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The Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) and ILO Workers'
Programmes for 2000 and 2001
 Support for the Workers' group and
relations
Institution-building and general workers'
education
Trade unions and
globalization
To Strengthen Workers' Participation in the UN
System and impact on the Bretton
Woods institutions
Promotion of standards and follow up to the
Declaration
Workers in the informal
sector
The mandate of the Bureau for Workers' Activities
The mandate of the Bureau is to strengthen representative, independent and
democratic trade unions in all countries, to enable them to play their role effectively in protecting workers' rights and
interests and in providing effective services to their members at national and international levels, and to promote the
ratification and implementation of ILO Conventions. In order to achieve these overall objectives, the Bureau has two major
recurrent activities, namely support of the Workers' group of the Governing Body, relations and institution building; and
general workers' education. Thus, activities will be carried out that safeguard full awareness of trade union priorities and
policies in all ILO activities, and ensure that trade unions are familiar with and continue to support ILO objectives, and that
Workers' delegates to ILO meetings are assisted so that they can effectively represent workers' interests. Secondly, the
Bureau promotes and assists the development of institutions of workers' education and the delivery of coherent and sustained
workers' education programmes within the structure of trade union organizations at the international, regional and national
levels. During the 2000-01 biennium, the Bureau will also cooperate and help workers' organizations to strengthen their
capacity to deal particularly with the following specific issues: trade union perspectives on economic and social policies in
the context of globalization; the promotion of standards and follow-up on the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and
Rights at Work; child labour; and workers in the informal sector.
ILO and Workers' organizations
The ILO will maintain close relations with workers' organizations, and trade unions will be kept informed of ILO
activities, programmes and policies. Training and information activities will be organized and support provided for the
training courses, seminars and conferences held by trade unions to increase their understanding of the ILO, its standards and
supervisory system, and to define the roles, policies and strategies to be followed by trade unions in their advocacy role,
particularly in relation to other international organizations. Technical assistance will also be designed to help trade unions
plan action to combat child labour.
Technical assistance and workers' education programmes will be undertaken in all regions, in order to establish and
strengthen workers' education infrastructures and basic trade union skills, such as collective bargaining, grievance handling,
organizing techniques, including the promotion of gender equity, and other initiatives to increase trade union density.
Training manuals and studies, including the adaptation and translation of existing
materials, will be published on labour education, ILO activities and services, and other topics.
Another priority will be to help trade unions overcome their communication deficit in relation to national and
transnational enterprises through the adoption of new communication technologies and the improvement of their access to
information, including ILO databases. Regional and international networks of trade union research staff with expertise in the
identification and interpretation of information and distance learning techniques will be developed.
National and international trade union organizations will be helped to balance the debate about globalization. Research
will be conducted on policy options and institutional arrangements that can be proposed by trade unions to improve the
governance of globalization and ensure that its economic benefits are more broadly distributed. Training will be organized
on economic policy and industrial relations practices adapted to the new situation. An international symposium will be held
to strengthen workers' participation in the United Nations system and impact on the Bretton Woods institutions.
Trade unions and workers in particular situations will be given special attention, for example, to support trade union
action for the protection of workers in the informal economy and the improvement of their working conditions. In transition
countries and particularly in Europe, assistance will be provided to overcome new challenges in such areas as basic trade
union functions, collective bargaining, grievance handling and organizing techniques. Rural workers will be helped to
organize in spite of the constraints of poor access to education, training, capital and information.
Trade Unions as Essential Partners
As essential partners in collective bargaining and tripartite dialogue, trade unions play a fundamental role in
translating the aspirations of the working person into coherent and structured strategies at the enterprise, sectoral, national
and international levels. They are one of the principal actors promoting universal respect for basic human rights, social
justice and protection of the weak and disadvantaged members of society. Their role is particularly important at a time when
social protection is under threat and workers are faced by challenges resulting from the globalization of the world economy,
including the restructuring of production processes and the introduction of new
technologies, the increased flexibility of labour markets, growing migratory pressures, the widespread privatization of public services and the development of export
processing zones and other work situations where basic workers' rights are often disregarded.
Workers' Problems and Needs Reflected in ILO
Activities
For the ILO's tripartite system to work effectively, it is essential for the Office to maintain close
relations with the trade union movement and provide support for its participation in ILO activities and meetings. In this way,
the Office can ensure that its work reflects the needs and views of workers' organizations in a context of active partnership.
In an era of rapidly increasing globalization and interdependence, it is also essential for the ILO, as the only tripartite agency
in the United Nations system, to promote closer relations between its tripartite constituents and other international
organizations, as well as with regional and subregional institutions.
Two crucial elements in the establishment and strengthening of democratic and representative trade unions are
institution-building and the delivery of coherent and sustained workers' education programmes. In view of the current rapid
changes in the economic, social and industrial relations environment, the organizational structures of trade unions need to be
flexible, dynamic and capable of adapting to complex problems and challenges. There is therefore a need to promote modern
management methods, improve the quality of workers' education and reinforce the organizing and campaigning techniques
which have historically been so important in the trade union movement. In this respect, special attention is required by trade
unions in transition countries and rural workers' organizations. In transition countries, trade unions need to overcome special
challenges in such areas as basic trade union functions, collective bargaining, grievance handling and organizing techniques.
Rural workers' organizations need to strengthen their capacities to organize, establish educational programmes and provide
economic and social services to their members.
The trade union movement recognizes globalization as a great challenge, particularly when associated with other
trends, including slow economic growth, rapid demographic changes, the continued growth of the informal sector, increased
labour flexibility and the explosion of non-traditional forms of employment, such as casual work, contract labour, homework
and teleworking. To mitigate the most undesirable aspects of globalization, they need to advocate national and international
policies which are conducive to faster economic and employment growth and lobby the international financial institutions to
ensure that economic reforms are developed through tripartite dialogue and in respect of international labour standards. To
maximize their effectiveness in this task, trade unions require support in making the case for the fundamental need for
international labour standards and in analysing the relationships between economic and social development, the
liberalization of trade and observance of international labour standards. They also need to continue their efforts, with ILO
support, to develop a coherent and systematic approach to integrating an effective response to the concerns of the most
vulnerable categories of workers, notably informal sector workers, into their policies and programmes.
General Objectives
The objectives are that:
• the trade union movement participates fully in the design and implementation of ILO policies and activities and influences
ILO relations with other institutions;
• representative, independent and democratic trade unions participate effectively in tripartite and bipartite dialogue to
promote workers' rights defined by international labour standards;
• workers' organizations provide more and better services to their members and address their needs more effectively by
strengthening of their organizational structures and educational programmes, as a means of improving trade union density;
• trade unions secure support for new policies and institutional arrangements which maximize the benefits of globalization
and ensure that they are equitably distributed; and
• trade unions strengthen their mobilization and action in support of informal sector workers.
Fields of Activity for 2000 and 2001
Support for the Workers' group and relations. Assistance will continue to be provided to the Workers' group at the
Governing Body and the Conference and to Workers' delegations to other ILO meetings. Trade unions throughout the world
will be kept informed of ILO activities, programmes and policies through a regular supply of communications and
publications. This work will be supported by representation of the ILO at trade union meetings and conferences. In addition,
the Director-General and programme managers will be kept informed of trade union policies and priorities. As a result of
these activities, the concerns and priorities of the trade union movement will be reflected more fully in ILO policies and
programmes.
Institution-building and general workers' education. Technical assistance will be supplied for the establishment
and strengthening of workers' education infrastructures, which will be set up in an increasing number of trade unions and
will extend their coverage, for example to the organization of campaigns to increase membership. The support provided will
include training for trade union instructors and the publication of Labour education. Another priority will be to assist trade
unions overcome their communication deficit in relation to national and transnational enterprises through the adoption of new
communication technologies and the improvement of their access to information, including ILO databases. Regional and
international networks of trade union research staff with expertise in the identification and interpretation of information and
distance learning techniques will continue to be developed. Emphasis will be placed on maximizing the involvement of
women workers and mainstreaming gender and equality concerns.
Trade unions and globalization. The support provided to national and international trade union organizations in this
area will be designed to help them influence the process of globalization. Research will be carried out on policy options and
institutional arrangements that can be proposed by trade unions to improve the governance of globalization and ensure that its
economic benefits are more broadly distributed. Training will be provided on economic policy and industrial relations
practices adapted to the new situation. Meetings will be organized bringing together trade unions, policy-makers and
representatives of international organizations, including the Bretton Woods institutions.
International Symposium to Strengthen Workers' Participation in the UN System and impact on the Bretton
Woods institutions. The purpose of this Symposium would be to discuss the evolution in the relationship between trade
unions and relevant sections of the UN system; to discuss the implications of proposals to introduce greater social partner
involvement in organizations like WTO; to devise strategies that maximize the benefits for workers from the more receptive
attitude to dialogue with trade unions at the highest levels in the IMF and World Bank; to influence IMF/World Bank policy
positions on core labour standards and social issues and to translate them into concrete programmes and action involving
both the Bretton Woods institutions and the trade union movement; and, to consider ways of sensitizing other international
financial institutions and other relevant agencies in the UN system to the importance of core labour standards, trade union
rights and the economic policies being advocated by the international trade union movement.
Promotion of standards and follow up to the
Declaration. Based on the training and information activities
undertaken, more trade unions will develop structures and courses to train their staff and members on international labour
standards and will play a more active role in promoting the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and
is urging their governments to ratify and apply ILO Conventions. Through the technical assistance supplied, action to combat
child labour will be designed and implemented, campaigns will be launched among trade union members, and direct
assistance will be provided to advance the abolition of child labour, including the removal of working children from work
and their rehabilitation.
Workers in the informal sector. Technical assistance will focus on developing a coherent and systematic approach
to incorporating the interests of informal sector workers in trade union action. Based on this support, trade unions will
provide services for informal sector workers in such areas as education, vocational training, legal assistance, self-help
schemes and social protection. Information campaigns will also be launched for trade union members on the need to protect
the rights and improve the conditions of workers in the informal sector.
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