Human.Rights@Work 
ACTRAV's regular newsletter

Contents
Globalization - social standards for good governance
World Commission follow-up
Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
A fair deal for migrant workers
Gender equality - time for action
Standards - Burma, Colombia, Guatemala, Swaziland, Zimbabwe...
Human resources development
Fishing industry
World Day against Child Labour
Conference round-up
Wage indicator goes international

Globalization - social standards for good governance

By making decent work a goal for the international community, labour standards, especially core labour standards, have become a vital part of a fair globalization. Better harmonization of economic and social policies was advocated by delegates to the International Labour Conference, which drew to a close in Geneva on 17 June. Speakers emphasized the essential role of the International Labour Office as a catalyst for action. A resolution on gender equality, an action plan to help migrant workers and a new Recommendation on human resources development are significant steps forward for the world of work.

"Let me say how much freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are, for us, a core issue in the whole ongoing discussion on the social dimension of globalization. We believe these rights to be an essential component of good governance." That was the message from Mr. Philippe Séguin, the French government representative, to some 2,500 delegates and advisers of governments, employers and workers meeting at the 92nd International Labour Conference in Geneva from 1-17 June. His words bode well, as Mr. Séguin was elected to chair the Governing Body of the International Labour Office in 2004-2005. Like many delegates to the Conference, he spoke out in favour of an increased role and visibility for the Organization in the globalization debate.

Mr. Milton Ray Guevara, Secretary of State for Labour of the Dominican Republic, was the President of the Conference, which elected three Vice-Chairmen: Mr. Youssoufa Wade (Employers) of Senegal, Mr. Guillaume Attigbe (Workers) of Benin and Mr. Maatough Mohamed Maatough (Governments) of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Many speakers, including workers' delegates, emphasized that decent work, which is already an ILO objective, must become a global aim, properly integrated into action for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. (Meeting in September 2000 under the UN aegis at the Millennium Summit, the world's political leaders jointly set a series of measurable targets, with specific timeframes, for combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. They are at the heart of the world action programme, and are now known as the Millennium Development Goals).

The President of the Government of Spain, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, addressing the Conference, stressed the importance of giving a "social dimension to globalization" and establishing decent work as a universal goal. "In the twentieth century, we achieved great advances in the area of human rights and we went on to consolidate and extend political and civil rights to people throughout the world. It is now time for the twenty-first century to be the century of social rights. It is social rights that provide the basis of a necessary balance to economic development: for development, for the liberalization of markets, for economic co-operation and for an ever-broader opening up of world economies," he said. The ILO, added Mr. Zapatero, is " a key institution to provide the necessary social dimension to the global economy and international trade" and "we need to ensure effective cooperation between the WTO and the ILO".

ILO's role vital

Citing the ILO's Declaration of Philadelphia, many speakers also emphasized that it is the ILO's role to judge, examine and consider policies and measures in the economic and financial spheres, in the light of their potential contribution to a more just world for all. In other words, the ILO should be able to act as a catalyst for the globalization debate - and for proposals to ensure that this process promotes fairness and social justice, and develops in a framework of coherence between economic and social policy.

ILO Director General Juan Somavia proposed four challenges for the ILO, in order to create a fair globalization and make its contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half. The challenges are: making decent work a global goal, making the ILO a global player in shaping globalization, mobilizing tripartism for global action and making the Organization as a whole a "truly global team" in the quest for fair globalization.

According to the debates, among the initiatives that the ILO's constituents expect from the Organization is a proposal to create a world policy forum which would bring together interested international organizations and could become a platform for dialogue and exchanges of views on the social impact of policies and of the evolution of the world economy. This is one of the proposals made by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.

World Commission follow-up

A report that is getting noticed

In fact, the World Commission's report was the subject of a special session during the Conference. Taking part were the Commission co-chairs, President Tarja Halonen of Finland and President Benjamin W. Mkapa of Tanzania. Speakers also included Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand and President Georgi Parvanov of Bulgaria. In all, 294 participants spoke during the plenary that followed the presentation of the report. And as Mr. Somavia pointed out, the need for coherent policies was the thread running through all of these discussions. Mr. Somavia listed six policy areas in which the ILO and its constituents could "move forward": national policies concerning globalization, decent work within world production systems, dialogue to reinforce coherency in global policies, migration, and strengthening the system of international labour standards. Detailed proposals will be submitted to the Governing Body when it meets in November.

The World Commission's report is also likely to be the subject of a resolution by the 59th session of the UN General Assembly this autumn. The resolution would invite the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and other UN bodies to examine the Commission's proposals and submit a report to the General Assembly's 60th session, and the World Commission report is on the agenda of the African Union's Summit, to be held in Addis Ababa this July. Meanwhile, the European Commission stated that the report ought to be an integral part of the agenda of all international bodies dealing with financial, economic and trade issues.

On behalf of trade unionists at the Conference, LeRoy Trotman, spokesperson of the ILO Workers' Group, stressed the need to define common standards that must be respected by everyone within the context of globalization. He also insisted that the ILO must be given the means to ensure the application of such standards. Emphasizing the ILO's moral right and responsibility to influence the course of globalization, he said that all international organizations have a duty to promote basic labour standards and to ensure that their own policies and programmes do not hinder the application of those standards. "We have to start an initiative: an initiative to incorporate decent work and the respect for labour standards into the policies of the global economy," he declared, adding that it is vital for the ILO "to assess the impact which the ILO is having on core policies of institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, UNCTAD and the WTO."

Freedom of Association and the right to collective bargaining

Millions of workers lack a basic right

On 10 June, the Conference plenary was devoted to a discussion of Organizing for Social Justice, the ILO's new global report on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. Despite continuing threats against workers and employers who attempt to organize, and many instances of assassination, detention and violence, the report shows that, overall, the general situation on respect for basic rights at work is improving. This is the second report to be published on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in line with the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1998.

Although many speakers applauded the increase in ratifications of the two main Conventions on freedom of association (Nos. 87 and 98), and raised the possibility that universal ratification may be achieved before 2015, some emphasized that ratification is one thing while application and respect are, all too often, quite another. For instance, the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands, Mr. de Geus, stated at the outset of the debate: "There is no doubt that universal ratification of the Conventions concerned remains a priority. This, however, is not enough when universal ratification goes hand in hand with a gross violation of union rights." Published during the International Labour Conference, the annual survey on violation of trade unions rights of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions cites 129 murders of trade unionists during 2003, hundreds of arrests, death threats and beatings and more than 380,000 dismissals on account of trade union activities.

Millions excluded

On behalf of the Workers' Group, LeRoy Trotman pointed to the serious situations in Colombia, Belarus and Zimbabwe. He also highlighted the major restrictions of trade union rights often suffered by some 50 million workers in export processing zones, of which there are now 3,000 worldwide, by public service workers in many countries (435 million people), by the agricultural workers who make up more than half of the world's population and by the 86 million migrant workers.

As he emphasized, half of the world's workers are not officially covered by Conventions 87 and 98, as major countries like China, the US and India have still not ratified these instruments.

Proposals from the Workers' Group include an increase in technical cooperation activities for the promotion of freedom of association and supporting union efforts to organize workers, the establishment within the ILO of a special unit to deal with problems specific to export processing zones, mechanisms to speed up ratification of Convention 87, and enabling the social partners to take on the responsibilities which Convention 98 places upon them concerning collective bargaining.

Also worth noting was the "impressive" number of governments from Arab countries who took part in this discussion. While progress should not be overestimated, there have been some remarkable developments in that region, particularly in the Gulf states, where "workers' committees" have recently been set up. "We think this is a laudable initiative," LeRoy Trotman declared, "but more needs to be done to promote freedom of association." Amongst other things, he raised the question of freedom of association and trade union independence for the many migrant workers.

Cases before the Committee on Freedom of Association

In a session that opened just before the Conference, the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association examined 30 cases in which complaints had been lodged. It called particular attention to the cases of Cuba, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The Cuban case concerns the arrest of trade unionists and their sentencing to heavy terms of imprisonment, and the prohibition of independent trade unionism. The Venezuelan case is about the murder of a trade unionist, attacks against the Venezuelan labour confederation (CTV) and the issuing of a warrant for the arrest of the organization's President. Also at issue are the authorities' promotion of a parallel labour centre and the dismissal of 19,000 workers because of their trade union activities. Another serious case is based on a complaint against the Venezuelan government by the local employers' organization. From Zimbabwe, the Committee heard reports of mass arrests of trade union leaders, threats and harassment against activists of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and harsh crackdowns by the police. During the Conference, a government representative described the ZCTU as a political organization in the pay of foreign interests.108 complaints are currently lodged with the Committee on Freedom of Association.

A fair deal for migrant workers

86 million migrants are also entitled to decent work

Ensuring a fair deal for some 86 million migrant workers worldwide, while promoting equal treatment and opportunities and respect for their basic human rights are the aims of a resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference following a general discussion on migration. As part of the action plan adopted by the Conference, all ILO constituents will undertake promotion of ratification of ILO Conventions 97 and 143, on migrant workers, and the application of ILO principles concerning their treatment. The action plan also calls for the ILO to develop a non-binding multilateral framework for a rights-based approach to labour, while respecting national sovereignty on migration policy. It provides for the ILO to set up, in partnership with other international and multilateral organizations, a forum for dialogue on migration.

"The general discussion that we had did, indeed, allow us to establish a clear link between decent work and the fair lot that all of the 85 million workers who are migrants in our world today have a right to," declared Guillaume Attigbe, Worker Vice-President of the Conference. "The contribution of the ILO to this discussion and to policy formulation in the area of migration is not just important, it is essential, it is central, and we would hope that all of the issues involved in this could be addressed. First and foremost, the question of the right to equal treatment for all migrant workers, women and men, and the question of their fundamental human rights, regardless of their status. Another question is the key role that should be played in this discussion by ILO constituents, labour ministers and social partners, who are grappling with the real situation on the ground."

No topic, however sensitive, was left out of the discussion: the exploitation and abuse suffered by many migrants; people trafficking and issues surrounding checks on the situation of undocumented workers; temporary migrant workers; and the brain drain. The work plan adopted by this conference sets out a whole series of concrete policies and activities through which the ILO can make a difference - including the promotion of standards and technical assistance.

Sharan Burrow, worker spokesperson on the Conference Committee on Migrant Workers, commented that despite all the discussions that have taken place about the various international bodies charged with examining the issue of international migration, the most direct influence on the scale of such migration will doubtless be exercised by the World Trade Organization. But, she pointed out, "there has been no serious discussion of equal treatment, or implementation of relevant ILO standards for these workers within the WTO negotiations. Moreover, the WTO does not have the technical expertise to handle these labour- related issues in isolation from other international organizations."

The ILO is to present the final version of the multilateral framework on migration to the Governing Body in November 2005. Meanwhile, the plan of action is to be implemented, with priority going to the campaign to promote ratifications. Some twenty countries indicated that they were ready to examine the possibility of ratifying one or other of the instruments relating to migrants.

Gender equality - time for action

ILO adopts a resolution on eliminating discrimination

Despite a whole battery of international conventions, declarations and legal provisions, inequality between men and women is still a sad reality. In fact, according to the worker delegates, the gap is still widening, due to the perverse effects of a globalization bereft of any social element. As a result, millions of women face insecurity and marginalization.

That is why the Workers' Group mobilized for firmer, more effective action by the tripartite UN agency that is the ILO, in order to promote "gender equality, pay equity and maternity protection." So the adoption of a resolution on this by the International Labour Conference is a trade union achievement, as Marc Blondel, workers' spokesperson, pointed out during the tripartite discussion of this topic in Geneva.

"Our group's ambition was that this resolution would move beyond slogans and enable the Organization to pursue equality with greater effect," Mr. Blondel emphasized. Running through the statistics, he emphasized the importance of urgent, resolute action in this field. "Seventy per cent of the 1.3 million poor people who earn less than a dollar a day are women; on a worldwide average, women earn scarcely two-thirds of the wages earned by men for work of equal value. In the countries of the South, many more women than men have to scrape a living in the informal economy, where they are deprived of any social protection. In the countries of the North, meanwhile, women account for more than 80 per cent of part-time contracts ..." He also mentioned the court action brought this June against a major American distribution company concerning discrimination of more than 1.5 female employees.

Unanimously adopted by the government, employer and worker delegates to the Conference, the resolution calls upon all governments and social partners to act "to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination in the labour market and to promote gender equality between women and men." It provides a whole checklist, ranging from the development of national policies to campaigns for the ratification of Conventions 100 and 111 (on equal remuneration and non-discrimination in employment), negotiations between the social partners on equality plans within the workplace, measures to give women better access to education and training, and the collection and processing of data on trends and the implementation of targeted equality policies.

Maternity protection is a particular focus of this resolution. During the discussion, the worker delegates drew attention to the many shortcomings in maternity protection within the developing countries, but also to the arbitrary practices prevailing in some sectors, such as export processing zones and subcontracting. These practices deprive many women of their basic right to maternity protection.

As the worker delegates pointed out, there is a real risk of discrimination against pregnant women and nursing mothers. Unfortunately, pregnancy tests at the moment of hiring are by no means uncommon in some export processing zones. The worker delegates expressed concern over the low ratification rate for Convention 183 on maternity protection, adopted in the year 2000 but so far ratified by only nine of the ILO's 177 member states.

"This resolution is a plan of action in itself," declared Guillaume Attigbe, the Worker Vice-President of the Conference. "We very much hope that the Office will shoulder its responsibilities in moving towards attainment of the objectives established by that resolution when it comes to gender equality, including pay equity and application of the principle 'equal pay for work of equal value', as well as maternity protection."

The resolution should guide the policy of the ILO, which was urged to step up efforts to implement an equality action plan and ensure greater coherence of policies at the national and international levels. The ILO Governing Body has the job of following up on resolutions and mobilizing the resources needed to implement them.

Fifteen resolutions were submitted to the Conference, reduced to eight by compositing as there were some overlaps. In line with standing orders, a vote was held to decide the order of priority of the top five resolutions. The result was: 1. resolution on equality; 2. resolution on poverty; 3. resolution on Palestine; 4. resolution on democratic values and governance; 5. resolution on older workers, employment and social protection. Due to lack of time, the Resolutions Committee was able to examine only the first resolution. It also held an exchange of views on the second one, concerning poverty.

Women outnumbered: Only 14 per cent of the delegates registered for the Conference were women (as against 12 per cent last year). Women's participation rate within delegations as a whole, including advisers, was 23 per cent (20 per cent last year). Of the 294 speakers in the plenary sessions, only 30 were women. "Clearly, we still have much to do in order to implement our own resolution," Mr. Somavia commented. He announced that he would be asking the Governing Body to set a target of 30 per cent for women's participation in the delegations.

Standards: Burma, Colombia, Guatemala, Swaziland, Zimbabwe...

ILO supervisory bodies and activities prove effective and objective

After a discussion of the General Survey on employment promotion carried out by the Committee of Experts, and of the relevant ILO standards (see Human.Rights@Work no 2), the Conference's Committee on the Application of Standards proceeded to examine 24 particular cases relating to freedom of association, forced labour, discrimination, child labour, employment policy, labour inspection, wages, maternity protection and workers with family responsibilities.

As it has done each year since 2001, following the measures taken in the framework of Article 33 of the Constitution, the standards committee held a special session on the application by Burma (Myanmar) of Convention 29 on forced labour. The committee noted that three of the main recommendations made by the commission of enquiry in 1998 had still not been implemented and that, despite the government's assurances of its good intentions, forced labour was still being imposed in practice in many parts of the country. The committee also expressed concern about the fate of three people found guilty of high treason last November on grounds that included contacts with the ILO (see Human.Rights@Work no 2). It called for their release. Burma was further criticized in a special paragraph of the committee's report for non-respect of, and continued failure to implement, freedom of association (Convention 87).

Presenting the report of the Committee on the Application of Standards to the Conference, on behalf of the Workers' Group, Luc Cortebeeck, the workers' spokesperson on the committee, regretted that it had not been possible to cover serious cases of violations of freedom of association in special paragraphs. He specifically named the cases of Colombia, Zimbabwe and Venezuela. He also mentioned the particular case of Guatemala, where trade unionists are currently in prison.

Mr. Cortebeeck and the worker delegates who spoke during the Conference plenary expressed disquiet over the criticisms directed at the Committee by certain governments who have called into question the work and the impartiality of the Conference Committee and the Committee of Experts. The expert committee studies governments' reports and the observations made by the social partners, in order to portray the situation as objectively as possible and make recommendations. "The questioning of standards, the challenge of our methods and the lack of compliance with our practices and this very strict legal focus are a worry to us, the Workers' Group," Mr. Cortebeeck declared.

The Committee also examined the report of the Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations concerning Teaching Personnel. On this, the Workers' Group raised three fundamental points: adequate financing of education, social dialogue in this sector and the promotion of the instruments concerning the conditions of teaching personnel, particularly the Recommendation adopted in 1997.

Human resources development

Lifelong learning - a right for all

Globalization has transformed the world of work, which today looks very different to 1975, when the International Labour Conference adopted Convention 142 and Recommendation 150 on human resources. In view of this transformation, marked by the advent of new technologies and the Internet and the growth in world trade, a new Recommendation (No. 195) on human resources development was adopted by the Conference at its 92nd session. It will now replace Recommendation 150.

Focussing strongly on lifelong education and training, the new Recommendation, for the first time in an ILO instrument, gives definitions of current training concepts such as lifelong learning, competencies and employability.

"Human resources development and, in particular, education and training are critical to the ILO goal of creating greater opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Education and training are therefore a central pillar of the Decent Work Agenda," emphasized ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, who hailed the adoption of the new instrument.

But education and training alone are not enough. They will not be really effective unless they are part of a series of measures promoting growth and employment.

The Recommendation, which will be the subject of a major promotion campaign, invites Member States to draw up ambitious directives, based on social dialogue between governments, workers and employers, for the development and implementation of policies of lifelong education, training and learning for lifelong employability. As globalization demands initiatives that transcend national frontiers, the instrument refers to international social dialogue and to collective bargaining, in order to ensure the relevance and quality of training programmes for enterprises and workers.

Good education and training policies are important tools enabling workers to overcome the negative effects of globalization while acquiring knowledge and qualifications that can help them to seize the opportunities that may arise.

The new Recommendation addresses many of the challenges posed by globalization, particularly the brain drain which is of concern to many developing countries. The new instrument calls for international mechanisms capable of attenuating the consequences, for developing countries, of losing qualified people.

The Recommendation was adopted by 338 votes to 93, with 14 abstentions. The Employers' Group voted against, because of the inclusion of a provision referring to governments' reinforcing collective bargaining at all levels, including the international level.

One of the points of great importance to the Workers' Group, she said, is the strong commitment expressed in the Recommendation to remove all forms of discrimination, whether on the basis of gender, age, ethnic group, special disabilities that people may have, or other factors, so that truly everyone can have access to education, training and lifelong learning.

Fishing industry

Better work safety for a high-risk sector

The Conference took a significant step towards improving the safety and working conditions of some 35 million people who work in the global fishing sector, one of the world's most dangerous industries. The ILO Committee on Work in the Fishing Sector concluded preliminary discussions aimed at establishing new international legal instruments revising existing ILO standards (five Conventions and two Recommendations) adopted between 1920 and 1966. (See Human Rights@Work No. 2/2004.)

The new labour standards under consideration would extend the coverage of ILO standards to more than 90 per cent of the world's fishermen. Currently, the existing Conventions cover only about 10 per cent of those in the sector. "We are encouraged by the statements made by Governments and Employers to the effect that they have no intention of watering down or whittling away the protection that is provided for in existing instruments," said Guillaume Attigbe, Worker Vice-President of the Conference.

The new standards would provide broad coverage for all those working in the fishing sector, including the self-employed and those paid on the basis of the share of the catch; have the flexibility to ensure wide-scale ratification and implementation; and include new provisions on safety and health to reduce the high rate of accidents and fatalities highlighted in earlier ILO reports. The standards would also include new provisions on compliance and enforcement of the standards, strengthening the role of both flag States and port States.

The Worker spokesperson on the committee preparing the new convention, Peter Mortensen (Denmark), said the new convention should provide fishers with the same entitlement to social security protection as shore-based workers. While the conclusions were generally considered adequate for vessels under 15 metres in length, the Workers' Group felt that additional provisions were needed to address the situation of fishers on vessels between 15 and 24 metres in length and for those over 24 metres long.

World Day Against Child Labour

Millions of children in domestic drudgery

Child domestic labour is a widespread and growing global phenomenon that traps as many as 10 million children or more - mostly girls - in hidden forms of exploitation, often involving abuse, health risks and violence, according to a report published by the ILO on the World Day Against Child Labour, 12 June.

Helping Hands or Shackled Lives? Understanding child domestic labour and responses to it documents the exploitation of these children - some as young as 10 - for the first time on a global level.

Prepared by the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), the report examines in detail the plight of children working in sometimes hazardous forms of domestic labour, and was issued on the eve of the third World Day Against Child Labour.

Children in domestic labour are usually "invisible" in their communities, toiling for long hours with little or no pay, frequently abused, and regularly deprived of the chance to play or go to school.

While acknowledging the difficulty of providing precise figures for the number of domestic child labourers worldwide, the report says that they comprise a substantial portion of the more than 200 million children working in the world today. The report cites numerous country estimates, including studies showing that 700,000 children are to be found in domestic labour in Indonesia, 559,000 in Brazil, 250,000 in Haiti, 264,000 in Pakistan, 200,000 in Kenya and 100,000 in Sri Lanka.

"Millions of children work night and day outside of their family homes, toiling as domestic child labourers. Nearly all are exploited, exposed to hazardous work and subject to abuse...this must stop now," says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

The report defines child domestic labourers as all children in domestic service who are under the legal minimum working age, as well as those above the legal minimum age but under the age of 18 who are in an exploitative situation. Many of these working children are very young: 10 per cent of child labourers in Haiti were under 10 years of age and 70 per cent of children employed "by other households" in Morocco were under 12.

According to the report, all domestic child labourers, without exception, are at risk because of the very nature of child domestic labour, which is not only widely accepted but often considered a "better" alternative for children from poor families.

Conference round-up

• Respect for tripartism. The Credentials Committee had before it several receivable objections concerning the designation of delegations, including the workers' delegations of Djibouti, Haiti and Venezuela. The ICFTU lodged a complaint about the clear, serious imbalance within the tripartite delegation of the United States, which included twice as many government advisers as worker advisers. Following an ICFTU complaint, the government of Costa Rica finally agreed to cover the expenses of the worker delegate up to the end of the Conference. The Credentials Committee deplored the fact that the government of Swaziland had still not paid the participation expenses of the Worker Delegate to the 88th session, four years ago, even though it had undertaken to do so. It should be noted that the functioning of the Credentials Committee has been modified for a three-year trial period, so that it can deal with objections and complaints more rapidly and can, where appropriate, notify the Committee on Freedom of Association.
• High turnout. 156 ministers or deputy ministers (compared with 151 last year) were accredited to the Conference. All in all, accreditations totalled 4,180, including 1,309 government delegates and advisers, 553 employer delegates and advisers and 665 worker delegates and advisers.
• Iraq regains ILO entitlements. 14 countries accredited to the Conference (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Djibouti, Georgia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Peru, Sao Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, Surinam, Tajikistan, Togo and Uzbekistan) were in arrears with their payments to the Organization and were therefore not entitled to vote. Iraq committed itself to settle its arrears which, it stated, had built up since 1988 "due to sanctions placed on the former government and internal strife and economic hardship". Its voting rights during the Conference were therefore restored.

Dutch union initiative snowballs: www.wageindicator.org

Launched in the Netherlands three years ago, the wage indicator today enables Dutch workers in more than 170 occupations to compare their pay with the occupational average. From 8 July, the same tool will be available to Belgian, British, Danish, Finnish, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish workers. Among other things, this will enable them to check whether their employers are paying the going rate and treating them fairly.

The original aim of the site was to compare the wages paid to women, thus highlighting inequalities, but the project, which is backed by the Dutch trade union confederation FNV, the University of Amsterdam and a private sector institution, quickly expanded, and now provides a solid basis for comparison.

The wage indicator is a website enabling anyone to check the pay that he or she can expect, on the basis of their occupation but also taking into account such criteria as seniority, qualifications, workplace size etc. Visitors to the site are asked to fill in a questionnaire in order to help keep it up to date. The information sent is analyzed and weighted before being added to the database.

"To check the rate for the job, you must have sufficient information available," says Paulien Osse, the Director of the Wage Indicator Foundation. "First, we had to do six months' worth of promotion. Once we had received 15,000 questionnaires back, we were able to make a modest start. Today, we offer a reliable comparison tool for no less than 170 occupations."

As well as facilitating individual checks, the wage indicator has become the tool of reference for detailed studies of the inequalities faced by women, migrant workers and workers with family responsibilities. It is also, for instance, designed to help trade unions reach particularly vulnerable groups, such as young people, part-time workers and migrants.

The project was presented to the ILO this May. Apart from the eight countries mentioned above, it may also soon be developed in Austria, Hungary and Romania. And contacts have already been established in India, Russia and China.