TMFDI/1998/13 - Note on the proceedings

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries was held at the International Labour Office in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998.

The Office issued a report⁽¹⁾ to serve as a basis for the Meeting's deliberations. It addressed the following topics: recent trends in the food and drink industries; technological change; impact of new technology on employment; impact of new technology on working conditions; coping with the effects of change; and environmental issues.

The Governing Body had designated Mr. K. Ahmed, Worker member of the Governing Body, to represent it and to chair the Meeting. The three Vice-Chairpersons elected by the Meeting were: Mr. Ravikant (India) from the Government group, Mr. R. Díaz Navarrete from the Employers' group and Ms. C. Sanz Fernández from the Workers' group.

The Meeting was attended by Government representatives from China, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay; 17 Employer representatives and 18 Worker representatives. A Government representative from Malaysia was also present at the sittings.

An observer from the Arab Labour Organization attended the Meeting and representatives from the following international non-governmental organizations also attended as observers: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; International Organization of Employers; International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations; Trade Unions International of Workers in Agriculture, Food, Commerce, Textiles and Allied Industries; World Confederation of Labour; and World Federation of Agriculture, Food, Hotel and Allied Workers.

The three groups elected their officers as follows:

Government group

Chairperson:

Mr. N. Tubman (United Kingdom)

Vice-Chairperson:

Ms. M.T. Paccetti (adviser, Portugal)

Secretary:

Mr. A. Ahmad (Nigeria)

Employers' group

Chairperson:

Mr. G. Rossi

Vice-Chairpersons:

Mr. C. Andreas

Mr. M. Ceretti

Mr. E. Davey

Mr. H.S. Endro

Secretary:

Mr. J. Dejardin

Workers' group

Chairperson:

Mr. R. Potroz

Vice-Chairperson:

Mr. S. Masuda

Secretary:

Mr. P. Garver (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF))

The Secretary-General of the Meeting was Mr. V. Morozov, Director of the Sectoral Activities Department. The Deputy Secretary-General was Mr. B. Klerck Nilssen, Officer-in Charge of the Industrial Activities Branch of that Department. The Special Adviser was Mr. J. McLin. The Executive Secretary was Ms. L. Tegmo-Reddy. The Experts were Mr. P. Bailey, Ms. L. Wirth and Mr. H. Essenberg. The Clerk of the Meeting was Ms. T. Bezat-Powell.

The Chairperson of the Meeting welcomed the participants to Geneva and noted that this was the fifth meeting to be organized by the ILO on the food and drink sector, the earlier ones having been held in 1963, 1978, 1984 and 1991. As a member of the ILO Governing Body, he had been involved in the review of the Sectoral Activities Programme which took place between 1993 and 1995. The food and drink sector had been selected as one of the sectors to be covered on a continuous basis. Food was a basic need of human beings and yet, in the Third World, 840 million persons were undernourished. Those who were engaged in the production and distribution of food and drinks performed a great service to mankind. Global employment in the sector in the countries where statistics were available comprised about 17 million persons. If the informal sector was included, however, this number would rise substantially to, perhaps, 21 million. Technological change had a great impact on employment in the food and drink industries, especially in industrialized countries. New technologies such as microelectronic technology, had led to the automation of tasks and had made many workers redundant. Given competitive pressure, this trend could be expected to continue and affect other countries. The Meeting had an important task to fulfil, namely to develop conclusions which could serve as useful guidelines to governments, employers and workers and their organizations.

In his opening address, Mr. K. Tapiola, Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Office, noted that the Governing Body of the ILO had selected the topic of technology and employment in the food and drink industries in view of the rapid technological changes taking place in the sector and the potential or actual implications of such changes for the levels and quality of employment. The industries were diverse, ranging from traditional labour-intensive activities in the food industry in developing countries to the use of capital-intensive processes, particularly in the industrialized world. The food industry was the major manufacturing industry in many developing countries and also of importance in a number of industrialized countries. To compete successfully, manufacturers had to market products adapted to consumers' changing and increasingly demanding lifestyles, and to their growing concerns about health, hygiene, environment, ethics and cost. Food and drink manufacturers had no choice but to be innovative and dynamic to survive. Different technologies had been adopted in recent years, some of which led to decreased wastage and improved preservation, while others such as computer-based technology were designed to improve efficiency, accuracy and uniformity. New forms of technology had also led to the development of better tasting, longer lasting or healthier food and drink products. The introduction of some technologies had eliminated jobs, but new demands had led to the development and production of new or higher-value-added products and thereby the creation of new types of jobs in the industry. Workers, however, were often not qualified or prepared for the new jobs, which required a different level or form of education. The sector was facing changes in work organization, moving from traditional demarcations and hierarchical structures to new forms of flexibility and a greater role for workers with multiple and advanced skills, able to work effectively in flexible teams. Management and workers recognized the need for companies to adopt new technologies to survive. It was vital that early consultations should take place when changes were being made and for the social partners to cooperate closely in coping with the effects of change, particularly through training and retraining programmes. A skilled and motivated workforce was essential for any company's productivity and competitiveness. Safer and healthier workplaces contributed to enterprise productivity and growth.

Part 1

Consideration of the agenda item

Report of the discussion⁽²⁾

Introduction

1. The Meeting met to examine the item on the agenda. In accordance with the provisions of article 7 of the Standing Orders for sectoral meetings, the officers presided in turn over the discussion.

2. The spokesperson for the Employers' group was Mr. F. Baas and the spokesperson for the Workers' group was Mr. R. Potroz.

3. The Meeting held five sittings devoted to the discussion of its agenda item.

Composition of the Working Party

4. At its fifth plenary sitting, in accordance with the provisions of article 13, paragraph 2, of the Standing Orders, the Meeting set up a Working Party to draw up draft conclusions reflecting the views expressed in the course of the Meeting's discussion of the report. The Working Party, presided over by the Government Vice-Chairperson (Mr. Ravikant, India) was composed of the following members:

Government members

Egypt:

Mr. F. Afify

France:

Mr. M. Pauron

India:

Mr. Ravikant

Morocco:

Mr. M. Tadili (adviser)

United Kingdom:

Mr. N. Tubman

Employer members

Mr. C. Andreas

Mr. F. Baas

Mr. M. Ceretti

Mr. H.S. Endro

Mr. V. Mende

Worker members

Mr. S. Masuda

Mr. B.V. Nzuza

Ms. B. O'Neill

Mr. R. Potroz

Mr. J.-E. Ryman

Presentation of the report and general discussion

5. Introducing the report prepared by the International Labour Office, the Executive Secretary thanked all those who had contributed to its preparation by providing valuable information. Highlighted in the report was the huge diversity of activities in the food and drink industries, ranging from traditional labour-intensive production still found in developing countries to capital-intensive processes in the industrialized world. The report emphasized that the food and drink industries had contributed substantially to improving global food security with new processing and packaging technologies which reduced spoilage and wastage of raw materials. She also noted the trend towards new lifestyles and health concerns, which were leading to increased consumption of convenience and nutritional foods and to a more selective approach by consumers. The introduction of new technologies in the food and drink industries had eliminated many repetitive jobs, but had also led to the development of new products thus creating employment opportunities for workers with specialized skills. Women, who tended to be concentrated in low-skilled jobs, were often most affected by these changes. The introduction of new technologies had also led to safer tasks and a lower rate of accidents and diseases. However, food and drink industries continued to be more unsafe than most other manufacturing sectors. Some workers were exposed to extremely high or low temperatures, or to higher levels of industrial noise. Stress-related and musculoskeletal problems were also on the rise due to increasing pressures to keep pace with machines and to adapt to changing roles and responsibilities. Managerial approaches and work organization were also changing. There were fewer levels of management, and workers were being expected to acquire multiple skills to participate in flexible teamwork, and to exercise quality control in addition to preventative and corrective maintenance work. The introduction of new technology, therefore, called for careful planning and management-worker consultations from the outset, particularly when changes were expected to result in lay-offs. Continuous training was important to keep up with rapid technological change. The skills imparted could improve employment possibilities, particularly for women workers. Attention to environmental concerns was also of increasing significance, especially for avoiding the contamination of raw materials. The above issues were the backdrop to the suggested points for discussion which were designed to encourage the key partners to reach a consensus on the path forward for the food and drink industries in view of rapid technological change, changing consumer demands, globalization and the need to remain competitive and dynamic.

6. The spokesperson for the Workers' group welcomed the report and its usefulness for the Meeting and for work in the different countries. The Workers' group would be sharing their wide range of experiences, both positive and negative, as regards the introduction of new technologies. They intended to participate in a positive and constructive manner and would seek a just and practical outcome with clear conclusions. Sharing the benefits of new technology in terms of productivity gains depended on how the technology was handled and introduced and whether consultation and discussion took place. Trade unions were not afraid of change and new technology. They recognized that technology had led to the elimination of many jobs that were dirty, repetitive and dangerous. Their central concern was that new technologies should be introduced in a manner that would ensure that benefits did not only go to the employer, at the expense of the workers in terms of skill enhancement and job security. Technology was only a tool and the challenge was how to introduce it in a positive manner so as to enhance skills, improve the workplace and benefit the operations of the employer as well as the wider community. This involved long-term planning with intense discussions and prolonged negotiation between management and workers so that issues such as job security, structured training, redeployment, relocation and compensation were dealt with. If these were not properly addressed, then opposition from workers to change could be expected, in other words, "change imposed was change opposed". Training was the key factor in guaranteeing the benefits of new technologies to all, and governments had a central role to assure public training and promote industry training. Individual employer-sponsored training was not desirable as it tended to be too specific to the employer concerned and did not develop transferable skills. Training also had to be accessible and affordable and should not interfere with family life. It needed to focus on creating a broad skill base, being certifiable and therefore transferable. Special attention needed to be given to low-skilled, women, migrant and disabled workers, as they were more likely to be displaced first. The Workers' group also wished to address issues such as employment flexibility and the development of high-performance work systems involving multiskilling, teamwork, and skill-based pay systems. These systems too could be threatening or positive, depending on the way consultation was handled.

7. The spokesperson for the Employers' group expressed his group's satisfaction with the report. He also welcomed the opportunity provided by the Meeting for what he hoped would be an open and constructive discussion. He stressed that the discussion should focus specifically on the food and drink industries. He noted that the industries had to be prepared for the fact that technology was continuously evolving. The Meeting should focus on realities and experiences in both the industrialized and developing countries. This should also be the case for the discussion on issues of a more general nature, such as the environment.

8. An observer, the General Secretary of the World Federation of Agriculture, Food, Hotel and Allied Workers, noted that the major change experienced in the last two years in the food and drink industries was the introduction of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs). The Meeting should consider this new factor. Workers were also consumers and were concerned about food products which were vital for human development. The increasing use of GEOs could have negative consequences for developing countries with agriculture being relocated from developing to industrialized countries. Millions of smaller producers and workers unable to compete with genetically manipulated products could lose their livelihood. Certain foods such as vanilla, sugar cane, cocoa and quinine which could only be grown in tropical countries could now be grown anywhere in the world. Feeding hormones and other food products to animals which were later consumed by humans was putting at risk the health of humanity and affecting workers in developing countries. GEOs also had detrimental environmental effects. Little research had been carried out on these issues and the ILO should conduct a study on the positive and negative effects of GEOs, with particular attention to the human consumption of products grown with the use of GEOs.

9. Another observer, the General Secretary of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), welcomed the opportunity for dialogue on an important set of issues affecting workers everywhere in the food and drink industries. He noted that the most important aspect of change in any sector was that it not be introduced arbitrarily and unilaterally. Full and comprehensive discussions with the organizations representing workers affected were an essential prerequisite for successful implementation of any change at work. The ultimate arbiters of success and failure in the industry were the consumers, who were increasingly informed and demanded not only a secure supply at an affordable price, but quality products that were safe, nutritious and free from exploitative social or environmental processes. To meet these demands there had to be social dialogue with workers' and employers' organizations as well as responsible public policy development. The IUF had been able to reach significant agreements in the food and drink sector at the international level to improve information and consultation processes and agreements affecting employee rights, equal opportunity and training at global and regional levels. Useful progress was also being made in the framework of the various European works councils already established in the industry, particularly where they included union representation which could become a serious and responsible social counterpart to companies in these forums. The IUF believed that this type of dialogue represented "best practice" and wished very much to see this expanded. Certain problems had to be addressed at sectoral and general levels, as for example the framework for training and retraining. This approach was also relevant at the international level with the increasing globalization of the food chain. In addition to its crucial standard-setting role, the ILO could continue to facilitate and encourage an ongoing social dialogue in the food and drink sector. It could strengthen its research, publishing and dissemination of examples of good practice on the issues discussed at this Meeting. It could also provide core information and training in these areas and advocate the concerns of the most vulnerable workers. These included women workers, those faced with precarious forms of employment, and those subject to repetitive strain injuries (RSI).

10. An observer from the Trade Unions International of Workers in Agriculture, Food, Commerce, Textiles and Allied Industries found the report important but felt that it obscured the real problem. It looked at competition but should have looked at what forces drove companies into new technology. The driving force was really a search for greater profits. Employers were not interested in increasing world food production to combat famine or unemployment. The question was whether new technology served capitalism or mankind. Many people were suffering from malnutrition in developing countries. He felt that as regards the introduction of new forms of technology there should be laws which required the workers to be consulted and structures set up to allow workers to make their own proposals and to engage consultants. There should also be limitations on the introduction of new technologies to protect the environment. Before job reductions were introduced there should be a reduction in hours, early retirement and retraining during working hours in order to raise the qualifications of workers.

Technology and productivity

11. The Worker spokesperson felt that there was wide scope for cooperation between employers and workers with respect to work changes. Society demanded of the food and drink industries safe and wholesome food and beverages, at prices affordable to all. But regarding the introduction of technology there were two clear and distinct partners -- the employers and the trade unions, each of whom had their own long-term interests. It was understandable that employers wanted to use modern technology since otherwise they would not be competitive. The workers also had a vested interest in maintaining their job security and skills through training which would lead to more job satisfaction and take advantage of the introduction of new technologies. It was therefore a two-way street. Enterprises could introduce "off-the-shelf" technologies or be innovative and introduce their own plant-level technologies or new forms of work organization. Workers could not be more productive with new technology than with the old plant if they had not been properly trained in its use. Technology was a tool and not an independent social force in its own right. Its introduction should not downgrade the workplace but should be handled in such a way as to increase job satisfaction and improve skills. Cooperation between the two partners was important. One important point was the need for maximum lead time preceding the introduction of new technologies. The second the right to full consultation, for which a legal definition existed in his country -- it required employers to be open to change if compelling arguments were made. Secondly, workers needed access to experts to evaluate proposals and make a constructive contribution to the debate. They should also be allowed to see the new technology being envisaged and not to be first confronted with it when it arrived on the truck. In such circumstances the technology could not be fully utilized. Workers needed to make informed decisions which would increase the productivity for all. The widest possible training should be provided, given during working time. Although training needed to be specific it should not be linked to a particular industry but portable across industries. The above remarks applied to all forms of technology, from hardware and software to work organization.

12. The spokesperson for the Employers' group reminded the Meeting that there were different perspectives on the question. There were highly developed, developed, less developed and underdeveloped countries. There was the question of the appropriate level, whether the local workplace or the plant, and there was the socio-economic culture of the particular country and its legal requirements. Before the Employers could advise they had to listen to their individual members first, whether individual enterprises or branches, just as the Workers did. There were millions of ways to cope with change and the employers did not only impose change from the top down. In order to provide good advice they also needed to listen to the comments of the workers and enter into a social dialogue. People had to be prepared for change. There was not "the" answer, but a number of answers.

13. The representative of the Government of China indicated that a number of public enterprises in the bottling and food industries were being restructured due to lack of profitability, and this process entailed employment losses which were on a scale comparable to that of heavy industry. Of 12 million people seeking jobs, 6 million had found new jobs. The Government had taken a number of steps locally to combat the problem including a series of meetings with financial, labour and budgetary institutions. There were several reasons for this situation, including emphasis put on blindly increasing production, lack of management and problematic practices related to social security. Vocational training could help solve the problem and institutions were set up that provided between one and three months of free training. Workers were also encouraged to seek employment in private enterprises or joint enterprises. Many of those in industry or agro-business were now in catering and there was a substantial amount of non-productive rural-urban migration which the Government was trying to curb.

14. The representative of the Government of Egypt thought comprehensive labour legislation was needed to solve the problems of employers and workers. This should cover minimum wages, social insurance and incentives for investors.

15. The spokesperson for the Workers' group, in reply to the Employers' statement, indicated that consultation should be at the appropriate level but several levels were possible. This could be at the enterprise, industry, national or international level. If you were a small-scale producer the local level was appropriate. If you were at the other end of the scale, a multinational, then international consultations would be appropriate. If the country was a developed, developing or underdeveloped one, the consultations would be different, but the same principle would apply. He was glad to support the role of employers' organizations and also hoped that they in turn would support bona fide trade union organizations.

16. A Worker member from Ghana noted that consultations between management and workers commonly took place on some subjects. However, when new technologies were introduced the workers were often not consulted. There was therefore scope to improve cooperation when implementing the introduction of new technologies. Workers' participation was needed and the decision-making process in enterprises had to be improved. The transfer of technology could not only involve high-tech industries which took a long time to learn and often resulted in redundancies. Appropriate or intermediate technologies were better suited for developing countries. In her country, the State did not intervene through labour legislation on labour relations issues. The system in place was autonomous and governed by ILO Conventions. The present practice was generally to hold bipartite collective bargaining and to adopt agreements at the enterprise level, with the government playing the role of mediator between the two parties. Issues such as productivity were best left to the different parties. Productivity increases should take account of technological developments from an economic perspective which did not neglect equitable social development.

17. A Government adviser from Egypt indicated that in her country decisions on technology were made by the management board, where workers were represented.

18. A Worker member from South Africa felt that it was important that both employers and governments take the question of consultation seriously. Some companies in his country were beginning to involve trade unions in their boards of directors. This was important since workers often only got two weeks' notice when a new technology was being introduced, whereas the decision in the board of directors had already been taken six months or a year earlier. If workers were involved on the boards of directors they would have advance warning. There was also a tripartite structure in his country where governments, employers and workers were committed before the adoption or promulgation of new legislation.

19. A Worker adviser from Japan indicated that the main purpose of introducing new technology was to increase productivity. But whose interest did this serve? Forty-five years ago it was felt that this was the sole prerogative of management and workers felt that it led to their exploitation and worsening of working conditions, but today it was understood that new technology could not be avoided and could profit both employer and worker, if there was consultation between the two sides. Consultations conducted on a purely formal basis were meaningless. Three principles should be observed if consultations were to be useful and constructive: they should be conducted as early as possible; job reductions due to the introduction of new technologies should be compensated with job creation in the long term; benefits yielded from new technologies should be distributed fairly among employers, employees and consumers. Although a short-term effect of the introduction of new technologies might be a reduction in the workforce, in the long term it could lead to an increase in the level of employment as well as in profits and could benefit consumers.

20. The spokesperson for the Employers' group emphasized that management had the right to manage the business and make changes. He felt however that the subject for discussion only dealt with technology and not other things like changes in work practices. With regard to training he felt it was right to have the right people in the right place with good qualifications even though this meant having skills that one day might be transferable to other jobs. The Workers also mentioned the desirability of having experts examine management decisions but he wished to assure the Meeting that management already had its own good advisers which proposed the original decision. Although management would inform workers in good time of pending changes it might not always be possible to give them as much advance warning as the previous speakers had wished. Although reference was made to multinational consultations the employers still felt that the local level was the most appropriate for discussions with workers, especially on matters related to training.

21. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom felt that the word "partnership" was of crucial importance. Workers and employers should discuss a whole range of issues with each other, not just technology and productivity. If a company was considering investing in new equipment, new machinery, new technology, then it had to take into account the skills and the training that their workforce would need and this had to be planned in advance, and not be planned just as the technology was arriving at the factory or the workplace. So the employer did need to discuss with employees the training needs for the future and how these would develop as further technology was introduced. This could improve the quality of the job, and job satisfaction. Governments had a responsibility to ensure that there was a legislative framework to ensure that minimum standards were met.

22. The spokesperson for the Workers' group disagreed with the Employers' statement that consultation should only take place at the local level. There were many good reasons why other levels could be involved, which the Workers would come back to later.

23. A Worker member from Honduras felt that workers were often informed too late when new technology was to be introduced. Technology was often introduced to improve the competitive position of the company which would increase the use of machinery and equipment and might even lower prices but would result in a reduction of jobs. He cited one example in Honduras where a sophisticated new production line had been introduced to handle 90,000 crates of soft drinks per day but was only operating at 65 per cent capacity.

24. A Government adviser from Egypt similarly drew attention to the case of a highly mechanized system that had been introduced in her country to handle 100 kg sacks of sugar but which had failed due to a lack of raw materials. The sacks were reduced to 50 kg, which workers were able to handle manually, with an improvement in efficiency compared to the mechanized option.

Employment flexibility and new work organization

25. The Employer spokesperson felt that it was impossible for new technology alone to be responsible for increased employment flexibility and new work organization. Management introduced new technology when they wanted to make changes and not for the sake of technology itself. Increased flexibility had also resulted in increased employment. The Employers also felt that the term "job security" was out of date. People could no longer have the same job for their entire life. They now had to go from job to job and not always within the same company. It was better to speak of work possibilities rather than job security. It was important that workers were skilled and prepared for change. They were then transferable and could go to another job in the same or another company. Women and low-skilled workers were not the only disadvantaged groups on the labour market. It was necessary for all groups of workers to have access to the labour market.

26. The Worker spokesperson felt that the question of how unions and employers could work together to ensure job security was an important one. The main problem workers had with the introduction of technology was that it was primarily used to reduce labour costs. It was used against workers and not for their advantage or the sharing of the benefits. In an ideal world, workers would be retained in order to operate the new equipment in order to meet the new higher level of production or the new product, and they might even benefit from an increase in remuneration. But unfortunately new technology was often used simply as a means of cutting labour costs.

27. Job security was better, he continued, where there had been previous public training and retraining programmes that had created a broad and flexible skill base, so that people were more versatile and flexible, particularly inside their own company. The three social partners -- the employers, the unions and the government -- needed to work together to try and achieve this ultimate aim. The problem of the transition for workers was also lessened if high unemployment did not already exist in that area or in that country and if public job placement systems were operative. The employment partners, and particularly the government, needed to work together to achieve the lowest possible unemployment and if possible eliminate it altogether.

28. In the course of consultations, particularly prior to the introduction of the technology, innovative and long-term social plans should be put in place to ease the difficulties of people who were displaced. There were good examples around the world of such action. In his own country (New Zealand) and subsector (dairy production), there was an extremely good example of a social plan. Called "redeployment", it involved a whole range of steps including retraining and relocation, and was called "swap a job". For example, if a person in a factory that was not being closed down wished to take the exit package, they could advertise in the factory that was being closed and people could swap jobs, so that a person in a different factory could accept the exit package. There was also an attractive compensation plan for workers for whom no alternative job could be found. The longer the lead time before the introduction of technology, the more successful these types of social plans could be.

29. On the question of the most affected groups -- low-skilled women workers, disabled workers and migrant workers -- all of the above considerations applied, he continued. However, in these cases, there were other elements such as literacy skills that needed to be incorporated into the prior discussions and the retraining programmes and exercises, particularly for workers in a foreign language country. For women, the question of assistance with family care was important; the retraining programmes should be organized and scheduled in such a way as to make them accessible to women workers. The Workers clearly understood the difference between employment and job security. The terminology used should not be a cloak for employers to avoid their responsibilities by dumping the problem on to public agencies like the government and the local councils.

30. A Worker member from Portugal indicated that the European Union had chosen this year to fight unemployment, but he wanted to examine what employers and workers could do together to ensure job security. For example, although seasonal work was well known and necessary in the food and drink industry its use was too widespread and it was being used on a continuous basis to replace permanent workers with seasonal labourers throughout the year, under the excuse of flexibility. Seasonal workers were therefore being used illegally and they were not entitled to unemployment benefits. One had to fight against unfair competition, that is between an enterprise which had legal workers with stable jobs and which produced the same product somewhat more expensively than another enterprise using illegal labour.

31. A Worker member from France agreed that the introduction of new technologies was intended to make labour more flexible, but flexibility was nevertheless a consequence of this process because the new technologies were usually onerous and employers were tempted to organize labour in such a way that they could maximize the use of the equipment. The outcome was that the workers' family life suffered from increased flexibility. There had been no significant reduction in working hours, but a significant increase in the number of workers who had lost their jobs. In France, by law, employers were obliged to use 0.9 per cent of their wage bill for retraining and professional training during working hours. This was very positive and the Workers hoped that this process would be extended to other countries. However, it was not just a question of spending money on training, but of the kind of training offered and of who would benefit. It should not be the categories which already had high skills and high-level training, that is, executives and middle managers.

32. The spokesperson for the Workers' group noted a range of areas requiring training. In developing countries literacy and numeracy training was important for workers to be able to communicate as well as understand and benefit from general training programmes. Basic computer skills training was required in most industries today. Training on safety, health and first aid was necessary to keep workplaces safe. Finally, training on food hygiene, food security and personal hygiene was essential for the food and drink industry in particular. The competencies to be developed through training programmes should be fully negotiated so that they were certifiable and applicable across industries. For example, Nestlé and IUF had reached an agreement for broad-based training for apprentices in Europe. Reaching the agreement had involved consultations in the different European countries on the local implementation of the training and the transferability of the skills within Europe. Generally, training should be repeated with a view to developing a culture of lifelong learning. This could only be achieved through long-term investment in workers' training.

33. The spokesperson for the Employers' group observed that ongoing change required that workers be prepared for permanent change. Identifying and meeting educational needs involved governments, as well as employers and workers. Long-term investment in workers had been practised by employers for many years now. Concerning negotiating with workers' organizations on training programmes, the Employers believed that it was the prerogative of management at the local level to make decisions on the training programmes and to discuss them with the workers who were the most affected. It was very important for employers that the upgrading of workers' skills began long before technological changes were introduced and that such training be continuous. The Employers had difficulty with the notion of "ensuring" appropriate training. While they supported the need for continuous training they were not in a position to guarantee this.

34. A Worker member from South Africa considered that as all parties were stakeholders in the future, a responsible approach should be pursued whereby each party should see to it that training takes place. Tripartite structures were very important in this regard and all employers should contribute to training costs as it was in their own interest. A Worker member from India pointed out that some decisions of TNCs, for example, were not made locally. Such companies needed to be more socially responsible and to consider training for the workers whom the company retained, training for the workers in the unorganized sector who continued to work for the company through subcontracting, and training for women workers, who were the most affected by downsizing.

35. The spokesperson for the Employers' group reiterated that training had to respond to business needs based on the local situation. At the local level employers could also support each other on training and retraining issues through, for example, chambers of commerce. The overall responsibility for the education of the population remained, however, with governments.

36. An Employer member from Argentina stated that employers were extremely interested and increasingly concerned about training due to the increasingly technical nature of work and the need for skilled workers to operate expensive equipment. However, he was concerned that this meant that employers would have to contribute additional funds and he wondered what the purpose of taxes was since they were supposed to provide governments with revenue for education.

37. Several governments referred to the importance of skills training and retraining. The Government representative of India informed the Meeting of assistance given by his Government to industry for the upgrading of skills. He also pointed out the need for technological improvements to be applied to the vast unorganized sector in India which had only basic primary food-processing techniques. The Government representative of Uruguay referred to the focus in her country on training as an instrument for improving employability and competitiveness. A training fund had been set up, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour, managed in a tripartite manner with employers and workers contributing to the fund. There were various programmes with different target groups: unemployed workers, workers holding jobs, young workers, women workers, handicapped workers, etc. Programmes were aimed at training the unskilled, upgrading the skills of workers who already had qualifications and offering vocational readaptation to others, with a view to allowing each worker to adapt to changing employment opportunities. Another programme provided support for training in small and medium-sized enterprises which did not have the means to provide training. In addition, a project had been prepared on the creation of a competency-based system for standardization, training and certification. The Government representative of Portugal informed the Meeting of the 27 vocational training centres throughout his country which were managed by the Government together with workers' and employers' organizations. They targeted different sectors, including the food and drink industries. This tripartite management approach was successful and allowed for dialogue between business and workers in the elaboration of training programmes. In addition, the Ministry of Labour had 12 other such centres which, although state run, carried out consultations with workers and employers.

38. A Worker member from Spain described a tripartite initiative in her country where annual training plans were developed and implemented. These included on-the-job training in large enterprises and training at the sectoral or subsectoral level for small enterprises. Women, young people and the disabled received special consideration. Studies were also conducted on future requirements. The active participation of the social partners was a key factor in the success of these programmes.

39. A Worker member from Portugal considered that training should not only be linked to jobs in an enterprise. It should include social and cultural aspects and, above all, provide for social integration within the enterprise. For example, a trade union study on the sources of industrial conflicts in the agricultural and food industries found that in 90 per cent of cases, the reason for the conflict was that one of the parties was unaware of the legal requirements. With the introduction of training on legal and social issues, industrial conflicts were dramatically reduced.

40. The spokesperson for the Workers' group stated that, in principle, team working and multiskilling were superior forms of work organization which could lead to job enrichment, higher pay and more efficient companies if properly implemented. Without proper consultation and due negotiation with trade unions, changes would be regarded as imposed and so resisted. Higher performance work systems were a form of participatory management which empowered workers, gave them more decision-making authority and developed a more dynamic organization. As such they posed a challenge to traditional management approaches. For such systems to be effective, however, workers had to be able to operate from a separate and independent power base, otherwise they could become a dangerous form of work organization and it could be very intimidating for workers to challenge management decisions. In practice, it had been very difficult to make team working, multiskilling and skill-based payment systems work due to the fact that not all employees were on an equal footing. There were risks in team working, such as the competition between different teams which was beneficial neither for the workers nor the company. He argued that progressive companies normally encouraged progressive unions. In the dairy industry in New Zealand, 96 per cent of workers were unionized and production had increased over recent years by 7 per cent, as compared to the national average of 1 per cent, in the wake of the introduction of the Employment Contracts Act which had caused not only a drop in trade union membership but also a decline in productivity.

41. A Worker adviser from Japan considered that, in addition to cooperation among workers and among employers, there needed to be cooperation between employers and workers. For information to be shared and consultation to take place, advantage should be taken of the collective bargaining process and should lead to collective agreements. Consultation should precede collective agreements to develop solidarity and the nurturing of trust.

42. A Worker member described a government provisional measure in Brazil which required enterprises to share with the workers a percentage of the profits obtained as a result of teamwork. The trade unions had worked on developing the concept of team working and discussed target plans and how to achieve team points, as well as the mechanisms that needed to be set up to solve problems between teams. However, employers were generally reluctant to discuss and implement this provision on sharing profits. In the case of Nestlé, while the company did not set up a management-worker commission to discuss the provision, it went ahead in the sharing of profits, and productivity, product quality and exports had all increased. But now one of the plants was to be closed with a consequent loss of jobs. Finally, she stated that workers had already shown a great deal of solidarity because of the low wages they received.

43. The spokesperson for the Employers' group noted that traditional management was evolving in a world which was constantly changing. This meant that workers also had to change, and be prepared to retrain and be multiskilled. This was not only important for employers, but also for their own future employability. Many issues were best dealt with at local level, where cultural barriers could be understood. So workers had to be prepared for change with support from governments and workers' organizations. In the context of team working and multiskilling, wage systems needed to be discussed and made more flexible and progressive, so that the future could be better managed. Employers should give full information to workers, but it was not always necessary that changes be negotiated. Systems of consultation were not as important as good human relations between managers and workers.

44. A Worker member from Japan stated that while due consideration should be given to local realities, a minimum level or some form of commonality should be established. For example, TNCs had corporate-level policies and implemented them at the local level, in accordance with the local situation. He also considered that the basis of team working was the sharing of information with the workers, so that they understood the objectives and expectations, and could then commit themselves fully to the work. To avoid fragmentation and undue competition between workers, it was important to have a good system of evaluation and assessment. Prior consultations between management and workers were also very important and sufficient lead time was necessary for multiskilling and team work to be fully beneficial for both the employer and the workers.

45. The Government representative of Egypt considered that team working and multiskilling provided many advantages for both employers and workers. However, team working was mainly applicable to large-scale industries. Training on new equipment should be carried out by employers, and the government should provide training for the unemployed and for workers seeking employment in new fields. Financing training for small and medium-sized enterprises should take into account social factors and solidarity between governments, employers' and workers' organizations in view of globalization. Along similar lines, industrialized countries should help developing countries.

46. The Government representative of Uruguay noted that governments had to consider the education of the population in general and needed to review educational and vocational training systems in order "to teach to learn" throughout a lifetime. This approach would contribute to developing the multiskilled workforce of the future.

Working conditions

47. The spokesperson for the Employers' group was of the view that rotating shift work was not problematic since rotating shift work was accepted in many sectors as well as in the food and drink sector and, therefore, benchmarking existed. There were many patterns of rotating shift work and many solutions had been found to problems that it might involve.

48. The spokesperson for the Workers' group agreed that rotating shift work was common practice in a number of industries and a new fact of life in others, including food and drink. Maximizing utilization of expensive equipment was also necessary. However, introducing and establishing shift-work rosters was in fact the greatest source of conflict at shop-floor level between management and workers. Problems were aggravated by unilateral decisions, short notice of changes in shifts and enforced overtime. Therefore, rotating shift work had to be handled carefully, workers had to have a major input in the development of rosters and, once established, rosters could only be changed with the workers' agreement.

49. A Worker member from Italy observed that continuous work and flexibility were not necessarily negative, if managed by trade unions. Flexibility could be both positive and negative. Many agreements had been reached in Italy which reduced working hours and saved jobs while introducing continuous work. Enterprise flexibility agreements had been accepted by workers because they were managed by unions. Trade unions represented different groups of workers with different needs and requirements; some workers could accept rotating shifts while others could not. It was important for workers to be able to choose when and how they wanted to work so that workers with family responsibilities could, for example, work part time. Work time could be reduced in the framework of an annualized work time scheme, with a "time bank". Employers and workers needed to find a meeting point on the issue of flexibility and working time.

50. A Worker adviser from Japan stated that it was important to make shift work compatible with life outside work, by laying down detailed rules. For example, a sufficient number of workers should be allocated to each shift to accommodate possible absences. Maximum limits should be set for the number of night shifts per month and the number of continuous night shifts. As rotating shift workers adapted their living patterns, it was essential that trade unions be consulted in advance of any changes.

51. A Worker member described how in Honduras the collective agreement in the drink industry provided for changes in permanent schedules only with the mutual agreement of management and the trade union. As a result, whenever it was necessary to reorganize the shift system in accordance with production demands, there was an opportunity to negotiate these changes. Basically, workers were seeking more participation in the activities of the enterprise.

52. The Government representative of Italy considered that collective bargaining and legislation often ensured certain benefits for workers. For example in developing shift work, attention had to be given to the issue of equality between men and women and the reconciliation of work and family. It was the responsibility of governments to encourage collective bargaining to ensure training, safety at work and protection of workers. Flexibility should therefore be monitored not only by trade unions but especially by the government, in view of the public interests at stake.

53. The Workers' spokesperson observed that point No. 6, relating to what should be done to ensure that a worker's remuneration was in line with his responsibilities under new forms of work organization, was too narrow. It was difficult to apply such a system linking skills to wages if the wage system in operation before new technologies were introduced was not already adequate. The Workers were not keen to link pay increases to productivity, unless workers were in control of all the elements affecting productivity. In addition, it was difficult to verify the information which employers used and this was important if wages were to be linked to productivity. Measures of productivity would have to be very simple so that the average worker could understand them and see the results on the next pay packet. The Workers were also concerned that any system of linking pay to productivity could encourage unconstructive competition among various groups of workers unless it was done on a proper basis. The Workers did feel, however, that wage increases should be related to existing skills and to the new skills acquired. All of this should be negotiated with the employer. However, the Workers could not pull out one model and apply it across the board to all companies, all enterprises or all countries. This would have to be left up to the collective bargaining procedure in each country and industry. However, these negotiations could only be productive if conducted by two independent organizations able to argue from a position of strength.

54. The Employers' spokesperson said that employers were not in a position to "ensure" a match between remuneration and responsibility, though they could promote it. He was happy that the Workers were now saying that negotiations could be decentralized. This conformed with the Employers' belief that negotiations had to take place at the local level and not collectively at higher levels. The Employers felt that discussions about remuneration should take place mainly at local level, and information should be provided by the employer to the individual worker. The new systems of remuneration were aimed at recognizing the quality of the individual employee.

55. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom expressed the view that wage levels should be agreed between the employers and workers. Although many countries had a minimum wage, with higher skilled workers as in the food and drink industry a minimum wage would probably be less likely to have an impact and in such situations it was better if the government stood aside.

56. A Worker member from Australia indicated that any system of remuneration had to be based on an adequate foundation of fair pay which would provide a proper living wage to the worker. On top of the basic pay, collective bargaining could provide for skills-based competency payment systems. This was a complex question related to recognition of skills and how they were valued. Often, the skills of women workers were undervalued and unrecognized. Therefore, any skills-based compensation system needed to be based on objective criteria agreed upon between the employers' and workers' representatives. Individual pay systems were to be rejected because they did not objectively assess the skills and relative value of those skills. For example, a recent report in Australia concluded that management was lacking in a number of key areas and therefore it would be wrong to associate productivity payments for workers with factors for which they were not responsible. From the Workers' point of view, productivity was not just a narrow concept based on the amount produced in a given period but rather a broader concept which encompassed issues such as employee morale, job satisfaction, quality, involvement, commitment to training, absenteeism, and a whole range of other indicators.

57. The Workers' spokesperson questioned the Employers' concept of one-on-one negotiations, especially in large companies such as Nestlé vis-à-vis a poor worker in an underdeveloped country. It was a question of a power relationship.

58. The Employers' spokesperson, turning to the question of the high accident rate in the food and drink industries, felt that the statistics were misleading because the food and drink industry was required by law in many countries to report immediately all accidents, unlike other sectors of the economy. This led to a higher rate of reported accidents for this industry. It also had to do with the type of products produced in the food and drink industry. On the whole, though, management in these industries took their responsibility seriously and much was being done in terms of prevention to bring down the accident rates. Another problem was that of workers who did not necessarily follow instructions and the Employers hoped that workers' organizations could be of assistance in this matter. Related to this point was the question of introducing a system of sanctions for workers who did not comply with safety standards aimed at accident prevention. He welcomed any new ideas and suggestions in this field proposed by workers in order to achieve a safer workplace.

59. The Workers' spokesperson was intrigued by the statistical problem which the Employers were referring to since the records on health and safety matters were maintained by the employer. The Workers did acknowledge that the injury rate in the food and drink industry was high, but coming down. The Workers felt that government bodies had a major role to play in accident prevention. Governments needed to draw up standards, enact them into law and enforce them throughout the country. At the enterprise level, the Workers felt that joint health and safety committees were needed, with union involvement. Workers had to insist on union involvement in the health and safety committees in order that they function properly. A number of ILO studies highlighted this point in reports on the meat, poultry and fish industry -- industries which were not involved in making something but rather in disassembling things, such as carcasses. The problem in this industry tended to be that the introduction of new technology accelerated the pace of work in an attempt to achieve greater productivity but which created major problems for workers because they were working with sharp knives at high speeds.

60. A second problem, he continued, related to repetitive strain injury (RSI), which could result if the introduction of new technology was not properly planned. This was also the result of an accelerated pace of work. In Brazil one multinational enterprise denied the existence of RSI in their Brazilian subsidiary while the same company in the United Kingdom had an entirely different approach and had programmes and policies on how to deal with RSI. The Workers would like to know why the same company had different policies when it operated in two different parts of the world. This underscored the point they were making about the appropriate level for discussions, whether global or local. Some companies acted consistently wherever they operated but this one did not. He listed a number of other new problems associated with the introduction of new technologies. These included noise, continuous rotating shift work and the logistics and sleeping problems associated with it, stress caused by keeping up with the accelerated pace of work and the greater responsibility placed on workers when they operated high-tech machinery.

61. The Workers had already made some practical suggestions on how to handle these problems and he felt that the Employers would have no trouble in agreeing with them. These included, first, the constitution of proper joint health and safety committees which should have the power to stop production without recourse to management if faced with what they considered to be a health risk in the workplace. Second, the individual worker should also have the right to refuse work he or she considers to be unsafe, without fear of disciplinary measures. Third, there should be national health and safety standards which were enforceable, easy to follow, transparent and capable of being monitored by the unions through charges brought against the particular company in cases where the government was not carrying out its responsibility. Fourth, there should be adequate and not just token compensation for any injury or damage caused to the health of workers. Fifth, RSI should be recognized as an occupational disease and policies should be implemented to prevent its occurrence. Sixth, the ILO should be requested to undertake further comprehensive studies on other occupational safety and health issues related to workers in the food and drink industries throughout the world.

62. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom noted that most governments had legislation on health and safety to ensure minimum standards and that these were generally enforced around the world but this did go back to the point that employers and workers had to work together to ensure that their industry and company were safe. It also went back to training and to ensuring that staff were trained and that everyone got help to prevent accidents and to take this responsibility seriously. It was the combined effort of training and consultation between the two sides that was essential.

63. The Employers' spokesperson welcomed the Workers' remarks but thought that they supported the approach advocated by the Employers, i.e. that it was better to discuss problems at the level which was appropriate. In this case, it was better to discuss accidents and safety and health measures at the shop floor level where problems occurred rather than at higher institutional levels.

64. A Worker member from Brazil noted that legislation had recognized RSI as an occupational injury since 1987. It was initially only computer operators who suffered from this injury, which had now spread to the food sector and others. However, employers were not yet quite willing to recognize it. In some cases, if employers found out that a worker was suffering from RSI, he was dismissed even before the illness could be diagnosed, since workers were not protected in developing countries as they were in Europe. There were in fact instances of employers increasing the production line rhythm of work by 40 to 50 per cent without the workers having the capacity to keep up with this pace of work. Unfortunately, preventive measures were not adopted often enough. With respect to RSI, the Worker delegate referred to a conference last November where workers first learned that RSI was a disease without having known the name of it before.

65. The representative of the Government of Italy mentioned that, although collective bargaining was up to the social partners, it was often forgotten that the labour inspectorate had a role in monitoring the application of agreements reached in order to protect the rights of the workers. At present, national bodies monitored generally only those rules which were obligatory because dictated by law.

66. The representative of the Government of Portugal mentioned that in her country special legislation and collective bargaining provided for specific health and safety regulations in this sector. Safety committees in which workers participated could also assess the equipment used and help set the standards in various sectors. Unfortunately, there was still a high rate of accidents in the food industry, with over 9,000 every year, including four deaths. In the drink industry, there were 1,400 accidents, with no deaths.

67. A Worker adviser from Japan agreed with the Employers that questions of occupational safety and health should be discussed at the level which was closest to the workplace. However, he also felt that it would only work if a mechanism were in place which functioned, such as a safety and health committee. As to the question of why these matters should be discussed at the international level in a forum such as this, the answer was clear. Only in such international meetings could the situation of multinationals be discussed such as the one which had a system which functioned in the United Kingdom which they did not apply in Brazil. The global or international level was needed to exchange experience and views and to be informed of good examples.

68. The representative of the Government of Egypt indicated that legislation on occupational safety and health and social security existed in Egypt and that the employer had to provide compensation in the event of industrial accidents.

69. The representative of the Government of France indicated that on occupational safety and health matters a dialogue was certainly needed at the enterprise level. Occupational safety and health committees were desirable as forums for dialogue; they should be created where they did not already exist.

70. A Worker member from Senegal reminded the Meeting that there were high accident rates in these industries for a number of reasons and that the setting up of tripartite committees might be a means of monitoring whether occupational safety and health provisions were respected at the workplace. He also drew the attention of the Meeting to the problem of finding a doctor who was competent to diagnose an occupational disease as such rather than any other illness. Doctors were suspected of being partial to employers.

71. The Workers' spokesperson addressed the question about experience with different forms of worker participation in decision-making at the enterprise level and how such schemes could contribute to the achievement of both the employers' and workers' separate but related interests in the context of improved competitiveness. He argued that the technological and organizational changes achieved through negotiation with unions tended to produce more positive results and have more durable and lasting outcomes for the parties concerned. During the course of those negotiations there would evidently be periods of cooperation, of compromise and of conflict. Employers tended to emphasize the negative sides of conflict, and, while conflict could be negative, it was not necessarily bad. It happened in everyday life. It was really a question of how to deal with that conflict and turn it into positive outcomes.

72. The Workers' spokesperson quoted from an "intent clause" in an existing collective agreement of a New Zealand dairy company.⁽³⁾ Interestingly, the dairy company which had signed the intent clause with the union was enjoying a productivity increase of 7 per cent per annum for the past eight years in contrast to other industries which had no such clause and were experiencing only a 1 per cent labour productivity increase during the same period. The intent clause enabled workers to feel confident that they were able to participate in and cooperative with the company in developing skills and competences, and in developing more efficient methods of work and flexible production systems of benefit to both sides. They could also fall back on such clauses with participatory management systems knowing that they were legally enforceable.

73. On the question about new industrial relations approaches that were required as the food and drink industries became more global in outlook and operation, the Workers were surprised to hear that the Employers wanted to decentralize negotiations to the individual level. The Workers emphasized again that it would be inappropriate for an individual worker in some isolated company in a developing country to negotiate on an equal basis with a large multinational such as Nestlé, Unilever or Danone. Returning to the question of the appropriate level for negotiations, the Workers still felt that the enterprise level was appropriate supplemented by additional agreements at the company or plant level, or for that matter at national, regional or global levels. The Workers' spokesperson also referred to the framework agreement between the International Union of Food Workers (IUF) and Danone. This global agreement laid down principles with regard to information sharing, training programmes, equality, trade union rights and guidelines in the case of restructuring operations. Such framework agreements could later be filled in at the national or enterprise level. By the same token, the European works council (EWC) was at present another experimental mechanism for developing social dialogue, one which the Workers felt could have major advantages for the food and drink industries.

74. The Employers' spokesperson felt that with respect to EWCs and agreements with individual multinationals, the important thing was that companies decided freely to enter into such agreements to provide information. It was not something that could be prescribed for all. As regards industrial relations, he could identify at least four different systems in Europe alone ranging from that in the north-western part of Europe, the one in France, the Mediterranean countries and the Anglo-Saxon one in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the question about new industrial relations systems was impossible to answer in a general way.

75. A Worker member from the Dominican Republic noted that when speaking about new approaches in industrial relations it was important to take account of changes in mentalities which were taking place among employers and among workers in order to adapt to the times they were living in. It was necessary to have frank and sincere dialogue with a view to finding common solutions if the new technologies were to function properly. The situation in the Dominican Republic was definitely different from that in European countries and therefore another approach was required. He emphasized that it was not merely up to the employers to decide which methods to be applied but that a social dialogue with the workers was required to improve productivity and create better conditions of work.

76. A Worker member from Australia likewise referred to the new industrial relations approaches that were required in this new global environment. She referred to asset stripping by companies in other sectors of the economy and examples from the food and drink industries where workers found out that their employers had closed down overnight and there was not enough money left to pay their entitlements. A more sophisticated and mature approach to industrial relations was required so that employers would not seek to avoid their responsibilities, through such means as recourse to subcontractors or piecework or homeworkers. The downward spiral of wages and conditions of work whereby companies shopped around the world for the lowest wages and conditions of work should be avoided.

77. The Employers' spokesperson emphasized again the importance of companies having the freedom to voluntarily enter into -- or not -- agreements at an international level but stressed that labour relations problems could best be dealt with at the local level with the people concerned.

78. A Worker member from France commented that if many companies voluntarily entered into agreements, they did so not because they were fashionable but because they were useful.

79. The Workers' spokesperson in replying to the Employers' spokesperson emphasized that it was not solely the choice of employers of whether or not to enter into agreements. Much depended on how they wished to relate to the other segments of society. To take one example, the ILO had developed a number of standards and these formed part of the international community. He went on to illustrate how the workers felt it would be possible to develop global framework agreements despite national differences. One way was discussing matters as in this Meeting. It was interesting to note that employers applied global productivity standards and production methods to their plants around the world. They bought and installed globally developed technologies, but when it came to their most important asset, their workforce, he failed to see why the employers could not also have a global understanding with them.

Environmental management

80. The spokesperson for the Employers' group noted that there were environmental concerns which were internal to the enterprise and which covered areas already discussed such as health and safety. Environmental issues external to the enterprise involved working with public authorities and abiding by national legislation on environmental protection. It was very important for governments to take their responsibility seriously to provide training and to help small and medium-sized enterprises to fulfil their legal obligations. Employers also needed to join in assisting small and medium-sized enterprises. It would be helpful to be informed of the plans for future government contributions in this regard.

81. The spokesperson for the Workers' group indicated that workers were involved in environmental issues from several points of view, firstly as citizens, especially in the case of workers in the food and drink industries located in rural areas and who lived in the vicinity of the enterprises. Secondly, workers were consumers and demanded healthy and clean products. Finally, as producers of food products, workers were concerned about the quality of the entire food chain. The use of herbicides and pesticides in the production of raw materials raised the issue of protection of the workers involved and the quality of the raw foodstuffs consumed ultimately in processed form. Companies had to be more vigilant and strict in this respect. Workers were also concerned about the recycling of packaging. Although recycling itself involved some environmental costs, workers were generally in favour of recycling processes as they were more labour-intensive and created jobs. Treatment and disposal of waste was another issue of concern, especially as workers were involved in operating and maintaining disposal systems. Where small and medium-sized enterprises had difficulty in guaranteeing environmentally sound disposal systems, governments should play a major role in providing assistance in terms of information, training and technical help. Finally, he observed that generally enterprises which ensured clean, safe and healthy workplaces were also environmentally responsible.

82. A Worker member from Ghana noted the adverse effects of pesticides and chemicals on the health of workers in his country. Employers should only use herbicides which were environmentally friendly. Waste dumping sites should be closed and isolated. Trade unions also needed to take responsibility for the environment, through safety and health committees at workplaces. Trade unions could promote personal hygiene among workers who could then transfer this culture to the workplace. Trade unions also needed to be assisted in educating workers on sound environmental practices.

83. A Worker member from Honduras described the negative health impact on workers and village communities of the use of chemicals in the banana industry in Central America. A case had been brought to court in the United States against a banana producing company. Efforts had been made by various parties to stop this trial, including a recent assassination.

84. The representative of the Government of France, on behalf of many Government representatives, stressed that water pollution was a major problem. The "polluter pays" principle was inadequate. Governments further stressed that preventative action at all levels was needed, including at the enterprise level. These preventative measures should be based on the assumption that training ought to be dispensed to workers and to employers and that the production processes should use technologies which, following each enterprise's needs took into account the fact that water was a non-renewable resource.

85. The representative of the Government of Egypt insisted on the need for stricter enforcement of environmental laws. Fines were often minimal and enterprises chose to pay them and continue violating the law. Monitoring mechanisms were required to ensure full implementation of laws. Governments and big business should help small and medium-sized enterprises to abide by the law. At the global level, with the free movement of products across borders, efforts should be made to prevent environmental problems which could not be controlled downstream. He reiterated that water was a rare and precious substance and should be protected by all means available.

86. The representative of the Government of Italy described how in his country legislation provided economic incentives in favour of employers who set up with the trade unions a special programme to replace substances harmful to the environment with environmentally friendly substitutes.

87. An observer representing the Trade Unions International of Workers in Agriculture, Food, Commerce, Textiles and Allied Industries stated that the environmental problems in the food and drink industries were linked to safety and health issues and to working conditions. The joint safety and health committees in enterprises should therefore be competent to deal with environmental problems. They should be able to intervene before the introduction of new technologies with a view to evaluating their effects; furthermore they should have the right to monitor the production processes and even to stop production when there was a pollution hazard. The responsibility of agricultural producers should not be neglected; low prices paid to producers, in an effort to maximize profits, had led to an increase in pollution hazards.

Role of the ILO

88. The spokesperson for the Workers' group requested that the report, conclusions and resolutions of this Meeting be widely disseminated and, hopefully, discussed in tripartite forums at the regional and national levels. He further requested that ILO working papers and research reports on the food and drink industries be more widely disseminated than had been the practice in the past, and that they be translated into several languages. The fact sheets prepared by the ILO on sectoral activities, and in particular on the food and drink industries, should be updated regularly, translated in as many languages as possible (not just English, French and Spanish) and widely disseminated. They should also be put on the Internet in a number of language versions, to allow the widest possible access. He recommended that the ILO carry out research and prepare reports on issues such as the impact of technological change on the food and drink industry, the effects on the health and safety of vulnerable workers and of women workers, and emerging safety and health risks in the food and drink industries, such as repetitive strain injury. The ILO should organize tripartite workshops at the national and regional levels and particularly in developing countries so as to intensify and decentralize the valuable social dialogue which took place at this Meeting.

89. The spokesperson for the Employers' group agreed that the ILO, through its meetings and reports, was instrumental in bringing the social partners together. Further research and seminars were a positive step and he would like the Meeting report to be updated in three years. ILO assistance in training on conflict resolution and mediation resulting from the introduction of new technology would be welcomed. Universities also played an important role in carrying out research which was relevant to the food and drink industries. He hoped that the ILO would provide information on the food and drink industry on a continuous basis.

90. The representative of the Government of France, on behalf of many Government representatives, stated that the ILO, making use of its regular resources, should foster the creation and development of a dialogue in companies on safety and health through, for instance, the creation of joint safety and health committees.

91. The representative of the Government of Egypt requested that the next report for the food and drink industry use data as up to date as possible.

92. The representative of the Government of China considered that the Meeting was a success and that this was due largely to the spirit of joint consultation among the three parties and their search for consensus. He suggested that the ILO provide information on the food and drink industries to countries throughout the world on a regular basis. Information could cover networks, marketing channels, outputs, staffing, employee relations, food and drink prices, etc. The ILO could also produce documents on best practices and successful experiences. He requested that the ILO organize short training workshops on new technologies in the industries, especially for developing countries. Governments should provide information on the activities of the food and drink industries, so that the ILO could evaluate the experiences and make annual awards to outstanding employees or employers for their contributions to the industry. Workers and employers should be encouraged to increase cooperation and consultation and to develop ways of ensuring safety and fair remuneration in the industries.

Consideration and adoption of the draft report and the draft conclusions by the Meeting

93. The Working Party on Conclusions submitted its draft conclusions to the Meeting at the latter's sixth sitting. A number of minor drafting changes were proposed by some members and approved by the Meeting. The Employers' spokesperson underlined, for the record, that the last sentence of paragraph 15 which mentioned "Voluntary international arrangements for sharing information or for consultations ...", was in no way meant to refer to collective bargaining.

94. At the same sitting, the Meeting unanimously adopted the present report and the draft conclusions.

Geneva, 22 May 1998.

(Signed) Mr. Ravikant,

Government Vice-Chairperson.

Conclusions on technology and employment in the food and drink industries⁽⁴⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries,

Having met in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998,

Adopts this twenty-second day of May 1998 the following conclusions:

Technology and productivity

1. The food and drink industries are undergoing rapid changes due to accelerated domestic and global competition, changing consumer lifestyles and concerns about health, hygiene, environment, ethics and cost. Well-planned but rapid responses are imperative to maintain enterprise competitiveness. These include the adoption of new technologies and the development of new products and production processes. A skilled and motivated workforce is necessary to ensure success in the face of new challenges. In coping with change, a culture of trust and cooperation between employers and workers based on information sharing and dialogue should be fostered at all appropriate levels.

2. The food and drink industries exhibit great diversity in terms of products and production processes, ranging from labour-intensive to capital-intensive activities. Technological changes are taking place at different levels in countries at different stages of economic development and with varying employment effects. Certain skills are becoming obsolete while many new ones are now required. The level of economic development of the country, the status of the industries, and their labour market are factors that could affect the introduction of new technology.

3. Technological innovation should be seen as an ongoing process with continuous need for adaptation. The introduction of new technologies, in addition to improving a company's productivity, quality and profitability, has the potential to create a safer and more hygienic workplace, broaden workers' skills and enhance job satisfaction and workers' motivation. This potential should be tapped. While recognizing the employers' prerogative to decide whether or not to introduce technological changes, such investments in new technologies, in particular, are more likely to yield the expected benefits if workers' representatives⁽⁵⁾ are properly informed and consulted as early as practicable to ensure agreement and commitment.

4. New technologies may lead to job reductions, at least in the short term, and to new skill requirements of the workforce. Upgrading the skills of the workforce should start well in advance of the introduction of new technology. Planning, consultations and a spirit of partnership are key to the success of this endeavour and may help mitigate the potential adverse effects of the introduction of new technology.

Employment flexibility and new work organization

5. Sound human resource planning is essential, and well-planned and structured training and retraining are important elements in ensuring that employees develop and adapt the skills required to cope with technological change and to produce high-quality food and drink products. As the demands for new skills become apparent, there should be timely consultations to define an appropriate training response. In this context, collective bargaining⁽⁶⁾ at appropriate levels is a useful means of achieving worker commitment to technological change.

6. The training of workers should be aimed primarily at developing skills to enhance an enterprise's productivity while at the same time leading to job enhancement. The skills and knowledge imparted should where practicable be transferable and lead to certification so that, in the worst scenario, redeployed workers will have better access to jobs in other enterprises or industries. Governments should ensure that national educational systems equip school leavers with sound basic skills. Basic skills development such as numeracy and literacy still requires attention in many countries. Governments, with the help of employers and workers' organizations should promote the attainment of these vital basic skills.

7. Member States should develop the means to integrate the informal sector into the formal sector as soon as possible so that laws and regulations and, as appropriate, collective agreements, are applicable to all workers in the food and drink industries. Training programmes, particularly for those in the informal sector, should be developed for those with low levels of skills and using rudimentary techniques, by appropriate institutions. They should commence with the acquisition of skills relating to safe and hygienic food production.

8. The most vulnerable and precariously employed groups in the food and drink industries should receive special attention to enable them to cope with change and develop appropriate skills. These include the unskilled, the lowest skilled and lowest remunerated workers, and in particular women, migrants and disabled workers. The particular training needs of these groups should be identified and training courses designed to enable them to develop the new skills required in the food and drink industries or in other sectors. Training should also encompass such areas as occupational safety and health, food hygiene, personal hygiene, computer literacy and first aid.

9. New, advanced skills are increasingly being required to keep enterprises productive and adaptable to changing demands in such areas as food technology, research and development. Therefore, it is important that workers be equipped with appropriate technical skills and qualifications. To maintain the momentum of change, training must be dynamic, continuous and keep pace with new developments.

10. Lessons should be learned from training initiatives developed jointly by the tripartite partners to enhance employability and which have been successful. Programmes should enable those workers whose skills have become obsolete to retrain in new occupations within the enterprise or industry or in another sector. Programmes should also cover the specific needs of the small and medium-sized enterprises. Training should be organized so that courses are accessible to those who require them the most and ideally do not interfere with private life so that workers with family responsibilities are also able to benefit from them. Training should be ongoing and based on a concept of lifelong learning aimed at continuous adaptation and improvement. Parties may wish to consider the implementation, during downtime of the industry, of training schemes which would cover all workers. Process operators would be provided with formal industry training and highly skilled and professional workers could be offered short residential courses at university level, where possible.

11. Teamwork and multiskilling can lead to job enrichment, increased job satisfaction, greater employability, higher remuneration to the workers and increased productivity and competitiveness of enterprises. As such, they can be seen as appropriate forms of work organization if implemented properly using sound industrial relations practices. Experience has shown that to improve the system all this can effectively be done through continuous sharing of information, and employers and workers' representatives should discuss or consult on objectives, in accordance with national law and practice. Competition creating tensions between various work teams should be avoided.

Working conditions

12. Rotating shift work is increasingly being practised in the food and drink industries. There is sufficient experience with different types of shift work arrangements to know what represents best practice. To ensure the smooth functioning of such a system, certain key elements should thus be taken into account when introducing shift work. Attention should be given to avoiding undue disruption of lives, particularly of workers with family responsibilities. Workers' child care needs should be taken into account. Planning of shifts should thus be done well in advance with the workers' representatives to avoid potential problems and changes should not be made without consulting them. An agreed and well-coordinated system of annualized hours should improve the production process and enable some workers, for example those with family responsibilities, to better manage their lives and be able to have time off when most needed.

13. Any agreed productivity-based pay systems should be based on a foundation of fair remuneration and accompanied by a system of broad-ranging indicators that are transparent and easily understood so that the effects are rapidly seen by the workers in their remuneration. Increased skills demands should be reflected in remuneration proportionate to those qualifications in a manner to be negotiated between workers' representatives and employers. Skills-based compensation, based on a clear and objective identification of required skills and a fair and proper value attributed to the skills of various categories of workers, including positions held by women, could be a tool to enhance productivity and to further motivate workers.

14. New technologies have lowered the rate of certain accidents and diseases in the food and drink industries, nevertheless the rate remains too high. New technologies can also lead to new safety and health problems. In the food and drink industries these include hearing and eyesight impairments due to increased industrial noise and use of visual display units, and mental stress and repetitive strain injuries resulting from pressures on workers. Government agencies should play a major role in helping prevent accidents and improving safety and health in the food and drink industries by setting appropriate standards and enforcing them through regular inspections. Training of medical personnel to diagnose occupational safety and health problems should be strengthened. At the enterprise and plant levels, the establishment of joint management-worker safety and health committees should be encouraged and made more effective. Employers and workers should work together to ensure that there are safe working practices in the industry. All workers should receive and put to use appropriate training and necessary safety equipment. Multinational enterprises should apply the highest possible safety management standards in all countries where they operate. The interests of workers injured at work, in terms of compensation and job security, should be protected through legislation.

15. The introduction of new working time arrangements and pay schemes requires careful planning, information, discussions, consultations and/or negotiations, according to national law and practice, with the workers' representatives in the food and drink industries. Local circumstances prevailing in different countries and different enterprises make it difficult to have one standard model applicable effectively across the board to all enterprises, industries or countries. In keeping with local practices and conditions, collective bargaining to reach agreements at the appropriate level is an important avenue for adapting to technological developments. The collective bargaining process can also help in the development of measures to protect workers from the new health and safety hazards arising from new forms of work organization and technology. Voluntary international arrangements for sharing information or for consultations could be useful in supplementing national industrial relations mechanisms.

Environmental management

16. Environmental management has different aspects including those of an internal nature relating to occupational safety and health, and those of an external nature affecting the outside environment. Workers are involved at three levels: as citizens of the community in which an enterprise is located, as consumers of its products and as workers in the industries. They thus have an interest in the entire food chain. These industries need to be especially concerned about environmental issues, as environmental damage can lead to the contamination of their own raw materials. Water pollution is an area of serious concern and preventive actions should be implemented at all levels, including the enterprise level. As the food and drink industries use large quantities of packaging materials, such materials should be environmentally friendly, if practicable. In formulating policies on recycling packaging material, consideration should be given among other factors to the employment effects of the various alternatives. Governments have an important role in developing legislation and ensuring that it is effectively implemented. Technical assistance and training should be available to small and medium-sized enterprises to improve their environmental managements systems. Joint safety and health committees should review internal environmental matters and play a role in signalling potential problems. Training on sound environmental practices should be provided to workers through workers' education programmes.

Role of the ILO

17. The ILO should continue to organize tripartite meetings on the food and drink industries as these are very useful for the exchange of information amongst tripartite partners from various parts of the world.

18. Technical reports prepared for such meetings and in other forms are extremely useful to the food and drink industries, as they provide extensive information and reflect the viewpoints of the tripartite partners. They should continue to be produced and cover topics such as the situation of the most vulnerable groups of workers in the food and drink industries, including women workers. These reports should be translated into several languages and disseminated widely. A publication on best practices and successful experiences in introducing new technologies should be prepared and circulated widely. Assistance should be given by the ILO on conflict avoidance and resolution and mediation resulting from the introduction of new technologies. Attention should be given to significant research conducted by universities. The ILO should include and regularly update information on the Internet on the food and drink industries and also disseminate fact sheets widely in various languages.

19. The ILO should conduct more work on safety and health issues in the food and drink industries and encourage dialogue in enterprises as well as the creation of joint safety and health bodies. Workshops and meetings at the regional and national levels, particularly in developing countries, should be organized and cover issues of particular relevance to the food and drink industries.

Part 2

Resolutions

Consideration and adoption by the Meeting of the draft resolutions

At its third plenary sitting, the Meeting set up a Working Party on Resolutions, in accordance with article 13, paragraph 1, of the Standing Orders.

The Working Party, presided over by the Chairperson of the Meeting, consisted of the Officers of the Meeting and three representatives from each of the groups. The members of the Working Party were:

Officers of the Meeting

Mr. K. Ahmed (Chairperson)

Mr. Ravikant (Government Vice-Chairperson)

Mr. R. Díaz Navarrete (Employer Vice-Chairperson)

Ms. C. Sanz Fernández (Worker Vice-Chairperson)

Government members

Egypt:

Mr. A.F. Afify

United States:

Ms. B. White

Uruguay:

Ms. M.-T. Ribas Rodríguez

Employer members

Mr. E. Davey

Mr. G. Rossi

Ms. S. Tiongson

Worker members

Ms. N. Barbosa de Lima

Mr. C. Reyes

Mr. J. Santos

At the Meeting's sixth plenary sitting, in the absence of the Chairperson of the Working Party and in accordance with article 14, paragraph 8, of the Standing Orders, the Government Vice-Chairperson submitted the recommendations of the Working Party regarding the draft resolutions before the Meeting. As required by the same provisions of the Standing Orders, the other Vice-Chairpersons had been consulted on the contents of his oral report.

The Working Party had before it four draft resolutions all of which were submitted by the Workers' group and declared receivable. The Working Party examined the texts in detail and amended them where necessary in a manner that would secure general acceptance. The Working Party recommended to the full Meeting the adoption of the revised texts of the four resolutions.

I. Draft resolution concerning the employment of women in the food and drink industries

The Meeting unanimously adopted the draft resolution.

II. Draft resolution concerning child labour in the food and drink industries

The representative of the Government of India expressed a reservation on subparagraph 1(a) which called for a study on child labour in the food and drink industries.

The Meeting adopted the draft resolution by consensus.

III. Draft resolution concerning freedom of association in the food and drink industries

The Meeting unanimously adopted the draft resolution.

IV. Draft resolution concerning the future activities of the ILO in the food and drink industries

The Meeting unanimously adopted the draft resolution.

Texts of the resolutions adopted by the Meeting

Resolution concerning the employment of women in the food and drink industries⁽⁷⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries,

Having met in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998,

Considering that women represent a high percentage of the labour force employed in the food and drink industries,

Noting that women often hold low-skilled jobs and often have various forms of employment (temporary, part-time, casual, seasonal and contract work), in these industries,

Recalling that notwithstanding the application in a number of countries of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, and progress in others, in some countries women remain in a disadvantaged position,

Considering that in some countries women may be disadvantaged with respect to a combination of factors, including wages, opportunities for employment or promotion, access to further training, employment security, sexual harassment in the workplace, and gender-related occupational safety and health problems,

Noting that women may face particular problems in the development of their working life due to maternity, child-rearing and other family responsibilities,

Considering that resolution No. 4 adopted by the First Tripartite Technical Meeting for the Food Products and Drink Industries (1963), resolution No. 15 adopted by the Second Tripartite Technical Meeting for the Food Products and Drink Industries (1978), resolution No. 24 adopted at the First Session of the Food and Drink Industries Committee and resolution No. 34 adopted at the Second Session of the Food and Drink Industries Committee (1991) have, to this day, not lost any of their relevancy;

Adopts this twenty-second day of May 1998 the following resolution:

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to request the Director-General to:

(1) continue and intensify efforts aimed at encouraging governments to ratify the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) and the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156);

(2) draw the attention of the member States to the importance of ratifying the Night Work Convention, 1990 (No. 171), the Part-Time Work Convention, 1994 (No. 175) and the Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177), while noting that the Employers continue to oppose this Convention;

(3) encourage the high participation of member States' governments and of employers' and workers' organizations in the discussion on the revision of the Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No. 103), which will take place during the International Labour Conference in 1999, with a view to updating measures aimed at protecting pregnant women;

(4) prepare and disseminate a thorough study on the work of women in the food and drink industries, with special attention to the effects of the introduction of new technology, issues of safety and health and working conditions;

(5) hold tripartite workshops at the national or subregional level to identify and address problems for women workers specific to the food and drink industries in the country or area concerned;

(6) appeal to the member States that they:

(a) use all means at their disposal to encourage companies to organize work in such a way that visible and invisible distinctions between men's and women's work are eliminated;

(b) respond to the needs of working women by providing, where possible, structures and staff for childcare and education and provide for assistance with family responsibilities;

(c) adopt measures to encourage the sharing of job and family responsibilities in the spirit of the provisions contained in Convention No. 156;

(d) take all necessary measures to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination at the workplace, and to provide support for the victims of such harassment and discrimination;

(e) encourage enterprises involved in any form of restructuring, including introduction of new technologies, which affects employment or working conditions, to investigate ways and means to ameliorate the negative effects of such restructuring on working women, through skills training, outplacement or other appropriate means;

(f) encourage the establishment of programmes and specific training methods for working women and mothers who wish to re-enter the salaried workforce, with a particular emphasis on skills training for new technologies.

Resolution concerning child labour in the food and drink industries⁽⁸⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries,

Having met in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998,

Welcoming the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour,

Noting that the work of children is cause and consequence of the poverty of their families, which is linked to a large number of socio-economic factors, such as lack of employment or inadequacy of salaries for parents,

Reaffirming that the elimination of child labour continues to be a priority for the ILO and that all activities aimed at regulating child labour must contribute to achieving this objective,

Welcoming the discussion of a standard-setting instrument on child labour at the 1998 session of the International Labour Conference;

Adopts this twenty-second day of May 1998 the following resolution:

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to:

(1) request the Director-General to:

(a) undertake a study on child labour in the food and drink industries;

(b) step up the activities of the ILO relating to the dissemination of information on international labour standards on the minimum age for admission to employment, in order to promote their ratification and application by governments;

(2) call on member States to:

(a) ratify and fully implement the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131);

(b) set up tripartite mechanisms for the formulation and implementation of the education policies that are essential to the long-term elimination of all forms of child labour;

(c) support the ILO in the fight against child labour, in particular by increasing donor country participation in the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC);

(d) participate actively, and encourage the employers' and workers' organizations of their countries to participate, in the discussion of an ILO standard-setting instrument on child labour at the International Labour Conference in June 1998.

Resolution concerning freedom of association in the food and drink industries⁽⁹⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries,

Having met in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998,

Considering that some member States of the International Labour Organization have not yet ratified the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), and that many member States have not yet ratified the Workers' Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135),

Considering that in some countries, violations of the rights of workers' representatives (as defined in Article 3 of Convention No. 135) continue to take place,

Considering that international organizations of workers and employers play a major role in the work of the International Labour Organization and its sectoral meetings;

Adopts this twenty-second day of May 1998 the following resolution:

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to:

(1) continue and intensify the action taken by the International Labour Organization to promote the principle of freedom of association;

(2) encourage all member States to ratify the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), and the Workers' Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135);

(3) continue and intensify ILO action to enable employers' organizations and trade unions of all countries to affiliate to the international organizations of their choice, and encourage the governments of member States to repeal any provisions that run counter to this principle and to ensure that no pressure or interference of any kind undermines the application of this principle;

(4) call on governments and employers' organizations and, through them, on multinational enterprises, to give effect to the provisions of the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, and especially those relating to freedom of association and the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Resolution concerning the future activities of the ILO in the food and drink industries⁽¹⁰⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries,

Having met in Geneva from 18 to 22 May 1998,

Stressing the importance of the food and drink industries in national economies and for the global food supply,

Noting the important share of women in the workforce of most of the food and drink industries,

Considering the development of new forms of manufacturing and marketing food and drink products in some countries and the impact of global competition on producers and on the food-processing industries;

Adopts this twenty-second day of May 1998 the following resolution:

The Tripartite Meeting on Technology and Employment in the Food and Drink Industries invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to:

(1) convene a tripartite meeting as soon as possible;

(2) include the following item in the agenda of the next tripartite meeting: "Trends in employment, working conditions and labour relations under the impact of globalization in the food and drink industries";

(3) request the Director-General to:

(a) continue carrying out research and issue publications on employment trends, types of employment and labour relations in the food and drink industries;

(b) ensure that the conclusions and resolutions adopted by this Meeting and by previous tripartite meetings are widely disseminated through member States and the employers' and workers' organizations concerned;

(c) call on the governments of member States to consult the employers' and workers' organizations concerned when sending information for future tripartite meetings and reviewing the follow-up to the conclusions and resolutions of this Meeting;

(d) encourage women's participation in the activities and meetings organized by the International Labour Organization;

(e) consider the possibility, in consultation with the parties concerned, of joint meetings, at the appropriate level, of representatives of the food and drink industries, representatives of the agricultural sector and plantations, and representatives of the food distribution sector, in order to study the impact of new forms of manufacturing and marketing food and drink products on the wages and working conditions of working men and women in the agricultural production sector and plantations, and the food and drink processing industries;

(f) hold tripartite workshops at the national or subregional level to identify problems specific to the workers in the food and drink industries in the country or area concerned, and to develop concrete activities in response to those specific problems.

Part 3

Other proceedings

Panel discussions

Briefing on ILO activities of interest to the food and drink industries

Moderator:

Mr. N. Tubman, Chairman of the Government group

Panellists:

Mr. I. Obadia, Occupational Safety and Health Branch, ILO, Geneva

Ms. L. Lim, International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women, ILO, Geneva

Ms. P. Kelly, Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch, ILO, Geneva

More and better jobs for women

Ms. Lim explained that the International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women, which was launched in 1997, was the ILO's specific response to the implementation of the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and to the gender dimension of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). She underlined the ILO's competence and long experience in the field of women's employment. The Programme would build upon and work together with existing ILO programmes and activities in various countries. It would adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach in order to ensure effectiveness and a sustainable impact. Ms. Lim stressed that the Programme was sensitive to men's concerns and aimed at promoting partnerships in development by incorporating wider benefits for men, families and communities. Better jobs benefited both women and men and women's productive and remunerative employment helped families and communities while contributing to the elimination of child labour. Ratification and implementation of two ILO core Conventions -- the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) -- was a further objective. At the national level (presently in seven countries including Estonia, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Croatia, and the West Bank and Gaza), emphasis was placed on close consultations with and active involvement of all stakeholders. At the international level, the ILO would work closely with other UN agencies, the Bretton Woods institutions and international organizations of employers and workers to promote more effective strategies and best practices aimed at ensuring quantitative increases and qualitative improvements of women's employment. Awareness would be raised on issues of growing concern such as the changing role of men in the world of work.

Ms. Lim highlighted findings of a recent survey carried out in the food and tobacco industries in Indonesia. Among these she cited the following: women were more likely to be in precarious employment; a hig

Government group
	Chairperson:	Mr. N. Tubman (United Kingdom)
	Vice-Chairperson:	Ms. M.T. Paccetti (adviser, Portugal)
	Secretary:	Mr. A. Ahmad (Nigeria)
Employers' group
	Chairperson:	Mr. G. Rossi
	Vice-Chairpersons:	Mr. C. Andreas
		Mr. M. Ceretti
		Mr. E. Davey
		Mr. H.S. Endro
	Secretary:	Mr. J. Dejardin
Workers' group
	Chairperson:	Mr. R. Potroz
	Vice-Chairperson:	Mr. S. Masuda
	Secretary:	Mr. P. Garver (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF))

Government members
	Egypt:	Mr. F. Afify
	France:	Mr. M. Pauron
	India:	Mr. Ravikant
	Morocco:	Mr. M. Tadili (adviser)
	United Kingdom:	Mr. N. Tubman
Employer members
	Mr. C. Andreas
	Mr. F. Baas
	Mr. M. Ceretti
	Mr. H.S. Endro
	Mr. V. Mende
Worker members
	Mr. S. Masuda
	Mr. B.V. Nzuza
	Ms. B. O'Neill
	Mr. R. Potroz
	Mr. J.-E. Ryman

Geneva, 22 May 1998.	(Signed) Mr. Ravikant,
	Government Vice-Chairperson.

Officers of the Meeting
	Mr. K. Ahmed (Chairperson)
	Mr. Ravikant (Government Vice-Chairperson)
	Mr. R. Díaz Navarrete (Employer Vice-Chairperson)
	Ms. C. Sanz Fernández (Worker Vice-Chairperson)
Government members
	Egypt:	Mr. A.F. Afify
	United States:	Ms. B. White
	Uruguay:	Ms. M.-T. Ribas Rodríguez
Employer members
	Mr. E. Davey
	Mr. G. Rossi
	Ms. S. Tiongson
Worker members
	Ms. N. Barbosa de Lima
	Mr. C. Reyes
	Mr. J. Santos

Moderator:	Mr. N. Tubman, Chairman of the Government group
Panellists:	Mr. I. Obadia, Occupational Safety and Health Branch, ILO, Geneva
	Ms. L. Lim, International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women, ILO, Geneva
	Ms. P. Kelly, Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch, ILO, Geneva

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION

Sectoral Activities Programme

Note on the proceedings