"Trade union rights are human rights".
A monthly newsletter produced by the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities
No. 2/02
March 1, 2002
Contents
ILO launches World Commission on Globalization
Governing Body meets
Workers’ Memorial Day
International Women’s Day
A New Social Pact for South Africa?
“Dakar Declaration” adopted at ACTRAV-sponsored
Conference
Bleak future for Asian youth?
Decent Work: A Common Goal of Youth and Trade Unions
ILO launches World Commission
on Globalization
"Figures show that globalization has not benefited enough people. Globalization
should work for all and should be seen to work for all”. This is what Benjamin
William Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, told a press
conference in Geneva on February 27 as, together with the President of
Finland, Tarja Kaarina Halonen, and ILO Director General Juan Somavia,
he was launching the new World
Commission on the social dimension of globalization.
The two Heads of State will co-chair a 21-member
Commission which will aim at using the process of globalization as
a resource to reduce poverty and unemployment, to foster growth and sustainable
development. “The Commission will examine ways in which all international
organizations can contribute to a more inclusive globalization process
that is acceptable and fair to all”, ILO Director General said.
The Commission has scheduled its first meeting for March 25 in Geneva.
It is expected to complete its deliberations and present an “authoritative
report” to the ILO’s Director General in the course of 2003.
Speaking earlier to an international trade union audience Juan Somavia
said he had invited International Financial Institutions (IMF, World Bank)
and the World Trade Organization to participate in the work of the Commission.
“ My aspiration is to engage them”, he said.
Among the Commission members are Zwelizima Vavi, general secretary of
the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and John Sweeney, President
of the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations
(AFL-CIO). The Commission includes politicians, academics, social experts
and a Nobel Economics laureate (Joseph Stiglitz, a former Chief Economist
of the World Bank).
Mr. Somavia will act as an ex officio member of the Commission, together
with the President of Governing Body, Mr. Alain Ludovic Tou, the Chairperson
of the Workers' Group, Lord Bill Brett, and the Chairperson of the Employers'
Group, Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja.
The Commission will be serviced by a special secretariat set up by the
ILO. Mr. P. Gopinath, a senior official of the ILO, has been appointed
as Executive Secretary of the Commission.
ILO Governing Body meets
The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) will
hold its 283rd session on March 7-22 in Geneva. It will review the situation
of Freedom of Association in a number of countries, examine policy responses
to the employment and social consequences of the events of September 11
2001, review annual reports under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration
on fundamental principles and rights at work and prepare the ILO input
to such global events as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10)
and the Second World Assembly on Ageing (WAA-2). The forced labour situation
in Burma (Myanmar) as well as the ILO’s role in the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers launched by the IFIs will also be important items on the agenda.
Burma: An ILO mission visited Burma (Myanmar) in February and
will report
to the Governing Body. There seems that little progress has been achieved
in meeting the ILO recommendations. Talks in Burma centred on the proposed
establishment of a permanent ILO presence in the country, the appointment
of an ombudsman and inquiries into the murders of people who reported forced
labour cases in the Shan state. According to reports, the Burmese authorities
have rejected the proposed ILO presence and the ILO team was prevented
from meeting pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Francis Maupain, a
senior adviser to the ILO Director General, who led the week-long mission
said he was disappointed. “When it became clear that because of the strict
instructions invoked on the side of the authorities that there was no basis
to pursue dialogue, we made clear that if we had known that we would not
have sent the mission”, Maupain is quoted as saying. The Burmese side proposed
the posting of an “ILO liaison officer” based abroad, but that may fall
short of the ILO recommendations.
Last year, the ILO Governing Body called for the setting up of a permanent
ILO presence in the country to monitor the situation. A
20-page report then suggested that despite new legislation introduced
in 2000, forced labour still prevailed in the country. According to Amnesty
international 1,500 political prisoners still languished in jail.
In November 2000, the ILO took the unprecedented step to call all its
175 member countries, other UN bodies as well as employers’ and workers’
organizations to review relations with Burma’s ruling junta because of
the extensive use of forced labour. The ILO Governing Body will consider
what action to take.
After September 11: The ILO Committee on Employment and Social
Policy will examine policy responses to address the employment and social
consequences of the September 11 tragedy. According to the Governing
Body report, the effects of September 11 combined with the employment
effects of the cyclical economic downturn have resulted in the loss of
approximately 400,000 jobs in the air transport industry worldwide. Of
the 207 million people employed in travel and tourism worldwide, estimates
suggest that 8.8 million could lose their jobs. Women are likely to have
been more affected in most industries. Based on international tripartite
emergency meetings organized by the ILO in the aftermath of September 11
(one on civil aviation and the other on tourism), the ILO considers that
social dialogue is central to address the issues and restore economic and
social stability. Discussed at the Governing Body will be proposals for
a “coordinated global policy response” providing a stimulus package to
the world economy. This, it is suggested, should address all the dimensions
of Decent Work and aimed at promoting social justice based on respect for
fundamental workers’ rights.
Poverty Alleviation: The Employment Committee will also assess
the ILO’s experience with Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). Initiated
by the Bretton Woods institutions in Autumn 1999 to address more effectively
poverty reduction in heavily indebted poor countries, the PRSPs includes
a participatory process to secure the involvement of civil society into
the preparation of poverty reduction strategies. The ILO has been involved
in a number of PRSPs supporting the inclusion of the Decent Work agenda
in the process. According to the ILO
assessment which will be tabled to the Governing Body, PRSPs “could
mark a radical change in development strategy” and the process of consultations
offers opportunities which must be seized. Yet, the report also notes that
while “the ILO has encouraged governments to invited trade union and employers’
organizations to join fully in all phases of the process...in many cases
the social partners have expressed concern and frustration that their views
and potential support appear undervalued”. The report also acknowledged
that in many PRSPs countries considerable restrictions on freedom of association
hamper the development of social dialogue on poverty reduction.
Social dimensions of globalization: The situation in Argentina
will be on the agenda of the ILO Working Party on the social dimensions
of globalization and the ILO has invited Argentina’s Labour Minister to
address its session. In addition to discussing the work of the recently
formed World Commission on the social dimension of globalization, the ILO
Working Party will examine two issues: “investment in the global economy
and decent work” (a document
reviews recent trends in such investments, traces their implications for
decent work and raises key issues for discussion by the Working Party)
and “Trade Liberalization and Employment” (A
note to be discussed by the Working Party summarizes new studies which
have appeared on that subjects including an interesting report by the World
Bank which recognizes some of the ill-effects produced by trade liberalization
in the process of globalization, namely growing income inequalities).
Follow-up to the ILO Declaration: The Governing Body will also
review
the annual reports required under the ILO Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work on the basis of an introduction, which has
been prepared by a group of Expert-Advisers. The reports provide an annual
review of the situation in countries that have not ratified one or more
of the ILO’s core Conventions on freedom of association and collective
bargaining, forced labour, child labour and discrimination in employment
and occupation.
The Governing Body will consider recommendation made by the Expert Advisers,
including:
• Initiating dialogue with 11 governments which have never reported
under the Declaration follow-up since its inception in 1999 (Afghanistan,
Antigua and Barbuda, Fiji; Mongolia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone,
Solomon Islands, Somalia, Swaziland, Uzbekistan, The former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia).
• Inviting clarifications from governments on the continuation of steps
undertaken in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
in relation to the principle of freedom of association and effective recognition
of the right to collective bargaining.
The Experts-Advisers express their disappointment with the forced labour
report prepared jointly by the Government of China, the China Enterprise
Confederation and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, which states
that there has been no change since the last report where concern was expressed
with the persistence of forced labour for persons “who are interned for
rehabilitation through labour”.
The Experts-Advisers express special concerns for the denial of basic
rights for migrant workers and call attention to the urgency of work by
the ILO in close cooperation with the United Nations to assist in the rebuilding
of Afghanistan to embed respect for fundamental principles and rights at
work into the reconstruction of this country.
The Experts-Advisers welcomed the increased contribution made by workers’
organizations to the report “which has enriched the information made available
by governments”. They, however, draw attention to the fact that in a number
of countries single trade union structures imposed by governments make
genuine social dialogue impossible.
Freedom of Association: The ILO Committee on Freedom of Association
will examine a number of cases for report to the Governing Body. It will
also organise a special event to mark its 50th anniversary. Hence a round-table
will be held on March 14 on the theme “Voice, Freedom and Security: 50
years of the Committee on Freedom of Association. Trade union leaders from
Estonia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Côte d’Ivoire will provide testimonies
and evidence of the effectiveness of the Committee. Set up in 1951, the
ILO Committee on Freedom of Association has had to examine about 2,100
cases. In parallel to its essential function of endeavouring to shed light
on the facts and to propose solutions for the cases brought before it,
the Committee has given rise to a substantial body of decisions showing
how the principles of freedom of association should be applied in various
circumstances. Bill Brett, the workers’ spokesperson at the ILO, recently
noted the importance of the ILO supervisory mechanisms, including the Committee
on Freedom of Association. “Their contribution to the restoration
of democracy in such countries as Chile, Indonesia, Nigeria Poland, Portugal,
South Africa and Spain is only the most visible part of an extraordinary
record of achieving tangible progress in the pursuit of the ILO objectives”,
Brett said.
Multinationals: While discussion the ILO activities in furthering
the aims of its tripartite declaration on multinational enterprises, the
ILO Subcommittee on MNEs will put final touches to preparation for
a tripartite
forum on the ILO Declaration
of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy to
be held in Geneva on March 25-26. The purpose of the meeting is to stimulate
a process of ongoing dialogue and to exchange practical experience among
government representatives and workers’ and employers’ organizations, particularly
from multinational enterprises, on how to apply and promote the principles
of the tripartite Declaration in today’s context.
Sustainable Development: The ILO is actively participating in
the preparatory process for the World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), also known as Rio+10, to
be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4 2002. The Governing
Body will examine proposals to ensure that the social dimension of sustainable
development receives appropriate attention at the WSSD. The ILO will also
make sure that its unique tripartite structure is taken advantage of to
promote and facilitate social dialogue as a powerful mechanism to catalyse
the transition to more sustainable production and consumption processes.
The elderly: The ILO also has a strong commitment to the success
of the Second World Assembly on Ageing which will take place in Madrid
from April 8 to 12 2002. The Director General will lead the ILO delegation
to the Assembly. A report
entitled
“Employment and social protection issues related to older workers and population
ageing” will be tabled for the consideration of the Governing Body. The
ILO also plans to organize a side event focusing on employment and social
protection issues during the Assembly.
Workers’ Memorial Day
Taking part this year in the International
Day of Commemoration for Dead and Injured Workers, the ILO will draw
attention to the particularly unsafe situation of workers in emergency
services whose role it is to save other people’s life, like firefighters,
ambulance drivers, nurses or police men and women. A special event will
take place at ILO Headquarters on April 29 and representatives of the New
York firefighters have been invited to attend. They will be asked to tell
their story about the rescue operations on September 11 at the World Trade
Centre. Small black-striped yellow 28 April lapel ribbons, which bear the
28 April "candle & incense" emblem and illustrate prevention will be
the symbol of the Commemoration. The symbol was launched in 2001 by the
ILO, at the initative of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV).
Last
year, ILO Director General Juan Somalia announced that the ILO will
make April 28 an international day of action for health and safety at the
workplace. The international trade union movement has been observing April
28 for a number of years and the ILO is now adding to it its tripartite
strength. The ILO is also supporting the call by the International Confederation
of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
to have this day recognised as an official UN Day. According to the ICFTU,
trade unions in over 100 countries will be active on April 28 and around
that day. The ICFTU’s theme for the Commemoration will be “Improving
public health through stronger health and safety”.
International Women’s Day
“Young women in conflict situation” will be the theme of an event organized
by the ILO to mark International Women’s Day. The event is jointly organized
with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Women’s Right to Decent work will be the theme of the campaign launched by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) on March 8. The aim of the campaign will be to significantly increase women’s membership rates in trade unions with the ultimate goal of doubling the number of unionized women. The World
Confederation of labour will continue its campaign to promote ratification and implementation of ILO Convention 183 on the protection of maternity. Adopted in 2000, Convention 183 has only receive three ratifications so far. A number of global unions (international trade secretariats) will also campaign
on equality issues in an effort to encourage women’s membership in trade
unions. Public Services International will launch an international campaign
on “Equal Pay Now!”. PSI says that women can earn anything between 10 to
50 per cent less than men. Yet equal pay is a fundamental right included
in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Most trade unions, at both global, regional and national, are developing
projects that address particular issues confronting women. It is estimated
that worldwide women represent over 30 per cent of the union membership
but still face numerous obstacles to access leadership positions.
A New Social Pact for South Africa?
In response to developments in South Africa, ACTRAV has been invited
to initiate a programme of technical assistance with the union movement
in the country. This recently commenced with a series of seminars and discussions
on international experiences with social pacts and growth accords. Here
are the details.
In recent weeks speculation has mounted about the possibility
of a
new social pact between the social partners in South Africa. This stems
from public signals sent by President Mbeki and Finance Minister Manuel
that they will be seeking greater consensus over the shape of economic
policy in the near future.
The process of full economic and social transformation in South Africa
is proving slow and complicated. Nearly 8 years after the election of an
ANC led Government a number of impressive achievements have been recorded.
This includes a comprehensive set of institutions for social dialogue
and highly desirable labour legislation. In fact in the last year important
amendments were made to the legislation to strengthen worker protection.
These reforms resulted from a bi-partite agreement between employers and
trade unions. Buy-in to these legislative changes by big business
was a clear rebuff to recent criticisms from the IMF about labour market
rigidities in South Africa.
Yet in this resource rich country economic growth remains modest, unemployment
is above 30 % and income inequalities are massive. Poverty, unemployment
and rural-urban migration are exacerbating existing social problems and
contributing to a climate in which crime is on the increase.
In recent years the Governments' macro-economic policy has been conservative.
Monetary and fiscal policy is prudent. Low inflation and reduced Government
debt have been vigorously pursued. Trade policy has been liberalized more
rapidly than the pace demand by WTO rules. Currency exchange controls have
been progressively lifted. The Government has endeavoured to create an
economic environment conducive to business and a pick-up in private sector
investment. On the economic front there has been some positive developments.
A dramatic crack down on tax avoidance has boosted tax revenue and facilitated
a significant reduction in government debt over the last few years. Now,
even within a conservative fiscal framework, the reduction in government
interest payments on public debt is starting to free-up some financial
resources for increased Government expenditure. Inflation has moderated
and does not represent a significant constraint on policy or growth.
Despite these developments the expected upsurge in private investment
has failed to materialize. In fact South Africa continues to experience
an outflow of capital and the movement of industry offshore. In the latter
months of 2001 the outflow of capital reached massive proportions and the
value of the deregulated domestic currency plunged to an all time low.
In February the Government announced its budget for 2002. The highlights
included across the board income tax cuts, some moderate increases in infrastructure
expenditure and a small rise in pensions and child allowances. The press
and business community reacted positively. In particular the income tax
cuts were warmly endorsed. The trade union movement, and in
particular COSATU,
were more critical. COSATU questioned the wisdom of spending the equivalent
of nearly 1.5 billion US dollars on tax cuts that favour middle
and upper income earners. Instead they called for more substantial increases
in infrastructure expenditure. COSATU are also currently campaigning for
the introduction of a basic income grant for all people. This is because
South Africa has no adequate system of social security.
In the lead-up to the budget and in post budget discussions the Government
has foreshadowed that it could be interested in negotiating some form of
social pact or growth accord with business and the trade union movement.
No detailed policy proposals are yet on the table. However this might be
seen as recognition that the pro-business economic strategy has failed
to yield the desired increase in private investment. The Government appears
to be acknowledging that more proactive engagement with the social partners
is required to boost investment and generate the faster economic growth
which is required to complete the transformation of South Africa into a
more equitable society. However in the absence of any detailed policy proposals
from the Government the unions have reacted cautiously to these announcements.
COSATU is currently engaged in internal discussions designed to clarify
their own proposals for future economic and social policies.
“Dakar Declaration” adopted at ACTRAV-sponsored
Conference
Leaders of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) and
of the ICFTU’s African Regional Organisation (AFRO) will jointly present
trade union demands to the Heads African States who will meet for their
annual Summit in April this year. The trade union demands which deal with
the “New Partnership for Africa’s Development” (NEPAD) were hammered out
at an ACTRAV-sponsored Conference jointly organised in Dakar on February
18-20 by the two African labour groups. Among the proposals is a call by
trade unions to democratise NEPAD and to build in it mechanism which guarantee
a voice for all stakeholders in the process, including trade unions and
other segments of civil society. NEPAD should also address the issue of
HIV/AIDS, the Dakar Declaration stresses and it must recognize the African
women’s contribution to development by prioritising the creation of decent
well-paid jobs and act on poverty eradication.
Bleak future for Asian youth?
Asia-Pacific governments may face waves of unrest, crime and vandalism
if they fail to reduce youth unemployment, which has reached "unprecedented"
levels, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned at a tripartite
meeting in Bangkok. Jobless youth in Asia and the Pacific make up over
50 per cent, or 33 million young people, of the global figure of the 66
million young men and women who are unemployed. High and rising youth unemployment
is particularly alarming in Sri Lanka (29%), The Philippines (25%), the
Republic of Korea (15%) and recession-plagued Japan (10%). Youth unemployment
in Asia and the Pacific was the key topic of a three-day tripartite regional
meeting held in Bangkok on February 27-March 1st. The meeting was a jointly
sponsored by the ILO
and the Government of Japan and a follow-up to the recommendations made
recently by the High-Level Panel on Youth Employment Network composed of
the United Nations, the ILO and the World Bank.
What the region needs are innovative education programs that train youth
in the skills demanded by the labour market, ILO officials argued during
the opening of session of the meeting.
"Governments have to ensure that once the youth come out of the education
system, they are employable," said Ian Chambers, director of the ILO's
East Asia division. "We have noted there is a clear mismatch between what
the education system produces and what the labour market demands."
Youth are more adversely affected by unemployment than adults, explains
San Yuenwah, social affairs officer at the social development section of
the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
“Youth unemployment tends to be three to four times higher than non-youth
unemployment,” San said.
“In fact, unemployment rates are generally higher for the more educated
than those who are less educated, (and) in most developing countries of
the region, unemployment is mainly an urban phenomenon,” San added.
Along with the worrisome unemployment picture for young people, the
ILO also pointed to the predicted increase in the region's population,
which will compound the “ballooning unemployment” problem and is threatening
to undermine development in the continent.
“By 2010, the global youth population is expected to grow by 116 million,
or 11 percent, reaching almost 1.2 billion -- with two-thirds of this growth
in Asia and Pacific region,” states an ILO background note.
Apart from focusing on the statistical part of the unemployment problem,
labour experts also discussed the psychological impact of youth unemployment
and underemployment. “Unemployment has severely damaging effects on young
people,” said San. "They suffer low self-esteem, exclusion from mainstream
society and impoverishment."
In fact, the Southeast Asian economic meltdown in 1997 threw up numerous
cases of affected youth, since they were the first to be fired during this
crisis. “Wage cuts, job insecurity affect youth in times of crises,” Chris
Chamberlin of the World Bank said.
Decent Work: A Common Goal of Youth
and Trade Unions
For millions of young women and men, decent work - as well as its symbolic
and real benefits - remains the stuff of dreams: insecurity, inequality
and exclusion are the reality. Whilst acknowledging that terrible reality,
responding to it by concrete action is the main theme of a
new 12-page publication by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Prepared by the ILO’s InFocus Programme on Skills, Knowledge and Employability
and the Bureau for Workers’ Activities, the leaflet, which now exists in
three languages (English, French and Spanish) stresses efforts by trade
unions to meet the concerns of young people, and the need for labour groups
to adapt their strategies, language and structures to make them youth-friendly.
According to figures published by the ILO, 66 million young women and men
are unemployed throughout the world, accounting for 41 per cent of the
160 million persons who are classified as unemployed throughout the world.
“Decent Work: A Common Goal of Youth and Trade Unions” describes union
demands for equal access to education and for investment in training as
vital to break the vicious circles of poverty and exclusion. Similarly,
as young women are the hardest hit by illiteracy and exclusion, action
to fight discrimination in respect of education is also relevant to developing
young workers’ employability.
“Trade unions are powerful organizations and have a key role to play
in shaping the present and future of our global economy”, the ILO leaflet
emphasizes. Adjusting school curricula to the needs of the labour markets,
recognizing skills whether learned at schools or on the job, reducing the
number of school drop-outs are among the “best practices” listed in the
publication as improving transition from school to work.
But the traditional role of trade unions to promote better working conditions,
reduce overtime and working time and expand social protection remains crucial.
It can help create and provide more jobs, quality jobs, jobs for young
people. Addressing the issue of the informal economy - which engulfs many
young people, in particular women, in precarious and unprotected forms
of work - is increasingly becoming a priority for the labour movement,
the ILO explains. In addition, trade unions are called upon to play their
part in the fight against HIV/AIDS which decimates the young and active
populations of entire countries, in particular in Africa. The workplace
can be a major “entry point” for information, prevention and rights campaigns.
By proposing prevention measures in collective agreements and demanding
“zero tolerance” of discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS at the
work place and in society, or by advocating lower prices and greater availability
of medications, trade unions are taking on specific responsibilities in
the global campaign to fight the pandemic.
Yet central to all its efforts to defend young people and enlist their
support is a need for the trade union movement to rejuvenate trade union
structures, adapt language codes to this particular audience, be present
in schools, education centres, clubs, and get involved in new fields of
activities, like the e-economy, and new , often atypical, forms of work
where conditions are poor and protection is weak.
Illustrated by examples of union-youth action in different parts of
the world, the publication concludes: “to better defend the interests of
young workers, unions must first convince them to join the trade union
ranks.” And not forget that today’s youth is tomorrow’s negotiating strength.
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