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"Trade union rights are human rights".
A monthly newsletter produced by the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities
No. 7/02
December 20, 2002
Contents
 ILO American Regional Meeting
ILO Governing Body
Promoting trade union participation in poverty reduction strategies
ACTRAV visit to Central Asia
ILO meeting calls for change in migration policies in Southern Africa
Pointers
ILO American Regional Meeting
Globalization must change course, and steer for social progress
Delegates at the ILO's fifteenth American regional meeting called for new economic policies, a reduction of the foreign debt, an improvement of wages and a fight against unemployment in order to overcome the present crisis in the region. In their Conclusions, the 400 delegates representing governments, employers and workers' organizations in 34 American and Caribbean countries, noted that "there will be no growth, and hence no employment generation unless internal and external investment increases and the foreign debt is reduced". Delegates called for fair rules in international trade, respect for democratic freedoms, sustainable development policies and full employment as a means of securing macroeconomic stability conducive to increased investment. They also called for combating corruption which in many countries of the region still constitutes an obstacle to investment, social progress and democratic stability. Trade union rights and the strengthening of social dialogue and of democratic institutions and mechanisms remain key elements of any policy geared towards progress at both economic and social levels.
"We are not looking for an asymmetric, unfair or exclusive globalization, what we want is inclusive globalization which brings stability and which delivers benefits equitably", delegates said, insisting that social development objectives have to be fully integrated into economic policies.
The so-called "neoliberal model" was blamed for many of the economic and social woes prevailing in Latin America and the Caribbean. "The economic and social results of globalization have been, up to now, unsatisfactory "We aren't looking to get off the boat, but we want to change its course", said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.
Urban unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean rose in the third quarter of 2002 to 17 million, an average unemployment rate of 9.2 per cent that, according to the 2002 Labour Overview of the ILO, is the highest that has been registered in the region in the past 22 years. The 2002 Labour Overview (Spanish only) of the ILO was released in Lima ahead of the Regional Meeting.
According to this report, "the total urban unemployed will rise to 9.8 per cent, the worst in the region for 30 years. This represents about 18 million people". Unemployment among women is about 45 per cent higher than the overall or average unemployment rate, while youth unemployment is almost double this figure. ILO estimates suggest that approximately 47 per cent of the urban employed in Latin America work in the informal economy. "Generally speaking, about seven out of every ten people economically active in urban areas of Latin America do not have a job or have a poor quality job."
With regard to wages and income from work, the report tells of a gradual recovery between 1990 and 2000. This can be seen in an increase in annual real wages of 1.8 per cent and in minimum wages of 0.9 percent. "However, industrial wages are now equivalent in real terms to those of 1980, and minimum wages only 74 per cent of the minimum wage of 20 years ago."
"Whatever methodology is used to measure this", says Somavia, "the pattern of income distribution in Latin America is the most unequal in the world."
In referring to deficits in social protection, the report warns that two-thirds of the active population in the Latin American region is outside the social security system, whether health-care provision or pensions. The situation is particularly serious for economically active women, 80 per cent of whom are not protected by social security institutions, according to ILO estimates.
With respect to occupational accidents, the report warns that in Latin America and the Caribbean 27,000 people a year die as a result of accidents at the workplace. "This represents 13.5 per cent for every 100,000 people employed."
The Director-General of the ILO regrets in his report, entitled Globalization and Decent Work in the Americas, that trade union membership fell during the past decade in the region by percentages ranging from 1 to 29 per cent depending on the country. This decline, according to Mr Somavia's report, has many causes, from the exponential rise in the number of workers on short-term contracts to the increase of work in the informal economy. "All this", says Somavia, "[is] compounded by the harassment of the trade union movement and the violence to which it was subjected in some countries in the nineties, or the movement's own difficulties in modernizing and expanding its representation to the informal economy."
Workers' and employers' organizations join efforts
During the Regional Meeting, the employers' and workers' representatives from Latin America who are members respectively of the International Organization for Employers (IOE) and of the Regional Organization for the Americas of the ICFTU (ICFTU-ORIT) adopted a joint statement calling on the ILO to support, through technical assistance, national and regional efforts by social partners to participate effectively in and contribute to the integration processes in the American region. The statement insists on the need to guarantee respect for workers' fundamental rights and to provide space for social partners' participation in the integration processes including by setting up consultation bodies which would help strengthen tripartism. The ILO was also asked to allow for a tripartite representation in its participation in the work of regional bodies such as the Organization for American States (OAS) and the Interamerican Development Bank. The joint statement cites a number of prevailing problems to be addressed in a number of countries of the region including the absence of respect for fundamental rights at work, which weakens democracies, ill-conceived macroeconomic policies which fail to stimulate sustainable economic and social development, corruption and weak education and social protection systems.
Venezuela: In a separate statement the workers' and employers' delegates, members of the ICFTU-ORIT and IOE respectively, expressed concern over the "escalating climate of violence in Venezuela" and called on the Government to immediately implement reiterated recommendations of the ILO supervisory bodies concerning freedom of association in Venezuela. The statement urged all parties to the conflict to seek non-violent, negotiated means of resolving their differences, condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators and emphasized the government's responsibility to ensure respect for human and fundamental labour rights.
Our colleague Leroy Trotman was elected worker Vice-President of the meeting and Carlos Rodriguez Diaz, President of CUT (Colombia), whose candidature was proposed by the ICFTU-ORIT, was unanimously elected Chairman and Spokesperson of the Workers' Group.
ILO Governing Body
The strengthening of tripartism among its social partners, the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, Colombia and forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) were key items on the agenda of the ILO Governing Body which met in Geneva this November.
Tripartism: Delegates approved proposals for concrete action as a follow-up to the resolution on tripartism adopted by the International Labour Conference in June.This includes "social dialogue audits" or reviews of key ILO activities within the four ILO technical sectors, directly involving the unique expertise and specific mandates of the ILO's Social Dialogue Sector and its units. The Governing Body requested the Director-General to put in place a comprehensive cross-cutting plan of action for strengthening tripartism and social dialogue throughout the office. The Director-General was also requested to consider the possibility of proposing tripartism and social dialogue as an agenda item for a general discussion at a future session of the International Labour Conference.
Committee on Freedom of Association: Belarus, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Zimbabwe were among the serious and urgent cases cited by the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association, whose report was adopted by the ILO Governing Body, for serious infringements of the principle of freedom of association and violations of trade union rights.
Burma: After examining reports by its interim Liaison Officer in Myanmar (Burma), Mr. Léon de Riedmatten and his successor, now a fully-fledged ILO Liaison Officer, Ms. Hông-Trang Perret- guyen, the Governing Body discussed the possibility of the ILO sending a mission to Myanmar (Burma) to conclude a plan of action for the elimination of forced labour in the country. The Chairman of the Governing Body concluded that such a mission could indeed take place provided such a plan of action between the Liaison Officer and the authorities in Yangon advanced in a satisfactory manner. The sending of a mission was left to the consideration of the Director-General.
Palestinian Fund: The Governing Body gave strong support for creation of a Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection which had been proposed by the Director-General in a report on the situation in the occupied Arab territories issued during the International Labour Conference in June. The ILO has called for capacity building of social partners, creation of an employment and social protection fund and the establishment of a platform for Palestinian and Israeli constituents for social dialogue. Having noted the practical approach by the ILO, the Governing Body members encouraged the Office to assist in the establishment of the Fund, and appealed to the donor community to support this Fund. They requested a progress report for the March 2003 session of the Governing Body.
Colombia: The Governing Body also considered developments in Colombia and the special cooperation programme called "Project Colombia", which has been established to secure the rights of Colombian trade unionists, promote freedom of association and the right to organize in the country, and further social dialogue as a means of stopping violence. The Vice-President of Colombia, H.E. Francisco Santos Calderon, addressed the Governing Body saying that the new government would do everything in its power to stop violence in the country.
Global Employement Agenda: Further to the interventions of the Workers' Group, the Governing Body instructed the Office to produce a paper re-examining the elements of what should constitute the Global Employment Agenda, taking into account the current and previous discussions of the Committee, for discussion by the Officers of the Committee prior to the 286th Session (March 2003) of the Governing Body, and subsequent presentation at that session.
Global Social Trust: The Governing Body authorized the Office to initiate a project to test the idea of addressing the challenge of alleviating poverty through an internationally-financed social protection mechanism known as a Global Social Trust. With 1.3 billion people living on less than US$ 1 a day - and with the world community resolved in the Millennium Development Goals to halve that number by 2015 - the Global Social Trust concept is to raise family income in the poorest countries through the provision of basic social security. Financing would come from networks of individuals in developed countries, who would systematically make regular, voluntary donations of a few dollars a month to create basic social protection systems in developing countries and support benefit payments until those systems become self-supporting.
The core benefits would consist of basic income security benefits, education and health services. Following up on a study authorized last year by the ILO Director-General and presented this week, the Governing Body authorized the test, to include one donor country and one developing country together in setting up a concrete anti-poverty social protection benefit in the developing country. The pilot project will last several years and the Governing Body and the public will be informed about the progress at regular intervals. The project will be accompanied by an advisory board that will monitor the progress of the pilot and the Global Social Trust concept in general.
Election: Regarding the appointment of the Director-General, delegates confirmed that the election should take place at its 286th session in March 2003. The five-year-mandate of the Director-General will take effect on 4 March 2004. The current Director-General Juan Somavia of Chile was elected to his position in March 1999, and his first term will be completed by March 2004. During the discussion several speakers expressed their support for a second term for Mr. Somavia.
Promoting trade union participation in poverty reduction strategies
While high-level meetings between the international trade union movement and the International Financial Institutions are becoming regular occurrences and present opportunities to raise labour concerns with the Bretton Wood organizations, contact at the field level is less frequent. This is why, in an unprecedented initiative, the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) brought together representatives from trade unions in 9 African countries and a delegation from the World Bank which included officials from its Social Protection Unit, the World Bank Institute and country representatives of the Bank from the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The meeting took place in Lusaka (Zambia) on December 8-14 and was entitled "Policy Dialogue and Capacity Building Seminar on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)". With support from the ICFTU, the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the World Bank, the seminar provided an excellent opportunity for trade unionists from Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya the United Republic of Tanzania and Malawi to engage in a policy dialogue on such crucial issues as the effective participation of trade unions in the PRSP initiative.
Launched at the IMF/World Bank September 1999 Annual Meetings, the PRSPs represented a change on two fronts from the previous structural adjustment programmes. First, the overall objective of economic reforms has switched from an excessive concentration on economic stabilization to a more balanced concern for economic, social and equity issues. Second, in theory the PRSPs create the potential for representatives of civil society, including trade unions and other groups, to be involved in the identification of economic and social problems and the design of policies to resolve such problems. The trade union movement has, however, been increasingly critical of the process as labour involvement still seems to meet with hurdles.
The Lusaka seminar also provided trade unionists with an opportunity to raise questions related to macroeconomic policies and PRSPs, trade policies and poverty reduction and labour market policies and PRSPs. As part of the ACTRAV-FES project on "promoting trade union participation in the PRSP process", trade unionists taking part in the seminar were also invited to develop national plans on poverty reduction which will be supported by the project.
The ILO delegation to the seminar was composed of Claude Akpokavie, focal point for PRSPs within ACTRAV, Mohammed Mwamadzingo, ACTRAV regional specialist in Workers' Education, Louis Ndaba, ILO Office Director for Zambia and Kabundi Mpenga, ILO Office Director for Côte d'Ivoire and coordinator of "Jobs for Africa".
ACTRAV visit to Central Asia
An ACTRAV delegation visited Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan last month as part of the Bureau's efforts to increase its activities in Central Asia. Contacts in both countries showed that the proposed revision of their labour codes remains a major concern for local trade unions and that ACTRAV support will be sought in that respect. Huge unemployment and poverty are key problems in Kyrgyzstan, where a foreign debt representing 300 per cent of GDP and pressure by International Financial Institutions are placing a heavy burden on the working population. Talks with the Kyrgyz federation of trade unions suggest a need for the ILO to promote social dialogue in the country and to help develop alternative economic and social policies. Child labour is also rampant in Kyrgyzstan. The ACTRAV delegation took part in a round table discussion on the subject organized with its support by the Kyrgyz trade union federation in cooperation with the ICFTU and global union federations (UNI and IUF). A statement adopted by participants at that meeting calls on the Kyrgyz government to ratify the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182) and to devise a programme of action aimed at eradicating child labour in the country. The Kyrgyz trade union federation is taking the lead to combat child labour and the government as well as other parts of the society have been reacting positively towards union initiatives in that respect.
With a GDP growth of about 10 per cent for 2002, Kazakhstan is much better off and is considered ahead of most neighbouring countries as far as economic and social reforms are concerned. Yet while social allocations and pensions are expected to increase in 2003, trade unions are not satisfied with the state of affairs in the country. The Federation of Trade Unions in Kazakhstan is keen to participate in efforts aimed at addressing workers' grievances, through social dialogue. However, violations of trade union rights remain a key concern (in its last survey covering 2001, the ICFTU was critical of what it termed "anti-union legislation and practice" in Kazakhstan). In this respect, leaders of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan reported on the positive intervention of the ILO which led to the improvement of the situation in the subsidiary of a multinational company, following a complaint lodged with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association. As in the case of Kyrgyzstan, the planned revision of the labour code, as well as a reform of the wage system, were identified as topics for cooperation between ACTRAV and Kazakh trade unions in 2003.
The ACTRAV delegation to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan was led by Michael Sebastian, Deputy Director. He was accompanied by Sten Toft Petersen from the ILO Moscow office.
ILO meeting calls for change in migration policies in Southern Africa
Abuses of migrant workers' rights, poor labour conditions, an increase in irregular migration and growing xenophobia were cited as important problems to be addressed urgently by governments in the Southern African Development (SADC) countries in co-operation with employers' associations and trade unions. The call was made at the end of a four-day tripartite meeting organized on November 26-29 in Pretoria by the ILO and attended by senior government officials, business executive officers and trade union leaders from all 14 SADC countries.
"Ill-conceived or inadequate policies have led to a series of problems that are of direct concern to the ILO and its constituents," a 6-page statement adopted by delegates says.
According to UN and ILO estimates, there are about 175 million people on the move and 120 million of them are migrant workers and their families. Twenty million African workers leave and work outside their countries of origin and by 2015, one out of ten African workers will be living and working outside his or her country.
In this respect, delegates deplored the poor rate of ratification of ILO international conventions covering migrant workers by SADC countries. None of them have so far ratified the ILO Convention on Migrant Workers, adopted in 1975, which seeks to promote respect for migrants workers' human rights regardless of whether they are legally or illegally employed. The conventions also provide for governments in both sending and receiving countries to cooperate in order to bring migration flows under control. Five out of 14 SADC countries have ratified an earlier ILO Convention on migrant workers (No. 97).
Delegates vowed to reaffirm migrant workers' fundamental right to join or form trade unions and to bargain collectively.
A series of concrete proposals will be tabled for SADC governments as a follow-up to the ILO Forum. They include calls to harmonize migration policies, simplify procedures, effectively ensure protection of migrants' rights, reduce irregular migration by expanding mechanisms of legal migration, and strengthen social dialogue on ways of addressing problems that are here to stay.
Participants in the forum were also briefed on the general discussion on migrant workers that will take place at the ILO Conference in 2004. A series of regional preparatory meetings leading to that event will take place in the run up to the Conference.
The ILO Forum was jointly organized by the ILO International Migration Programme and the International Training Centre of the ILO (Turin) with the support of the ILO Area Office for Southern Africa based in Pretoria and with financial and/or logistical support of the Regional Office for Africa, ILO Area Offices in Antananarivo, Kinshasa and Lusaka, and the Southern Africa Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (SAMAT). The ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities was represented by Frederick Parry (Harare) and Luc Demaret (Geneva).
Pointers
The UN Convention on Migrants comes into force: On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day (December 10), the National Parliament of East Timor decided to accede to the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. East Timor's ratification will be the twentieth, finally bringing the Convention into force early next year. The Convention offers a holistic approach to the human rights of migrants and summarizes in a single instrument a large gamut of rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The Convention also takes into account all the aspects of the migration process so as to protect effectively the victims of abuses in countries of origin, transit and destination, be they regular or irregular, documented or undocumented. The Convention also plays an important role in preventing and eradicating exploitation, trafficking and smuggling of migrants. The entry into force of the Convention is a strong signal that the human dimension of migration can no longer be overlooked. Migrant workers will be the main topic for General Discussion at the International Labour Conference in 2004 in Geneva. Preparations for that discussion have begun. The next issue of Labour Education will be devoted to migrant workers.
The Social Dimension of Globalization: On November 27, international trade union leaders met in Brussels with members of the ILO World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, to raise key trade union concerns about global economic and social issues. The primary objective set for the Commission is to respond to the needs of people as they cope with the changes which globalization has brought to their lives, their families, and the societies in which they live. The trade union leaders pointed to the crisis in public confidence about globalization, and the absolute need for issues such as employment, workers' rights, sustainable development and public services to be brought to the centre of decision-making.
- ICFTU interview with ILO Director General, Juan Somavia, about the work of the World Commission
Red Card to Child Labour: The Spanish football team Real Madrid and the ILO programme for the elimination of child labour (ILO-IPEC) brought the "Red Card to Child Labour" campaign to Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on 18 December when the football team marked its centennial anniversary with a match against a world selection team. In a pre-game ceremony football players entered the stadium accompanied by 22 children wearing T shirts with the logo of the Campaign and raised special red cards to demonstrate support for the campaign to end child labour. At a public ceremony in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on the eve of the match, Kari Tapiola, ILO Executive Director and Florentino Pérez Rodríguez, the President of Real Madrid, signed an agreement of mutual collaboration on the Red Card campaign. The Red Card to Child Labour campaign was launched on 18th January 2002 in Bamako, Mali, at a ceremony chaired by Mali's Prime Minister and Minister of Integration. During the ceremony, ILO and the African Confederation of Football (CAF) signed a Cooperation agreement. The next important phases of the campaign will be the FIFA World Youth Championship (U-20) in the United Arab Emirates (March/April 2003), the FIFA Women's World Cup in China (September/October 2003), the 2004 Copa America in Peru and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
"The advantages of productivity improvement for workers" were discussed at an African regional seminar held last month in Nairobi and attended by trade union representatives from 16 African countries. The event was sponsored by ACTRAV and the Japanese trade union confederation (Rengo-Jilaf). The specific objectives of the seminar were to: analyse the role of workers and their organizations as stakeholders in productivity improvement; examine different approaches to productivity improvement and to sharing the gains of productivity; share experiences on participatory approaches to productivity and the role trade unions can play in this respect; and examine the linkages between industrial relations, productivity and the bargaining process. François Murangira (Geneva) and Mohammed Mwamadzingo (Harare) represented ACTRAV at the seminar.
ILO Liaison office in Brussels: The ILO Liaison office in Brussels in now producing a regular newsletter. For more information contact: INFOBRU@ilo-org.be
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