a great deal of support. The Director-General will present a proposal on how this might be done at the next meeting of the ILO Governing Body in November.

"Many speakers referred to that Working Party (on the Social Dimension of Globalization) and supported its work," the Director-General said. "It can help us address a range of the specific concerns raised by delegates and offers a unique forum in which the ILO methods of dialogue and consensus-building can be applied to today's critical global issues. I believe this is a potent instrument for the Organization to embed our shared values in the path of globalization."

Budgetary support

Mr. Somavia declared that putting the decent work agenda in practice would place demands on the ILO's resources, and that the proposals for the 2002-03 budget would provide for the first time, "transparent and integrated statements of the performance that can be expected for the resources provided."

As such, the Conference delegates approved the Director-General's strategic budget proposals for the 175 member-State Organization, adopting unanimously an US$434,040,000 budget at a rate of exchange of 1.77 Swiss francs to the US dollar for the biennium 2002-2003 to finance ILO activities around the world. As in the previous biennium, the budget is organized around four strategic objectives of principles and rights at work, employment, social protection, and social dialogue which constitute the ILO's decent work agenda.

"The result will enable us to go forward with confidence," Mr. Somavia said.

New move on farm safety

The new labour standard on agricultural safety and health represented a milestone in ILO history. By a vote of 402 for, 2 against with 41 abstentions, delegates agreed that the world's 1.3 billion agricultural workers deserved wide-ranging coverage of a host of threats to safety and health. The new International Convention (No. 184) on Health and Safety in Agriculture will enter into force once ratified by two ILO member States. A Recommendation (No. 192) on Health and Safety in Agriculture was also adopted by a vote of 418 for, 0 against with 33 abstentions.

The new Convention and Recommendation on Safety and Health in Agriculture are the first comprehensive international standards on safety and health in this sector and propose a universal framework on which national policies can be developed.

Together with mining and construction, agriculture is one of the three most hazardous industries both in developing and industrialized countries. It is estimated that about half of the world's 1.2 million occupational fatalities occur in agriculture. Exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals and accidents with machinery are the two primary causes of injuries and diseases in the sector.

Much of agriculture is still in small-scale and subsistence farming, with only 5 per cent of the world's 1.3 billion agricultural workers being subject to supervision by labour inspectorates and having some legal protection.

The Convention obliges ratifying member States "to ensure that an adequate system of inspection for agricultural workplaces is in place and is provided with adequate means." As far as it is compatible with existing national laws and regulations, "the employer shall have a duty to ensure the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to the work." Workers in agriculture also have a right to be informed and consulted on safety and health matters including risks from new technologies.

Forced labour

In other measures, the Conference made progress in the effort to eliminate forced labour in Myanmar, moving to send a "High-Level Team" to Myanmar to conduct an objective assessment of the situation there.

A special sitting of the ILO Committee on the Application of Labour Standards insisted that the High-Level Team, whose members are to be chosen by the ILO Director-General, be provided with sufficient authority to programme its activities while in Myanmar, including the right to carry out its investigation in all parts of the country and with unrestricted access to all necessary sources of information. It also added that "those people who provided information to the Team must enjoy full social protection." The Team will report to the ILO Governing Body, which meets in November.

The Government of Myanmar has promised freedom of movement, access to people, and protection of witnesses. The ILO Director-General Mr. Juan Somavia "welcomed the decision of the Government of Myanmar to resume cooperation with the ILO."

Child labour

The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) launched a new initiative on Tuesday, 12 June aimed at greatly accelerating the removal of millions of children from the most abusive forms of child labour. The initiative - starting first in Tanzania, Nepal and El Salvador - involves intensified efforts aimed at ending the worst forms of child labour, in participating countries, in 10 years or less.

The effort, known as the "Time-Bound Programmes", is a major step to implement ILO Convention No. 182, adopted unanimously by the International Labour Conference in 1999, to ban the worst forms of child labour. The Time-Bound Programmes in the three countries will focus on eliminating the use of children in such activities as scavenging at garbage dumps, portering, mining, domestic work, bonded labour, commercial agriculture, fishing and commercial sexual exploitation. Several other countries are expected to join the initiative during the next two years.

The United States Government is the largest donor to IPEC and has provided initial funds for startup of the Time-Bound Programmes in the three countries. The German government was the founding donor for IPEC in 1992. IPEC is currently supported by some 25 donors and operates programmes in more than 70 countries.

Occupied Arab Territories

A special session examining the conditions of workers in Palestine and in the other Occupied Arab Territories highlighted the gravity of the employment and economic hardships resulting from the political crises and violence affecting the region during the last nine months.

Participants at the session were told that increasing segments of the working population of the Territories are unemployed with thousands of Palestinians unable to even get to work in light of the security situation and border closings. A report prepared by the Director-General noted that as much as 50 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of the Palestinian territories has been lost. Poverty affects well over half the residents of the West Bank and as much as 80 per cent in Gaza. Economic losses to Israel have been considerable as well.

The session, which was addressed by upwards of 50 speakers heard impassioned calls for an increased technical cooperation for the workers and employers concerned and renewed dialogue focussed on practical measures to improve the day-to-day lives of workers and their families.

Mr. Somavia endorsed the view that "the ILO must continue to play an active role in the region in promoting employment and respect of workers' rights."

The Committee on the Application of Standards heard 24 country cases in addition to conducting a special sitting concerning the application by Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) . It noted considerable progress in some countries (notably Turkey and Portugal) but cited six others (Belarus, Colombia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Sudan and Venezuela) in special paragraphs of its report. This is a procedure reserved for consistent and serious violations of labour rights. Two of these countries (Sudan and Myanmar) were cited for "continued failure to implement" the provisions of a ratified Convention, following previous Committee discussions and findings."

In the case of Belarus, concerning violation of the Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of Workers Right to Organize, 1948 (No. 87) as a result of public interference in trade union activities, the Committee expressed "its grave concern at the issuance of instructions by the head presidential administration which called upon the ministers and chairs of government committees to interfere in the elections of branch trade unions."

It urged the Government to "take all necessary measures to put an end to such interference so as to ensure that the provisions of the Convention are fully applied in both law and in practice."

As regards Colombia, the Committee referred to previous concerns over violence in the country directed against trade unionists and persistent allegations of violations of workers right to organize. While acknowledging "significant progress," notably with respect to legislative provisions, the Committee expressed its "concern that many complaints concerning violent acts and discrimination against trade unionists continued to be submitted to the ILO.

It emphasized that the "climate of impunity in the country represented a serious threat to the exercise of trade union freedom."

Regarding accusations of government interference in trade union activity in Ethiopia, the Committee said it was "deeply concerned by the fact that no progress had been made" in respect of a serious complaint concerning the Ethiopian Teachers' Association whose President "had now been convicted, after three years of preventive detention, on charges of conspiracy against the State and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.

The Committee strongly urged the Government to "take all the necessary steps as a matter of urgency to ensure that the right of association was recognized for teachers to defend their occupational interests, that workers' organizations were able to elect their representatives and organize their administration and activities free from interference by the public authorities and that workers organizations were not subject to administrative dissolution, in accordance with the Convention (No.87). It also expressed the hope that the ILO Office in Addis Ababa "could visit detained trade unionists."

On Myanmar, the Committee expressed "its profound regret for the persistence of serious discrepancies between national legislation and practice and the provisions of the Convention" (No. 87).

Sudan was also cited for non-application of the Forced Labour Convention (No.29), with the Committee highlighting "the extreme gravity of the case which affected fundamental human rights". Sudan has previously been cited in special paragraphs in 1997, 1998 and 2000. The Committee observed "that there was a broad consensus among the relevant instances of the United Nations agencies and workers representative organizations concerning the persistence and extent of the practice of abduction and imposition of forced labour, and concluded that such situations were very serious violations of Convention No. 29."

Regarding Venezuela, the Committee "urged the Government urgently to amend its legislation to ensure that workers and employers could form organizations and freely elect their representatives without interference by the public authorities." It "regretted to note that the new Constitution of the Republic contained provisions that were not in conformity with the ILO Convention (No. 87)."

Expressing its "profound concern at the convocation of a national trade union referendum in December 2000 with a view to the unification of the trade union movement and the suspension or removal of its leaders, it urged the Government to take the measures necessary to bring its national legislation and practice fully into conformity with the provisions and requirements of the Convention." The Government of Venezuela has agreed to a direct contacts mission to gather information on the application of the Convention.

Other matters: Cooperatives, social security

The Conference adopted the conclusions of the Committee on the Promotion of Cooperatives which held a first discussion on a new international labour standard on the promotion of cooperatives, which are playing an increasingly important role in facilitating job creation worldwide.

The new definition of cooperatives stresses their autonomy as well as their entrepreneurial character, with the role of the State being strictly normative and promotional in order to create a conducive operating environment. Worldwide, cooperatives have 800 millions members and employ 100 million people. They are important for promoting economic and social development because they can balance the need for profitability with the wider interests of the community.

Cooperatives mainly operate in agriculture, finance, wholesale and retailing, health care, housing and insurance, but they are continuously entering new fields of activity, including most recently the information and communications technology sector.

Reflecting the high priority given to social security questions by many member States in recent years, the Social Security Committee held a general discussion on the issue. A wide-ranging consensus emerged from the discussions. Social security, it was agreed, was for everyone in society and highest priority should go to policies and initiatives to extend it to those who have none. Participants agreed that social security should not only ensure equal treatment of men and women, but should also play a positive role in promoting gender equality.

¹ Reducing the Decent Work Deficit: A Global Challenge, Report of the Director-General of the International Labour Office, International Labour Conference, 89^th Session, Geneva, 2001. ISBN 92-2-111949-1; price: 15 Swiss Francs.

This was summed up one woman speaking in a video presentation who said simply "We want work. Give us work." A visit involving representatives of various ILO departments and a colleague from the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) bore this out ².

Work, not handouts

Work is now the central issue for the victims in Gujarat, particularly for those lacking productive assets and suffering from unemployment, underemployment and poverty.

"How can we look after our families and our belongings without a proper roof over our heads?" asked one man in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Added a village-level women organizer: "We need credit and raw materials so that the women can resume production."

The Industrial Training Institute of Gandhidham lies between Ahmedabad and Bhuj in Kutch district. The Institute and another like it in Bhuj had been destroyed when the earthquake reduced the workshop and several classrooms to rubble. Most of the staff survived because they were outside the building celebrating India's Republic Day when the quake hit.

In spite of massive destruction to premises and equipment, some vocational training activities continued in hired premises. Training is a key element in the reconstruction process and yet, as in many other countries reeling from the impact of natural disasters and conflicts, the damage to the training facilities and the need to speedily restore them does not get adequate public attention.

Other villages looked as if the earthquake had occurred just days before. Alongside cracked buildings and heaps of rubble, people squatted in flimsy temporary shelters which were a far cry from the dwellings they had lost.

Still, there was signs of hope everywhere. Many traditional huts or bhungas had been largely unscathed by the quake, showing that traditional building styles are more appropriate with local conditions. Many women wore brightly coloured garments with elaborate embroidery, a craft that has sustained them for centuries. Although the colours and beautiful ornaments could not hide the tragedy of their current existence, in most of the villages, embroidery had resumed and we saw women working, often under the roofs of cracked and unsafe buildings.

Still, SEWA officials said several of their most active members who had braved successive natural disasters like cyclones and drought in the area had felt despondent and unable to cope in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. To many, this earthquake was the proverbial last straw.

"Why don't you buy whatever we have already produced?" asked one woman on meeting a SEWA representative who responded with immediate solutions where possible and undertook to follow up on more difficult problems.

The men were typically engaged in livestock-related activities, largely catering to the needs of their own families. A few had been engaged in casual manual work in earby areas, in some cases as masons and construction workers. There was little in the way of agriculture as the region, even in normal times, does not get much rain over the year.

The spectrum of occupations open to these men appeared rather limited. They were eager to develop their building skills through training programmes in earthquake-proof construction and to get tools kits from the project. The men were appreciative of SEWA's work with the ILO to revive and promote embroidery work for the women

The villagers generally felt that government assistance was slow in reaching them. Many were unhappy with the way in which the assessment of loss was being made and felt they had been unfairly treated.

"The inspectors came late in the evening and assessed the damage to my house at 30 per cent, but as you can see it is totally destroyed," said one man.

The process of rectification of such errors is a slow and uncertain one. In some villages, the inhabitants decided not to wait for government support and have begun rebuilding their dwellings themselves. This has resulted in sub-standard and rickety structures which will probably collapse in the event of a cyclone or another earthquake.

Decent work, dignity and security

Two of the key words in the ILO concept of decent work - human dignity and security -accurately reflect the needs and aspirations of the Gujarat victims. The InFocus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction was set up to tackle this problem of promoting decent work in such unstable situations. The ILO recently concluded a project in exactly the area later hit by the earthquake. Returning in its aftermath showed that ILO objectives remain relevant in both good times and bad.

On the basis of the team's findings a project implementation plan was developed with a strong focus on livelihoods, training and shelter, including expanding and strengthening embroidery craft activities, providing a model earthquake-proof shelter in each village, and training and equipping a set of workers with the requisite building skills.

These measures are designed to stimulate the economic revival of these villages and enable them to withstand better the impact of future cyclones, earthquakes and drought. At the same time several difficult problems still need to be addressed in these villages as well as in this region of Gujarat. Some of these issues include:

• examining the impact of natural disasters on poor and asset-deficient groups within the population;

• developing strategies for risk-prone populations, especially those exposed to multiple natural disasters;

• rebuilding the infrastructure and dwellings so they immediately create employment for the local people affected by the disaster;

• estimating the loss of livelihoods immediately after a disaster; and,

• designing a reconstruction and recovery process that reduces the likelihood of a similar impact in the future.

- J. Krishnamurty, ILO/IFP Crisis Response and Reconstruction.

² The team comprised representatives of the ILO New Delhi Area Office, GENPROM and IFP/CRISIS (the three units responsible for the ILO rapid response to the earthquake) and SEWA.

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