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Tripartite Meeting on the Future of
Employment in the Tobacco Sector
Geneva, 24-28 February 2003
Jobs in the tobacco industry in the industrialized countries
and in some developing countries have either been stagnating or declining, although
tobacco production, especially cigarettes, has been increasing due to higher demand
worldwide supported by state-of-the-art technology and corporate consolidation.
Anti-smoking policies and growing awareness of what has been termed the "tobacco
epidemic", followed by a whirlwind of company mergers and acquisitions, globalization
forces, class and individual litigation, have all spurred on the leading multinational
tobacco companies to explore and capture new markets. Furthermore, national and
international controversy, a poor press, new agricultural policies and legislative
measures all pose new challenges to the sector.
In turn, the many millions of tobacco growers and field workers
depend on the goodwill of the tobacco manufacturing industry and stable demand
for leaf and the final manufactured product to the extent that, increasingly,
tobacco appears to be an economic fatality. Employment and working conditions
of tobacco farmers vary according to each country's level of development and agricultural
policies, but in many cases these workers are eking out the barest livelihood
from tobacco, if at all. Among them are vulnerable groups such as migrants, ethnic
and religious minorities, women workers, and child workers.
At the same time, expanded world trade is opening up new markets
with implications for delocalization of production by multinational companies
and increased competition as all companies target low-wage countries and growing
markets.
Recent restructuring by tobacco companies point to better performance
with fewer workers, even in countries where the leading companies have won new
markets. In the western industrialized countries where smoking, at least among
the adult population, has been declining for the past twenty years, employment
in the tobacco industry has registered a steady decline over the past three decades.
 The
purpose of the Meeting was to review the forces operating change in the sector,
current employment trends in tobacco growing and manufacturing, and to discuss
future prospects in terms of the social and labour implications of these trends.
The Meeting provided guidance on measures to mitigate any negative repercussions
on employment levels and working conditions and the role of social dialogue, adopted
conclusions (pdf, 23k) that include proposals
for action by governments, by employers' and workers' organizations at the national
and international level and by the ILO, and adopted a report on its discussions.
The Meeting also adopted five resolutions concerning: future
activities of the ILO in the tobacco sector (pdf, 9k); the
strengthening of institutional links and cooperation between international organizations
working on issues relevant to the tobacco sector (pdf, 11k); child
labour in the tobacco sector (pdf, 11k); fundamental
principles and rights at work in the tobacco sector (pdf, 12k); and the
employment of women in the tobacco sector (pdf, 12k).
The Meeting was composed of 21 Government delegates, 18 Employer
representatives and 18 Worker representatives who had been appointed by the Governing
Body of the ILO after consultations with the respective groups.
A report prepared by the International Labour Office was used
as the basis for discussion: Employment trends in the
tobacco sector: Challenges and prospects (pdf, 542k). The Note
on the proceedings is also available in pdf format (295k)
Contact address for more information
Ms Clara Foucault-Mohammed
Industrial Specialist
International Labour Office
4 route des Morillons
CH-1211 GENEVA 22, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 799 6883 Fax +41 22 799 7967
e-mail: foucault@ilo.org or sector@ilo.org
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