TMPTS/1998/12 - Note on the proceedings

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services was held at the International Labour Office in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 1998.

The Office issued a report to serve as a basis for the Meeting's deliberations.⁽¹⁾ It addressed the following topics: the liberalization and globalization of postal and telecommunications markets; the profile of employment in the context of structural and regulatory adjustment; the impact of structural and regulatory changes and globalization on labour relations; remuneration and other conditions of work.

The Governing Body had designated Mr. A. Pierides, Employer member of the Governing Body, to represent it and to chair the Meeting. The three Vice-Chairpersons elected by the Meeting were: Mr. M. Callanan (United Kingdom) from the Government group, Mr. O. Contreras from the Employers' group and Mr. A. Young from the Workers' group.

The Meeting was attended by Government representatives from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Finland, France, Ghana, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom and United States.

Representatives of the Arab Labour Organization, the International Telecommunication Union and the Universal Postal Union were present at the Meeting.

Observers from the following non-governmental international organizations also attended the Meeting: Communications International (PTTI); International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; International Federation of Employees in Public Services; International Organization of Employers; Organization of African Trade Union Unity; and World Confederation of Labour.

The three groups elected their Officers as follows:

Government group

Chairperson:

Ms. S. Cagnoli (United States)

Vice-Chairperson:

Mr. S. Dutta (India)

Secretary:

Ms. K. Pietikainen (Finland)

Employers' group

Chairperson:

Mr. J. Hughes

Vice-Chairpersons:

Mr. N. Brown

Mr. Z. Ivancevic

Mr. P.J. Salcedo Donado

Secretary:

Mr. J. Dejardin (International Organization of Employers) (IOE)

assisted by:

Mr. O. Touré (IOE)

Workers' group

Chairperson:

Mr. K. van Haaren

Vice-Chairpersons:

Mr. A. Balluck

Mr. K. Hashem

Ms. U. Olovsson

Mr. S. Takato

Secretary:

Mr. P. Bowyer (Communications International)

The Secretary-General of the Meeting was Mr. V. Morozov, Director of the Sectoral Activities Department. The Deputy Secretary-General was Mr. V. Klotz, Chief of the Salaried Employees and Professional Workers Branch; the Executive Secretary was Mr. C. Duchemin and the Experts were Mr. W. Ratteree, Ms. L. Wirth and Mr. J. Sendanyoye of the same Branch. The Clerk of the Meeting was Ms. T. Bezat-Powell.

In his opening address, the Chairperson of the Meeting pointed out that good communications infrastructure was one of the top three necessary attributes cited by multinational companies when choosing locations to set up business, the other two being political stability and the availability of a well-trained and motivated workforce. More and more self-employed persons were choosing to live in rural areas or on islands and communicate with their clients through modern communication tools such as mobile telephone, fax or e-mail. Others yet chose to work from their homes and companies themselves were taking advantage of new technologies to work around the clock by sharing tasks among teams around the world. The Meeting should set out to develop conclusions that could serve as modern and practical guidelines to governments, employers and workers and their organizations. He therefore urged the participants to focus their attention throughout the Meeting on the future rather than on past events and to give thought to how the ILO could best make a contribution on these key issues in the coming years.

Mr. K. Tapiola, Deputy Director-General of the ILO, extended a cordial welcome to all participants on behalf of the Director-General. He recalled that the involvement of the ILO in postal and telecommunications services went back to 1977 when a joint meeting brought together representatives of administrations and workers, as well as a smaller representation of the private telecommunications sector. Taking into account the general setback of public monopolies and the progressive appearance and expansion of new private actors, the Governing Body decided to reflect these changes in the composition of the Meeting which -- for the first time -- was fully tripartite. Mr. Tapiola stressed that employees in the communications sector, along with computer scientists and workers in other branches of the information economy, were driving forces of the expansion of the service sector and were at the forefront of the globalization of the economy. A globalized economy both drew upon complex technological developments and contributed to their rapid dissemination; the development of human potential was therefore essential for economic efficiency. In this respect, the postal and telecommunications sector represented a form of laboratory where effective and innovative social measures could be developed, tested and applied. The employment of women had been particularly affected as many were previously employed as operators or administrative assistants and the number of jobs of this type was decreasing. Nevertheless, in some countries redundant female employees had been successfully retrained and redeployed in newly created jobs in the field of network planning, management, marketing and customer services. The social dimension of new forms of regulation was above all taken into account through the concept of universal services. Although ways of financing the universal service in the context of liberalization might be legitimately disputed, in particular by employers in new enterprises who might consider certain principles and arrangements as an excessive or undue burden, universal service in the communications sector was in any case a fundamental aspect of social cohesion. However, in many developing countries, universal service in the post and telecommunications sector was less a reality than an objective to be achieved. The structural and regulatory changes which had occurred in the communications sector were so broad that they called into question social habits and long-standing labour relations, bargaining structures and practices. The social actors were searching for new strategies which often also called into question traditional frameworks such as occupational branches, enterprise agreements or "typical" employment contracts. Finally, new policies certainly had to be developed to balance better the concurrent need for employment security and for negotiated labour market flexibility. In concluding, Mr. Tapiola expressed his confidence in the Meeting's capacity to contribute to strengthen the social dialogue between the social partners and give the ILO valuable insight and ideas.

Part 1

Consideration of the agenda item

Report of the discussion⁽²⁾

Introduction

1. The Meeting met to examine the item on its 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. C. McKay and the spokesperson for the Workers' group was Mr. K. van Haaren.

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. M. Callanan), was composed of the following members:

Government members

Brazil:

Mr. M. Gomes

Canada:

Mr. G. Clark

Italy:

Mr. M. Fazio

Tunisia:

Mr. M. Bouaziz (adviser)

United Kingdom:

Mr. M. Callanan

Employer members

Mr. K.H. Khan

Mr. C. McKay

Mr. J. Pentti

Mr. P.D. Salcedo Donado

Mr. R. Stemmer (adviser)

Worker members

Mr. M. Gobet

Mr. K. van Haaren

Mr. J. Sauber

Ms. A. Sepulveda Nuñez

Mr. S. Takato

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 furnishing information, in particular the Universal Postal Union and the International Telecommunications Union. The report's treatment of the main theme, the impact of structural and regulatory change and globalization on human resources, focused in the first part on the concept of universal service, as this was crucial to the concerns of the ILO and social partners in relation to social cohesion. The reactions of workers and their representatives to liberalization, privatization and restructuring were also highlighted, ranging from consultations and participation without conflict to virulent opposition to any privatization. This included a progressively international trade union response to strategic alliances, mergers or transfers of subsidiaries among telecommunication firms. In addition to the expansion of telecommunications services, the report emphasized the rapid development of "global integrators" in the postal and package transport sectors, firms which increasingly conquered market share as postal monopolies receded. Growth in rapid delivery of packages, and employment growth within large express transport services, could be further enhanced with the establishment of global electronic commerce. Readers of the report had to bear in mind that it was drafted in 1997. The rapid changes in the sectors to be examined, such as the proposed consolidation of two telecommunications giants in the United States in the fall of 1997, and the recent alliances between national postal services and international express delivery services in Germany and the Netherlands, had rendered some of the information outdated, and heightened the need for a closer examination of their employment and social impact. Indeed, a large gap existed in press coverage of liberalization and economic restructuring and the space accorded to their social consequences. The discussion in this Meeting would need to keep in mind the impact of globalization changes not only in the specific sectors, but on public and private services generally, and the possibilities for new roles for public actors and private enterprises, as well as a new understanding of the proper relationship between market and regulatory forces. This report and Meeting were the first of four to examine this dynamic in services of general interest during 1998-99, the others being health services, public services and water, gas and electricity services.

6. The spokesperson for the Employers' group welcomed the opportunity to discuss the important economic and social issues arising from the tremendous growth and rapid changes in postal and telecommunications services. He endorsed the comprehensiveness of the report prepared for the Meeting, and noted that even though changes were rapidly superseded, there was a need for accurate up-to-date information in order to prepare for the future. Globalization and competition in the industry not only meant that workers had to be retrained and reskilled, but that the cost bases of companies and the way they rewarded people for their contribution were also affected. In regard to the latter, he was pleased that the report had addressed the issue of performance-related pay. The reduction in the number of jobs was compensated by a growth in new jobs. To meet future challenges as an industry, however, there was a need for a more flexible approach to the way companies resource.

7. The spokesperson for the Workers' group also complimented the Office for the report's complete and empirical coverage of the issues worldwide. He noted the interdependence and convergence in the processing of information, computer technology, telecommunications, postal services and broadcasting, giving rise to mixed situations where some areas were regulated and others not. In this context, there was a need for more clarification on developments such as "on-line services", "telebanking" and e-mail. He referred to the role of multinationals in the globalization process of postal and telecommunication services and the development of practices such as subcontracting and outsourcing. Workers and trade unions were concerned with the decreasing number of jobs and the movement of jobs to locations where salaries were lower, working conditions worse and unionization weaker. Minimum standards were necessary to avoid merciless competition, and salary dumping had to be examined. It was important to agree on criteria for providing a truly universal service with full access of developing countries to the information society without loss of national sovereignty or independence. With rising unemployment, as well as the problems related to the employment of women and youth, the main question was not whether, but how, developments in postal and telecommunications services would take place. In order to produce positive results, workers needed to be involved and consulted on major decisions in the sector, and data indicating the actual losses as well as gains in jobs had to be generated in order to assess and deal with the issues arising from globalization. With changing forms of employment (part-time work, contract work, subcontracting, etc.) and the loss of lifelong employment with a company, there needed to be further development of labour and social rights, including the right to strike, which would also take into account the need for a constant upgrading of skills. Telework was an area, for example, where many people would be faced with having to retrain in order to improve their accessibility to the labour market. The workers were interested and ready to participate constructively in social dialogue on these issues.

8. The representative of the Government of India appreciated the excellent report prepared for the Meeting, though more attention to consumer concerns would have been welcome. Large postal and telecommunications networks existed in his country, yet recent shifts in investment priorities had led to the emergence of highly technological, state-of-the-art services existing side by side with more traditional ones. This raised questions about the appropriate mix of workers' skill upgrading, management of structures and consumer demand. It would be desirable for consumer representatives to participate in meetings of this kind, as their viewpoints could help define a more socially coherent provision of services. In India, considerations had been given for instance to transforming postal and telecommunications offices into outlets for a complete package of social services.

9. An observer, the Secretary-General of Communications International (formerly the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International) which represented 4.5 million workers in 120 countries, underlined the scale of change taking place in the sector, pointing to examples of great workforce turnover in countries such as Belgium and the United Kingdom. Communications had become big business. One striking illustration was the nearly equal amount of financing involved in a single recently proposed merger of communications firms in the United States, and in the package proposed by international financial institutions to save the economy of the Republic of Korea. In this new environment, protection of workers' rights assumed even greater importance, including the right to strike which in some ways had been questioned in the report. Trade union recognition was challenged by some multinational companies which were partners of national communications services, themselves with a tradition of respect for such rights. The sweep of changes required that the ILO should recognize the importance of the information age as had other international bodies and, with its unique structure, should play a more active role in the transition to new forms of workplace organization, with a greater frequency of sectoral meetings, a full involvement in the debates at national and international level on how to protect workers' rights, and an active part in defining and promoting best practices in this field. Trade union organizations attached the greatest importance to the protection of universally accessible communications services, which implied great responsibilities for governments since the free market could not meet all of these needs.

10. Another observer, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Employees in Public Service, commended the quality of the report submitted to the Meeting. Noting the many dynamic developments in the sector, he urged the ILO to help devise appropriate strategies to smooth the transition from public to private employment. Particular attention needed to be paid to the changes in types of jobs, whereby traditional ones were being replaced by entirely new categories. Workers' resistance to the changes in the sector resulted from increased uncertainty and their legitimate concerns should be addressed. In addition, continuous training and retraining to develop the skills required by the new categories of jobs had become necessary. Another issue of major concern related to the way in which a two-tier information society was evolving. While networks such as the Internet were supposed to eradicate barriers to international communications, developing countries were far from attaining full access. Responses to these important social questions of the day were needed and his organization was ready to contribute towards finding solutions.

11. The representative and Assistant Director-General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) felt that both the report to the Meeting and his own organization's publication on postal services for the year 2005 pointed to the necessity for operators to undertake serious management reviews. The last UPU Congress in Seoul in 1994 had identified four areas for concentration: postal autonomy, market satisfaction, improved services, and a human resources policy. Reform of postal systems had to aim at encouraging healthier services at affordable prices and UPU intended to work with developing countries to address jointly identified problems.

12. The representative of the Government of Egypt, supported by the representative of the Arab Labour Organization, referred to a resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1979,⁽³⁾ and expressed concern at the lack of Arabic interpretation. She asked that the Governing Body be requested to approve the use of Arabic in future technical meetings. Mr. Tapiola, Deputy Director-General of the ILO, referring to the same resolution, noted that the provision of Arabic interpretation facilities could only be assured if more than two Arab-speaking States participated as full Members. Her request had been noted, however, and would be submitted to the Governing Body for its appropriate action.

Universal service

13. Worker members addressed the issue of universal service provision in the postal and telecommunications spheres by insisting first on the need to define universal service. It should not only consist of a minimum level of service provision for all, but also provide for the availability of new services, including the Internet, so that everyone had access to a range of benefits in fields such as education, employment and health. Information in these fields was increasingly linked to telecommunications services. The need for universal service was accepted by all, yet it was important to recognize that the free market could not totally provide for it. There had to be a regulatory authority and political will to guarantee and financially support its delivery. In sustaining a universal service, the decisions of regulatory authorities had a fundamental effect on quality and affordability of the services. Differences in the level of universal service existed between countries as well as within countries where cities and metropolitan areas generally had better access to telecommunication and postal services. To prevent "information rich" and "information poor" situations, it was essential that the scope of universal service in the telecommunications environment be reviewed periodically and adaptions made to meet changing consumer demand. Governments should draw up an international convention promoting access to information technology and networks.

14. Worker members also considered that the gap in access to postal and telecommunication services between industrialized and developing countries was a serious issue, since information and knowledge were concentrated in highly industrialized countries. Developing countries should be assisted in the development of such services. However, the World Bank approach using loans to assist commercialization of postal services under conditions of aggressive deregulation could lead to an actual deterioration in universal service, with fewer access points and higher postal rates. In other developing countries, the rapid development of telecommunications services with the aid of foreign investment had in fact lessened the extent of universal service because competition and subsidies given to foreign enterprises reduced the national operator capacity for service delivery. A more flexible, diversified approach was required which would take into account the social and economic uniqueness of each developing country and so effectively strengthen and expand services. Linking postal savings and insurance to the building of postal networks had been demonstrated as one successful strategy in maintaining universal postal services. The obligation and costs of providing universal service should be shared by all postal and telecommunication operators in a country. An appeal should be made to governments to promote an information society in developing countries by means of more aid through national and international programmes. A recommendation should be made to the ITU to extend international standards without diminishing their level, while ensuring that the interests of developing countries were safeguarded.

15. Worker members stressed that tripartite cooperation and sound labour management relations were indispensable in developing effective postal and telecommunication services. Collective bargaining and consultation mechanisms needed to be reviewed, and sectoral level bargaining promoted. Since the postal services were labour-intensive, communication and consultation between labour and management should be promoted at all levels.

16. The spokesperson for the Employers' group noted that telecommunication employers operated mostly within national boundaries, although some were globalizing and penetrating other markets and countries. The market was complex, however, and solutions to universal service provision, mainly proposed by governments, varied according to the national context. Employers were generally required to operate within the rules of the particular country and these were usually determined by factors such as infrastructure, the state of the network and the availability of technology. It was up to governments in association with the social partners to develop policies appropriate to national situations. In certain countries universal service was provided by enterprises which had been privatized, while engaging in competition with other firms. In other cases, universal service was provided to isolated or underdeveloped areas through a mobile network. Foreign investors in joint ventures were required to provide certain services in some countries. Government subsidies were granted in others to ensure universal service. Contrary to what had been stated earlier, in some countries, including his own, privatization and competition had led to a 50 per cent decrease in the cost of calls in real terms, thereby making them accessible to more people.

17. The spokesperson for the Employers' group pointed out that the evolution of postal services followed a similar path to that of the telecommunications services, but still lagged behind in terms of liberalization. There was no generalized solution for ensuring universal postal services, each country having to find answers according to its needs and level of development. Some had chosen extensive liberalization and competition, while others relied on liberalization with extensive franchising of services over fixed periods.

18. Representatives of governments commented on the challenges posed by the concept of universal service. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom agreed that there was no easy global solution to providing it. Not only was there a lack of universal service in developing countries, but there was also the threat of diminishing it in industrialized countries due to the highly competitive environment and the costs of the services. The point was also taken up by the representative of the Government of Finland in relation to the difficulties of regulating universal service provision in a country where deregulation and privatization had begun much earlier, and which was sensitive both to the constantly changing environment and the need to avoid overly burdening business with regulations. These Government representatives suggested that it was not easy to define either the meaning or the basic level of universal service. The lack of clarity on the meaning could only be resolved by defining the concept in terms of the quality of the service, and therefore the costs involved. The two were interlinked: the various ways of providing universal service required costs to be analysed and understood, while financing the costs could not be separated from the issue of quality service.

19. Representatives of other governments pointed out the close relationship between universal service, national development and social cohesion. For the representative of the Government of China, development and capacity improvement of the postal and telecommunications services were prerequisites to the building up of national infrastructure and social development. The representative of the Government of the Russian Federation observed that globalization's effects on communications often resulted in rapid development, but posed difficulties for societies to produce necessary standards to accompany the process, particularly in terms of social and labour conditions and relations between the social partners in dispute settlement. Social policy should be adapted to the changing market. Internationally, the technical standards produced by ITU and the regulatory work of WIPO on communications usage, especially INTERNET, were important developments.

Employment, training and labour relations

20. Several Government representatives addressed the issue of the effects that structural and regulatory changes had on employment, training and labour-management relations by focusing on the responsibilities of governments for standards and a regulatory framework. In describing the legislation adopted over the last ten years to establish and regulate new postal and telecommunications enterprises, the representative of the Government of Switzerland for example underlined the obligations incumbent upon governments to set out the conditions for competition within universal service, as well as protections for employment and work within the sectors. Citing the increased disequilibria between national economic strength and that of globalized enterprises, the representative of the Government of the United Kingdom considered that individual governments would find it increasingly difficult to respond to these challenges; regional groupings such as the European Union probably provided the model for the future of minimum standard-setting and regulatory frameworks.

21. Other governments were concerned principally with the challenges of recruitment, employment and training. The representative of the Government of Belgium insisted that future recruitment criteria of staff in the postal and telecommunications sectors would need to avoid as far as possible personal considerations such as physical condition, age, sex, etc., which would be considered discriminatory. A second major problem confronted governments as employers: how to reconvert serving staff with low technological skills into qualified workers through continual training, or arrange their transfer to suitable positions outside the original administration through a process of dialogue. Along with many governments, the representative of the Government of China emphasized the need for highly qualified employees for the postal and telecommunications sector in the twenty-first century and described various measures to retrain serving staff with low skill levels by such means as education/training centres, including at tertiary level, as well as material incentives adapted to the skill levels of staff.

22. Government representatives also highlighted the need to balance human/social and financial/commercial concerns in the process of restructuring services. The representative of the Government of Tunisia outlined the gradual restructuring process in his country, which had resulted in considerable growth in the sector as well as a net increase in staffing levels and moderate increases in remuneration, accompanied by massive training. Service outlets had been privatized, but a percentage of the privatized subsidiaries' capital had been passed on to the staff which ensured a sense of partnership in management. The representative of the Government of France pointed out that in the restructuring process, increased competition, decreased costs and productivity gains must coexist with better quality of service to all citizens and a high employment status for personnel. In his country, employees in the new postal and telecommunications concerns, who remained officials, had as their primary objective the improvement of services in response to citizens' needs; this process was not driven strictly by shareholder concerns as had been stated by other speakers.

23. Government representatives also stressed the importance of employee participation, sound labour relations and forward-looking management practices in a smooth restructuring process. The representative of the Government of India underlined the value of meaningful staff participation to help guide the most important changes and advanced planning for management restructuring before globalization pressures became acute. Some governments (Switzerland for example) noted strong employee participation on managing boards. The representative of the Government of the United States argued for the dynamic engagement and greater flexibility of trade unions in changing employment terms which would improve the performance and success of enterprises in meeting customer needs.

24. The spokesperson for the Employers' group noted that the rapid pace of change in telecommunications would inevitably affect employment levels, but it additionally spurred the creation of employment opportunities in newer occupations and enterprises. With the end of life-time job security, the notion of employability and heavy investments in continual training to ensure quality telecommunications services that met customers' needs -- jobs for the future in other words -- had become predominant. Companies in different countries invested a considerable amount in staff training to provide services which in fact gave people skills they could use elsewhere. Along with this training for employability there should be more focus on diversified career development, rather than the traditional concept of promotion within an enterprise. Governments had a responsibility to ensure the basic education and skills that were going to be required for the information society of the future. The role of management was changing together with the culture of telecommunications enterprises. The focus was more on being supportive with at its core a concern for competence and skills, rather than command and obey type approaches of the past.

25. The spokesperson for the Employers' group furthermore pointed out that the development of technology and competitive pressures in postal services also resulted in more demands on workers, which reinforced the need for further training and retraining. However, it had to be remembered that in the conventional postal service, there were still many very simple, labour-intensive tasks which remained in spite of technological progress, rendering competition (market share), cost considerations and workplace requirements different. Employers did not deny their social responsibilities nor the need for minimum standards on some questions, but it was not yet clear that an extensive regulatory framework as proposed in some countries such as Germany and Switzerland was the right approach to balancing market and social concerns. They especially did not believe that transnational wage policies which sought to reduce inequalities would work given differing levels of development.

26. The spokesperson for the Employers' group nevertheless felt that finding solutions to the new challenges in cooperation with workers was imperative in practically all countries. Privatization, deregulation, the contracting out of some functions and technological change led to many necessary changes in workplace conditions, remuneration and pensions in countries as diverse as Argentina, Jamaica, Germany, Malaysia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and these should be decided in the framework of the appropriate consultative or negotiations mechanisms. Employers could also cite positive examples, such as South Africa, of workers' representatives serving on company boards.

27. The spokesperson for the Workers' group considered that the issues of standards and a regulatory framework were critical to dealing with the challenges posed for employment, training and workers' participation in restructuring decisions by the emergence of international super-oligarchies, greater adherence to shareholder and customer concerns, and distortions in competitive practices created by outsourcing. On standards, the assistance of the ILO was vital, for instance in establishing a transnational wage policy.

28. The Worker members noted the "human dimension" of the debate over appropriate staffing levels, as this seemed to be forgotten in the rush to focus on labour resources and costs. Huge job losses in many countries since the sector's restructuring took hold in the early 1990s, coupled with forecasts for even more cuts in regions such as the European Union, had to be examined concretely against the backdrop of widespread unemployment. Fewer jobs were being created in the sectors' newer occupations, apprentices and young workers were no longer being recruited, the employment of women and older workers was increasingly threatened, and workplace conditions were deteriorating under pressures of contracting out and the creation of less secure contract forms. Salaries remained unpaid for months in some countries such as the Russian Federation. All of this created a kind of social dumping. The effects on women workers, increasingly marginalized in low-wage, precarious and part-time work, were specifically mentioned. Privatization often served as an ideological cover for reduced employment in order to please shareholders, with no relation to the impact on customer satisfaction. It had been a disaster for employment in some regions such as Africa, with the newly created enterprises and governments ignoring their responsibility towards redundant workers. Trade unions were themselves caught in a dilemma over policy; in such an environment should they defend existing salary levels and conditions in the face of employer demands for more flexibility or opt for changes which might or might not produce greater employment, especially for young people? They were resolutely opposed, however, to policies which led to social dumping. Respect for minimum standards was not just an impediment for enterprises; it could be an important spur to innovate and produce better services. In this sense, examples were cited, for example in Mauritius, of pressures from multinational companies which seemed to block improvements in service delivery by publicly created enterprises.

29. Worker members agreed with the need for retraining and continual training to assist the transition of workers to newer, highly skilled jobs, but some of them took issue with the claim that employers were investing heavily in skills development. Newer operators especially often practised a kind of "revolving-door" recruitment policy to secure needed skills and failed to invest in skills upgrades of their employees, another reason to insist on minimum standards for all competitors and negotiated training programmes with trade unions.

30. Worker members were most concerned about the violations of trade union rights practised in the rapidly changing postal and telecommunications sectors, thereby impinging on workers' ability to protect themselves. The problem was particularly acute among new companies which often did not even seek to consult or negotiate with employees in contrast to the well-established practices of more traditional operators, including public administrations. To meet public expectations over service delivery, employers had to consult regularly with customers and workers and negotiate with their trade unions on working conditions. Positive examples were noted, such as Mexico, where privatization and restructuring had been negotiated, and the greater participation of workers in the process had facilitated the restructured companies' successful response to competitive challenges. Trade unions were prepared to be flexible on workplace changes but they would be careful about how this was carried out. Respect for universally recognized norms in this field, especially those of the ILO, were essential to the creation of a level playing field and of the climate for change. In particular, trade unions should have the right of access to workers in services which were contracted out. Governments, nationally or regionally, and the ILO had the responsibility to ensure the regulatory framework to make this a reality.

Productivity and remuneration

31. The spokesperson for the Employers' group reported wide-ranging experience among employers in different countries with performance-related remuneration arrangements. His group believed, nevertheless, that such arrangements were the way of the future, although focus would need to shift from old productivity measures, such as revenue per worker, to those related to employers' investments and, for example, visible increases in quality of service and customer satisfaction. With regard to the distribution or sale of shares to workers at preferential prices, employers had equally had differing experiences. However, it was possible to infer that worker share ownership schemes contributed towards reinforcing employees' identification with the objectives of their enterprise.

32. The representative of the Government of France stated that there were several systems in his country to measure and assess employee performance that took into consideration many variables. Despite continuing resistance from some workers, there had been a measure of success in getting posts and telecommunications staff to accept the new performance-based system. The scheme required that objectives for the employee be fixed jointly with his/her superior and that the required training be identified. At the end of the second year, the employee and the superior together assessed the actual work achieved in relation to the established objectives.

33. Several Worker members expressed doubts about the efficacy or equity of both share ownership schemes and performance-based remuneration. In Canada, workers had originally welcomed share ownership schemes but these had in fact resulted in the ascendancy of short-term goals, loss of control on outcomes, shortcuts on such issues as occupational safety and health and benchmarks varying by season. This experience pointed towards the need for more caution to avoid problems. In the Russian Federation, on the other hand, Parliament had decreed the free distribution of 25 per cent of non-voting shares of privatized enterprises to their workers at the time of privatization, with 5 per cent awarded to management. Since most workers had soon sold their shares both to management and foreign investors they now had minimal influence on decision-making in their companies. It was important to avoid similar mistakes in future privatization exercises, such as that of broadcasting. Workers felt that while performance-related remuneration schemes were fashionable, their real contribution to success was questionable. Factors such as whether workers believed they were valued and customers' trust in the coherence of company policy and practice seemed more important to success than performance-related pay. Contrary to what had also been stated, their overwhelming perception of share ownership schemes was not that they were equitable, since board members got much more than workers.

Restructuring and the transition from public to private employee status

34. Worker members indicated that there were more questions than answers on the issue of the status of public employees working in privatized postal and telecommunications companies. National legislation played an important role in defining their status and benefits. In Germany, for example, former public employers in shareholding companies retained their status as federal employees and their remuneration, working hours and pensions continued to be regulated by Parliament. This had given rise to situations in the postal services and Deutsche Telekom where a large proportion of public employees worked alongside employees with private law employment contracts and different conditions. This could possibly be a source of industrial relations problems in the future. Moreover, public employees did not have the right to strike. In other countries, public employees were simply shifted to private sector employment conditions. The best option would be to allow employees to decide themselves if they wanted to change their status and especially to have the opportunity of working under collective agreements.

35. The spokesperson for the Workers' group, supported by other Worker members, noted that an issue still to be addressed concerned public pension funds based on state budgets and whether they could be transferred or not to privatized companies. This was a major structural problem and with mass unemployment it was an issue affecting society as a whole. Another problem related to the financing of public pension schemes. Budgetary constraints could lead to a situation where the legislation on public pension schemes could be changed and the unions were very worried about whether the budgetary requirements would be raised and how such a structural problem could be solved. In order to solve pension problems, it was suggested that non-government pension funds be established with the participation of trade unions, as was the case with the Russian Telecom. Another issue was the high level of security against dismissal enjoyed by public employees working in private companies alongside other workers. Continuing to provide high security for some employees and engaging in a free system of collective bargaining for other workers could eventually have negative repercussions on the competitiveness of the company.

36. The spokesperson for the Employers' group stated that the best way to manage the transition from public employee status to the private sector was to ensure early identification with the new enterprise through a transfer to an employment contract with the new private sector employer. Individuals should transfer across on their existing employment contract, terms and conditions, subject of course to the national legislation in force, and thereafter change should be subject to the normal procedures of consultation and negotiation, where appropriate. The Employers agreed with the Workers' group on the need to find solutions to the problem of public employees working alongside private sector workers, especially as a market orientation had tendencies to distance them further from each other. Governments along with employers and trade unions had to address this problem through social consensus and a partnership approach.

37. The representative of the Government of Belgium described the experience of postal service employees transferring to a banking company when the Belgium Post created a subsidiary in partnership with a banking enterprise (Générale de Banque) in 1995. The postal service employees were recruited by this bank through detachment for three years. They retained their status as postal officials, although they entered into a contract similar to those used in the banking sector; this dual situation could create some problems of compatibility between the signed Convention and their status as public officials. The officials would soon have to choose between returning to the postal service at their former grade, or continuing under the bank employee contract, in other words make a choice between a job as a postal official with clearly defined benefits, but perhaps more instability in times of change, and a situation with new conditions and obligations. This was a crucial period for some of the postal officials who wished to participate in the activity of the subsidiary body.

Reconciling job stability and employment flexibility

38. Worker members stated that reconciling job stability and employment flexibility were possible under the right conditions. For example, in Mexico working time arrangements of telephone operators had to be changed to provide additional services to customers. Instead of imposing such changes by force, the company informed the workers of the requirements, negotiated with the trade union and, while indicating clearly the direction of flexibility, guaranteed long-term employment security, even if workers had to change their duties. A fundamental element in reconciling job stability and employment flexibility was sustained investment in training of the telephone operators.

39. The spokesperson for the Workers' group referred to the situation in Germany where collective bargaining contracts had recently been negotiated which allowed employees who had lost their job to work in temporary positions in the company until they found another job. This was a new experiment in a situation where employees traditionally had the right not to be moved against their will and the new job corresponded to their knowledge and qualifications.

40. Worker members noted that positive relocation and redeployment policies coupled with retraining could encourage employees to recognize their own responsibility if they wanted to guarantee the future of their employment. However, there should not be a deterioration of pay or conditions provided an individual was willing to retrain and accept a reasonable offer of redeployment. This would also create the right climate for flexibility. Employers were inflexible in another respect -- the use of new technology to take workers to the job rather than bringing the jobs to the workers. This was ironic in such a dynamic and changing environment as that of the telecommunications industry. This inflexibility was probably explained by the fact that far too many managers had to be able to see everybody working for them and so everything had to be brought to a central point, rather than promoting flexibility for people to work on their own in their own geographic area. The need for employers to be environmentally conscious was also a factor that should be part of the bargaining process.

41. A Worker member observed that retraining and reskilling did not prevent unemployment and that the 1.5 million unemployed in Canada, for example, were the best educated unemployed in history. So, consideration had to be given to the sharing of available work through the shortening of working hours. Attention also needed to be paid to the fact that there was excessive use of overtime in many parts of the telecommunications industry, while others did not have enough employment.

42. The spokesperson for the Employers' group expressed some doubts as to whether the stability and flexibility sought by some of the workers were really reconcilable. Nevertheless, he considered that good industrial relations would be key and much could be done together by workers and employers to ease the way forward. The jobs of today were not the jobs of the future and workers needed to be prepared for the future. With the evolution of new job opportunities and patterns of work, the crucial factor for success of a company was management style, the way people were managed and were able to make their best contribution. This implied a change in the way people worked, more empowerment and more customer focus. New ways of working would have to be built on commitment and trust. Employers needed to invest in reskilling and retraining and to provide employees with a vision of future job opportunities. Employees needed to be ready to commit, retrain and accept suitable alternative jobs. Basically current job stability was irreconcilable with the needed employment flexibility, but stability could be reconciled with the jobs of the future, where possible through good industrial relations to maintain a vibrant industry.

43. The representative of the Government of the United Kingdom stated that not only were job stability and employment flexibility compatible, but in the future they would be mutually dependent. Traditionally, employees had job security in exchange for compliance with the employers' requirements. However, in the future for companies to succeed they would have to readapt themselves constantly to customer need and the responsiveness of employees and their ability and willingness to retrain would be the best guarantee for employability. Companies would look to their employees to create success. A major challenge for employers would be employees' demand for skills making them employable in a constantly changing market, and to attract and retain such employees. This evolution implied a changing relationship between employers and employees. The notion of mutual compatibility between employment stability and employability was more relevant than the debate over reconciling job stability and flexible employment.

Retraining opportunities

44. Worker members described initiatives to relocate employees whose jobs had been suppressed or modified. The changes in the job structure successfully negotiated with the trade unions of telephone workers in Mexico for example had achieved mobility without the loss of acquired rights plus new working conditions. Unfortunately, this was a rare example of achieving major changes and benefits for enterprises and workers through good will on both sides. It was important for employers to understand that workers' resistance to change stemmed from feelings of insecurity about their future employment. Furthermore, reductions in pay and conditions did not encourage worker participation in change. If workers were well informed about and involved in the changes and strategic planning of the enterprise and reassured that they would have access to retraining and redeployment, then the change process would proceed more smoothly and successfully, bringing important benefits to the enterprise. The commitment of workers was fundamental for companies to succeed and would bring about a win-win outcome.

45. As concerns women in particular, Worker members noted that collective bargaining could be an effective means to permit their movement into non-traditional areas as jobs disappeared and new ones were created. In Canada, a successful programme in this regard provided for specialized training so that women were already qualified to step into new job opportunities as they arose. One problem, however, was the downsizing of the company which meant fewer opportunities overall. Another obstacle for women was the often outdated, inflexible and hierarchical personnel and grading structures. New structures needed to be created to utilize the full potential of those concerned and provide more opportunities for future employment.

46. Worker members indicated that, at a broader level, governments could play a role in facilitating debate and dialogue between the social partners. Sectoral councils had been set up in Canada, including one for the telecommunications industry, where firms, trade unions and others influencing the industry met to study its problems and develop recommendations for managing change. The representative of the Government of Canada confirmed support for the sector council concept. He indicated that where labour and management were prepared to work with government as a facilitator, human resource and labour relations issues could be dealt with in a positive and constructive forum and result in improved operations and better relations between the parties.

47. The spokesperson for the Employers' group reiterated that the jobs of today were not the jobs of the future. Similarly, the skills needed in the future would be different and enterprises were constantly changing as a variety of partnerships and joint ventures were struck up. Commitment was required on all sides to break down barriers and move towards employability. To face future challenges companies needed to examine their strategic direction and determine in which areas to invest and develop. All this in turn had to be translated into human resource requirements. In some areas there was a surplus of skilled labour as, for example, when digitalization of networks was completed. In other situations where the market was growing substantially into new services large skills shortages had developed. Employers had to look at how to resource the jobs of the future and to work with workers and their representatives on this issue. In terms of employability, the focus should be placed on changing markets and companies, and on training for general employability, not necessarily employability with any particular company. In this sense, individuals needed to acquire transferable skills, and governments had a role to play in guaranteeing their acquisition to ensure employability of the young especially since they represented the future.

Human resources planning

48. Worker members drew attention to the difficulty of planning for staff levels, jobs and careers when the future was so uncertain. There was a lack of research, for example, on the changes that new technology and developments such as the Internet might bring to postal service volume. Evaluating forthcoming regulatory decisions was also difficult and there was great uncertainty and insecurity about the framework conditions for the telecommunications and postal sector. Different management approaches and experiences moreover played a role in regard to personnel planning. Overcoming these uncertainties as far as possible would help in planning future staffing levels, at least over a four or five year period. Willingness of the social partners to discuss structural and regulatory changes as part of the collective bargaining process would facilitate the process of overcoming some uncertainty and meet any obstacles to forward planning of human resources. Involvement of workers in strategic planning helped them to understand that companies needed to change in order to respond to a shifting technological environment and market place. This willingness to share information and to examine resource planning over a reasonable period of time should then prevent the need for large-scale redundancies. Workers and employers shared a responsibility to develop new products and services so as to create more jobs and career opportunities. Given the uncertainty, especially in the postal services sector, and the lack of data, the Worker members requested that the ILO's next meeting in this sector have on its agenda an item that would usefully address these issues for the unions and employers in the postal sector.

49. Responding to the statements of the Workers' group, the spokesperson for the Employers' group reiterated the importance of trust and the need on both sides to dispense with outmoded thinking, since the social partners were experiencing a new world marked by new technologies and an information revolution. So, there was a need to update industrial relations and part of that had to be based on trust. On the issue of possible new regulations for the telecommunications and postal services, he agreed that companies needed to know the rules of the game for their business planning, including human resources planning. Moreover, the cultures of small and large enterprises could be fruitfully brought together in new alliances; large companies did not necessarily have better management practices.

50. The representative of the Government of the United States agreed that there should be trade union involvement in strategic planning, and that both management and labour should be involved and responsible for the development of new markets and services. In the United States, there had been many efforts to achieve true partnership between management and unions. This was difficult to do and did involve issues of trust as well as new roles for both managers and workers. Such partnerships were a key to both the success of organizations and to continued employment security for workers.

Labour relations in a globalized environment

51. Several Worker members as well as the representative of the Government of Canada again underlined the need for trust and confidence between the social partners if they were to play an effective role in the changing environment of labour relations caused by globalization, multimedia convergence and the emergence of the information society. The Worker members noted that pressure continued to increase for more trade union flexibility in new subsectors of the postal and telecommunications sector. There was expanded outsourcing, licensing, part-time work and subcontracting in a number of operators which had profound implications on management processes and work organization. A lot of effort had been put into trying to weaken trade unions and worker representation in some operator subsidiaries. Better cooperation in this area as well as in using the Internet for new forms of trade union work, along with legislative intervention where appropriate, would help to protect workers in accordance with recognized ILO labour standards in the sector. This had become more imperative since new technology and the relocation by multinationals of operations to regions with the lowest living standards and wages and the weakest trade union rights, required that corresponding action to protect workers' minimum rights be taken at the global level. This was even more crucial as it seemed that some multinationals subscribed to the concept of social partnership in one country but not in others. Transparency, formal and well-understood consultative mechanisms on restructuring and other important issues were essential if workers and employers were to collaborate effectively in dealing with changes affecting the sector. Worker members also considered it important to ensure that in what had been described as "the second industrial revolution", technology was utilized in ways that benefited workers and society rather than in an oppressive manner.

52. The spokesperson for the Employers' group felt that with the advent of the information revolution it was in the interest of both workers and employers to change from the traditional "command and obey" managerial system of the industrial revolution. It had also become necessary to move away from narrow job descriptions in order to get the best out of every worker. He disagreed, at least in so far as the United Kingdom was concerned, with the idea of collective bargaining at the European or global levels as these should be conducted on the basis of prevailing national legislation.

Role of the ILO

53. Participants in the Meeting were unanimous in supporting the reduction in the cycle of meetings for the sector from seven years to three or four in view of the rapid technological and other changes which characterized the postal and telecommunications sector. However, the Deputy Secretary-General (Mr. V. Klotz) reported that the Programme and Budget for the biennium 2000-2001 which was currently under preparation would not provide for a meeting in the sector as there were other sectors which deserved equal attention.

54. There was consensus on the need for the ILO to study and disseminate to all member States results on best practices in new work organization, such as social and technical approaches, teamwork, and telework. Flexibility, which could satisfy the needs of both employers and workers, should be examined from functional and numerical perspectives. In the context of the information revolution, it was felt that the ILO should focus on establishing benchmarks in areas such as performance systems, gender issues and new ways of organizing work. It should also undertake and disseminate studies on the use of state-of-the-art technology to promote new forms of work organization, such as virtual teams.

55. The representative of the Government of Finland stated that the ILO should promote projects and programmes on new work organization as a means of identifying best practices. After appropriate evaluation, the results should be made known to all member States, employers and trade unions.

56. The Worker members saw one of the ILO's important roles as the promotion of good labour relations and the Organization's values in the work of other agencies, such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In view of those organizations' importance in trade and investment decisions, especially in the developing world, it was essential to organize or support regional or subregional tripartite seminars, which should also include the Universal Postal Union and the International Telecommunication Union. In addition to the Conventions referred to in the report, workers wished to see the Night Work Convention, 1990 (No. 171), and the new Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181), added to the list of those which were especially relevant for workers in the sector. States were urged to ratify and apply all the relevant Conventions to ensure worldwide protection of workers in postal and telecommunications services.

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

57. The Working Party on Conclusions submitted its draft conclusions to the Meeting at the latter's sixth sitting.

58. At its sixth plenary sitting, the Meeting unanimously adopted the present report and the draft conclusions.

Geneva, 24 April 1998.

(Signed) Mr. M. Callanan,

Government Vice-Chairperson.

Conclusions on the human resources dimension of structural and regulatory changes and globalization in postal and telecommunications services⁽⁴⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services,

Having met in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 1998,

Adopts this twenty-fourth day of April 1998 the following conclusions:

General considerations

1. Postal and telecommunications services have a vital role to play in contributing to the welfare of people, the growth of other economic sectors and, more generally, to the development of society as a whole and to national and social cohesion. The revolution which, in various parts of the world, has been brought about by information technology, changing customer expectations, changes in life and work styles and the accompanying working conditions, is directly linked to the development of new postal and telecommunications services and to the gradual disappearance of frontiers between these activities and other sectors such as financial services, office automation and the media sector as a whole.

2. The regulatory and structural changes witnessed by the postal and telecommunications services since the last session of the Joint Committee on Postal and Telecommunications Services in 1991 have had a major impact. Where national monopolies or private enterprises existed in situations of de facto monopoly, they have, in most cases, gradually opened up to competition through the liberalization of telecommunications and, in some cases, postal services.

3. Postal and telecommunications services find themselves at the forefront of the process of globalization of the economy. Regulatory and structural changes and, in particular, the full or partial privatization of public operators, have had many repercussions on employment levels, work organization, labour relations, training needs and human resources development.

4. National competitive pressures and those of globalization must not be used as a pretext to suppress or curtail workers' rights or lower conditions of work. One of the main challenges of globalization lies in reconciling the need for competitiveness of the industry, the increasingly sophisticated demands of the customers, technological change and the need for social justice. The granting of licences to operators should be subject to respect for the prevailing working conditions, workers' rights and recognition of workers' organizations.

5. For both employers and workers in postal and telecommunications services, these profound changes will have important consequences for training, whether workers remain with their employer or move to another company. The jobs of today may no longer be the jobs of tomorrow and workers and employers will have to be prepared for the jobs of the future. Social partners will need greater cooperation and a flexible approach in training for future employment and adjustment.

6. Within the perspective of general employability, governments and social partners will therefore have to find the means to update and develop national laws and international labour standards, including social security standards, for this new situation. The objective should be to balance a certain "mobility" in professional life with social stability and protection.

7. Structural and regulatory changes should take into account the contribution which both the public and the private sectors make to the improvement in the quality of services and the maintenance of equity in the delivery of services to all consumers.

The universal service in the postal and telecommunications sector

8. The maintenance and guarantee of a universal service in postal and telecommunications services varies from country to country and even within countries. Where areas of good provision of such services exist side by side with areas which are badly equipped or where such a service does not exist at all, the absence of such a service can lead to a situation where national and social cohesion is jeopardized.

9. It is the responsibility of governments and regulatory authorities to ensure a framework for the provision and funding of a universal service, whether through government or private funding. The provision of the universal service should be periodically reviewed to take account of new services.

10. In the development of these funding parameters, multinational enterprises may play an important part in contributing towards the development of the universal service.

Employment and training

11. It is difficult to assess whether the creation of new employment opportunities in the recently established communications services will fully compensate for the job losses which are occurring due to technological, structural and regulatory changes as well as the management policies in enterprises.

12. Various measures, including training and retraining, should be implemented to enhance equal opportunities consistent with national legislation. With regard to gender equality, this would include the facilitation of lateral movement into jobs that are not undertaken traditionally by the respective genders (for example, female operators moving to engineering technician jobs) and the opening up of career progression opportunities, particularly for women. An important aim should be to allow employees to reconcile their work and family responsibilities whilst continuing to meet the business and customer requirements. The social partners should seek to develop these measures through their established consultative and negotiation processes as appropriate.

13. In times of rapid structural and regulatory change, whilst it may be difficult to predict the number of jobs which will be created or required, this serves to emphasize the importance of resource planning. This should take into account the need to provide new services to satisfy consumer demand thereby creating the potential for new job opportunities.

14. Continual training and development of workers are indispensable if competencies are to be adapted to meet future needs in terms of organization, improving job satisfaction, ensuring training and career development, enhancing job opportunities, benefiting from technical progress and reaching the objectives required to respond efficiently to the expectations of consumers as a whole. This is despite the fact that competition will bring about a high degree of turnover of postal and telecommunication employees.

15. Both employers and governments have a responsibility and an interest in ensuring the ongoing development and reskilling of employees. However, access to the workplace both for young people and others seeking employment remains a critical issue. Both employers and governments recognize the importance of facilitating such employment access.

Labour relations

16. Postal and telecommunications workers have the right to organize collectively and to be represented by free and independent workers' organizations in accordance with international labour standards concerning freedom of association, workers' organizations' rights and collective bargaining.

17. There should be good labour relations in the postal and telecommunications sector including openness and sharing of information on a timely basis. Workers and their organizations should be informed of the strategic decisions of operators and their views should be taken into account particularly with regard to human resources implications.

18. Workers and their organizations in the postal and telecommunications services should be involved at all appropriate levels of the restructuring process if the reforms are to fully achieve their objectives of efficient and quality service. The process of restructuring must not undermine existing collective bargaining arrangements.

Remuneration

19. Performance-related arrangements can form part of the overall remuneration package including performance bonuses, individual incentives, group incentives and employee stock for the achievement of objectives and can be effective motivational tools and increase workers' loyalty. It is important that these arrangements are transparent and regarded as fair and equitable. These performance-related arrangements will be subject to existing collective bargaining arrangements.

Terms and conditions of employment

20. The coexistence of civil servants and public and private contractual employees within the postal and telecommunications sectors or within the same enterprise creates delicate management problems, particularly as regards the rights of salaried workers and the public financing of retirement pensions. The transition from public service status, of which a large group of telecommunications staff and even more postal staff are beneficiaries, towards private employment contract law rights requires a thorough reflection by the social partners and governments to find innovative and adequate solutions. Considering the need for flexibility and adaptation to markets by the operators, such solutions should balance the necessity for employment stability required by workers as well as the need for flexibility. These original solutions should also take account of historical, legal and budgetary considerations.

21. Workers and employers can, through a process of joint consultation and negotiation where appropriate, facilitate the attainment of both employment security and job flexibility and thereby actively contribute to the success of the enterprise. The competencies and potential of employees can be maximized to the advantage of both the enterprise and the individual through reappraisal of job design.

Role of the ILO

22. The ILO has an important role to play in the promotion of sound labour relations and of the Organization's values in the work of other international agencies. The ILO should study and disseminate to all member States results on best practices in new ways of organizing work, such as social and technical approaches, group work, virtual groups and telework. Because of its various impacts on employment, flexibility, which could satisfy the needs of both employers and workers, should be examined from functional and numerical perspectives.

23. Several ILO instruments, including some recent ones, are particularly relevant to the new structural and regulatory developments in postal and telecommunications services. Governments should be encouraged to ratify and ensure the full implementation of all appropriate Conventions and take into account the relevant Recommendations in carrying out structural adjustment and regulatory policies.

Part 2

Resolutions

Consideration and adoption by the Meeting of the draft resolutions

At its fourth 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. A. Pierides (Chairperson of the Meeting)

Mr. M. Callanan (Government Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)

Mr. O. Contreras (Employer Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)

Mr. A. Young (Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)

Government members:

Belgium:

Mr. J.-M. Dubois

Cyprus:

Ms. E. Christou

Ghana:

Ms. Y. Osei-Brimpong

Employer members:

Mr. N. Brown

Mr. M.A. Di Leo

Mr. J. Hughes

Worker members:

Mr. F. Pomeroy

Mr. Mammal Shafie

Ms. A. Thomas

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

The Working Party had before it three draft resolutions, all of which were submitted by the Workers' group. They were all declared receivable. The Working Party amended the three texts within the time-limit set by the Officers of the Meeting and agreed unanimously to submit them to the Meeting for adoption.

I. Resolution concerning multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services

A number of minor drafting changes were approved by the Meeting which adopted the resolution unanimously, as amended.

II. Resolution concerning telework in the postal and telecommunications services

The resolution was adopted unanimously by the Meeting.

III. Resolution concerning future ILO activities in the field of postal and telecommunications services

The resolution was adopted unanimously by the Meeting.

Resolution concerning multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services⁽⁵⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services,

Having met in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 1998,

Noting that issues in each industry, namely postal and telecommunications services, differ and are unique in many respects,

Noting the rapidly growing role of multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services, in particular since the meeting of the Joint Committee for Postal and Telecommunications Services in 1991,

Considering the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (Tripartite Declaration), which sets out principles in the fields of employment, training, working and living conditions, and industrial relations and whose list of references to Conventions and Recommendations was most recently updated in 1995;

Adopts this twenty-fourth day of April 1998 the following resolution:

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to:

(1) renew its appeal for the promotion of the Tripartite Declaration with special reference to resolution (No. 12) concerning multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services, adopted at the Second Session of the Joint Committee for Postal and Telecommunications Services;

(2) encourage the promotion of agreements between multinational enterprises and workers' organizations on workers' rights in multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services, in accordance with the principles of the Tripartite Declaration;

(3) review to improve the procedures governing the periodic survey on the effect given to the Tripartite Declaration and the adaptation of its list of references to recent ILO Conventions and Recommendations;

(4) request the Director-General to consider the possibility of including labour-related issues of multinational enterprises on the agenda of a forthcoming session of the International Labour Conference.

Resolution concerning telework in the postal and telecommunications services⁽⁶⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services,

Having met in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 1998,

Noting the increasing role of telework in particular in the telecommunications services;

Adopts this twenty-fourth day of April 1998 the following resolution:

(1) call on member States to study the rights of teleworkers and take appropriate measures, legislative or other, to protect them;

(2) call on member States, employers' and workers' organizations to recognize that teleworking can be a means of enhancing job opportunities, offering better quality of working life and an efficient way of organizing work for business success;

(3) request the Director-General to:

(a) intensify research in this field, including a gender perspective, with specific reference to obtaining a clearer definition of telework;

(b) convene a meeting of experts to examine the implications of telework including the possibility of adopting ILO labour standards on this subject.

Resolution concerning future ILO activities in the field of postal and telecommunications services⁽⁷⁾

The Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services,

Having met in Geneva from 20 to 24 April 1998,

Recalling that postal and telecommunications services form an important economic and social infrastructure in all countries, influencing the development of the economy and the quality of life of all members of the community,

Considering the technical convergence and the far-reaching and continuing structural and regulatory changes in postal and telecommunications services,

Considering the globalization of services, of the information society, of regulatory frameworks, and of operators and workers' organizations' activities in the postal and telecommunications services,

Considering the increasing diversity of customer needs,

Noting with satisfaction that the present Meeting has been held on a tripartite basis,

Regretting the excessive, seven-year interval between the present Meeting and the Second Session of the Joint Committee for Postal and Telecommunications Services, held in May 1991,

Recognizing the work of the ILO in convening meetings and preparing studies on issues in the postal and telecommunications services;

Adopts this twenty-fourth day of April 1998 the following resolution:

(1) convene the next meeting for postal and telecommunications services not later than in 2001;

(2) include the following subjects in the agenda of the next meeting for postal and telecommunications services: the promotion of employment including access to the workplace, employability and equal opportunities within the postal and telecommunications sector through training, the way work is organized, flexibility and other means of development, including reskilling;

(3) include the following subjects in studies prepared for the relevant ILO programmes:

(a) further aspects of the operation of multinational enterprises in the postal and telecommunications services, including respect for the right to organize and to bargain collectively;

(b) employment and conditions of work of professional and managerial employees in postal and telecommunications services;

(d) the impact on the rights of workers and on conditions and terms of employment, in traditional and new operators, of convergence of technology, services and ownership in the communications sector;

(e) the social obligations and labour aspects of statutory regulations concerning the functioning of postal and telecommunications operators, with a view to ensuring adherence to existing ILO standards and the formulation of new standards if appropriate;

(f) occupational safety and health in the postal and telecommunications services, including the issues of stress at work, repetitive strain injury (RSI) and microwave radiation;

(4) organize or support, at the regional or subregional levels, tripartite seminars or workshops with the participation of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Bank to consider structural and regulatory changes in the postal and telecommunications services of the regions or subregions concerned and to propose measures in the light of ILO standards, including measures to improve labour relations;

(5) ensure participation of all parties concerned, including employers' and workers' organizations, in technical cooperation activities carried out in member States by the ILO, alone or in cooperation with other international organizations or with regional organizations, concerning postal and telecommunications services, for example, with respect to policies in response to globalization;

(6) continue the ILO's struggle against inequalities in the world of work, in particular against gender-based discrimination, and encourage the participation of women from all three ILO constituent groups in all ILO activities and meetings.

Part 3

Other proceedings

Panel discussions

ILO activities of interest to the postal and telecommunications sector

Chairperson:

Ms. S. Cagnoli, Chairperson of the Government group

Panellists:

Ms. S. Olney, Freedom of Association Branch, ILO, Geneva

Mr. R.Torres,Task Force on the Social Dimension of Globalization, ILO, Geneva

Mr. R. van der Hoeven, Employment and Labour Market Policies Branch, ILO, Geneva

Ms. Olney underlined the fundamental importance of freedom of association as a pillar of the ILO. 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), were two of the most widely ratified ILO Conventions. In the context of the postal and telecommunications sector, the Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151), and Recommendation, 1978 (No. 159) were also relevant. In the supervision of the application of these instruments, ILO supervisory bodies had expressly stated that workers in the postal and telecommunications services were not to be excluded from the guarantees provided in Convention No. 98. Ms. Olney noted that most of the problems from the perspective of the ILO supervisory bodies in regard to the postal and telecommunications sector had arisen under the principles emanating from Convention No. 87, in particular the right to strike. These bodies had recognized the right to strike as a legitimate and essential means for workers and their organizations to defend their economic and social interests. This right, however, could be restricted or even prohibited for public service workers exercising authority in the name of the State, and for workers employed in essential services. With respect to the postal and telecommunications sector, where this was part of the public service, workers were not considered to be exercising authority in the name of the State; therefore, the right to strike could not be limited or denied on this basis. When dealing with essential services, however, the supervisory bodies had distinguished between postal services and telecommunication services, the latter being held to be an essential service where limitations on the right to strike could be permitted. On the other hand, the postal service was not found to be an essential service; therefore, workers in that sector should be entitled to exercise the right to strike. The supervisory bodies considered that maintaining a minimum service could be a possible alternative in situations where a substantial restriction or total prohibition of strike action would not appear to be justified and where a public service of fundamental importance was involved, to ensure that users' basic needs were met or that facilities were operated safely or without interruption. Finally, Ms. Olney observed that the rapid pace of privatization in telecommunications could give rise to a reconsideration as to whether it was still appropriate to consider this an essential service. Once competition played a role and there was access to other comparable services, the question could arise as to whether the interruption of such services was likely to jeopardize the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population.

Mr. Torres pointed out that postal and telecommunications services were not simply affected by globalization, but that, in fact, they were driving the whole process. He informed participants that positive economic indicators of globalization such as the share of service imports and net foreign investment had risen in all countries. Trade liberalization increasingly affected the services sector resulting in a growth in foreign investments. At the same time, however, there were increasing social inequalities with a range of indicators reflecting rising inequality in income distribution and unemployment. The question could be asked whether globalization was the cause of this growth in inequality. Globalization did increase competition, permitting higher living standards for workers. The spectacular fall in prices of electronic consumer goods provided one illustration of this although this mainly benefitted the well-educated and skilled workers. In addition, globalization made markets more volatile. This, in turn, translated into increased labour market turbulence with high levels of turnover and mobility. Mr. Torres noted that job insecurity and increasing inequalities could become particularly risky beyond a certain level. So, the main issue was how to address such problems in a globalizing world. Referring to the Asian economic crisis, he warned that protectionist solutions and inconsistent domestic policies would be penalized far more by the globalization process than was the case in the past. Concerning the regulation of labour relations, he considered that a certain amount of social protection was required to avoid the creation of an "underclass". A balance had to be found between regulations which protected workers and promoting participation of companies in a new environment so as to create viable job opportunities. For labour market reform to succeed, all the social partners had to be involved at the national level. National tripartite institutions could be established for this purpose, as for example in South Africa where one such institution (NEDLAC) had proved an effective tool for discussing challenges arising from globalization and restructuring. At the enterprise level, however, the challenges were very different with the tackling of issues such as labour market adaptability, collective bargaining, training, employment protection and contract labour.

Mr. van der Hoeven noted that the initial reasons for creating public enterprises included: national security considerations, government revenue generation, economic control and self-reliance, the lack of private investment in developing countries, equity considerations in meeting the needs of society and the difficulty in controlling the profits of private monopolies. With increasing foreign investment, the development of peace treaties and social pacts and the spread of social programmes, a number of these factors were no longer so relevant, leading to the privatization of public services. Privatization was not just an issue concerning a particular industry or service, but was a national economic issue. In fact, privatization in developing countries often took place in the context of broad economic and structural reforms under conditions laid down by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.

Evaluating the impact of privatization was not easy, as it usually did not take place in isolation, but rather as part of government reorganization. The issues involved were complex. For example, private ownership did not necessarily mean that an industry was more competitive. Privatization for the purpose of reducing government budget deficits would not necessarily lead to greater efficiency of the industry and would not help solve financial shortfalls later on. Assessing the effects of privatization on efficiency depended on the social and economic context. For example, if privatization occurred without any legislation on price fixing and regulation of monopolies, this could lead to the creation of private monopolies which the government was unable to control. Even in the same country, some companies improved their efficiency while others did not. The employment effects of privatization also varied depending on the situation and whether short-term or long-term employment or employment in the privatized enterprise or the economy as a whole were being assessed. As employment usually decreased in privatization programmes, this meant that if privatization took place when an economy was in recession, considerable unemployment could result. If, however, the economy was expanding and there were productivity increases in the industries being privatized, then negative employment effects would be lessened or non-existent. Measures to assist workers made redundant by privatization included delaying lay-offs and making severance payments. The establishment of labour market institutions to deal with large-scale reform and privatization, as in Eastern Europe, could provide broader-based support to workers through, for example, special public works programmes. Mr. van der Hoeven observed that giving workers ownership in the privatized company had been proved to be ineffectual in most cases as dividends from their tiny per cent of shares was so minimal that the workers tended to sell them immediately.

Finally, Mr. van der Hoeven noted that as privatization was a national economic issue, bargaining on privatization could not take place only at the enterprise level, but had to be conducted nationally also. For privatization to be successful, it had to be part of a long-term economic and social plan towards building a healthy private sector, with a real concern for workers and consumers.

Discussion

Several participants pointed out that it was often the profitable services which were privatized and regulations should therefore be introduced to ensure universal service. Other points underlined included the need to give workers a choice between public service status or private sector contracts when public enterprises were privatized, and the importance of sharing information internationally on the experiences of privatization of public enterprises.

Labour relations in the communications industry

Chairperson:

Mr. Young, Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting

Panellists:

Mr. Katz, Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Mr. Hatsuoka, Professor, Himeji Dokkyo University, Tokyo, Japan

Mr. Bobke, Senior Executive Director, Product Management Human Resources and Collective Bargaining, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn, Germany

Ms. Johansen, Vice-President, Tele-og Dataforbundet, Oslo, Norway

Professor Katz presented ideas on worldwide trends in telecommunications services based on the findings of a research project in ten countries which had been published under the following title: Telecommunications: Restructuring work and employment relations worldwide. The project focused on work organization, training, compensation, employment security and workplace governance. Three prevalent patterns could be discerned among the ten countries. Telecommunications restructuring prevailing in the Anglo-Saxon countries (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States) was driven by technological change and market pressures, and had led to sizeable employment reductions and cost-cutting efforts. A "labour-mediated" model was more prevalent in Europe and Japan, whereby trade unions played a more significant role in defining change, thereby lessening the scale of downsizing and providing more adjustment assistance for employees affected by corporate restructuring. In Mexico and the Republic of Korea a state-led model in which national governments heavily influenced directions had resulted in growth in the telecommunications industry, extensive modernization and employment expansion. General trends in all three types of restructuring included the decline of management power in relative terms, and that of unions in absolute terms, including in the "labour-mediated countries", as competitive and cost pressures increased. Increased variation in employment practices had also occurred, leading in some cases to greater worker participation and experimentation in work design, while in others regressive work practices remained. Additional by-products of change included heightened demand for quality products and services, as well as increased corporate profits and expanded growth in communications networks. The relative absence of a "lean" production model along the lines introduced by Japanese automobile manufacturers, and emulated by many industries in the 1980s, distinguished the telecommunications industry restructuring from others. Where one model was followed by management, it tended to be the cost-cutting and downsizing approach adopted by telecommunications firms in the United Kingdom and in the United States. The focus was on economies of scale, technological change and work intensification, in contrast to an alternative strategy which emphasized employee participation and job enhancement. Yet it was unclear even in the Anglo-Saxon countries if the prevailing pattern would continue or where it would lead, given the pace of change. Challenges for the future revolved around the kinds and level of training, the mobility that it offered and appropriate levels of union representation. Examples were cited of firms in the United States which had launched new training and career initiatives. The choice essentially came down to that of a "high road" of human resource development with low conflict or a "low road" of human resource development with high conflict.

Professor Hatsuoka focused his remarks on the employment impact of change in the postal services. Deregulation, privatization and cost pressures fostered by globalization and more competition had led in some countries to reductions in services. Unions and management should take the initiative constructively in resolving problems, with governments playing a positive role to involve concerned parties, especially the social partners, in discussions on change. The case of Japan was used to illustrate the difficulties in the transition which led the Government to create eventually a national public enterprise with more managerial autonomy as well as the right and obligation to provide existing services. Of the many factors which led to a satisfactory solution for both management and the trade unions, the most important was a series of internal reforms which induced better reforms for customers and greater competitiveness of the services in certain areas. In the process the trade unions often took the initiative for innovation in return for management guarantees of employment security and provision of universal services. No universal model existed to guide countries, but at least three sets of questions needed to be addressed: the extent and pricing basis of universal service delivery; the degree of public/private service cooperation in service delivery; and the amount of democratic control over change by means of accountability, transparency and participation. Pointing out contrasts between different experiences in New Zealand and in Sweden, he suggested that management and unions achieved a higher degree of consensus on the approach adopted in the second, which sought to meet challenges within the broader framework of public service delivery. Change was easier and more productive when agreed on mutually. In this connection, the importance of negotiation and collective bargaining based on ILO standards was underlined, with particular reference to Conventions Nos. 87, 98, 135 and 151. Specific issues which required resolution through negotiation included wages and incentives such as profit-sharing, flexible working time and the use of non-permanent staff. With regard to the future, there was considerable scope for postal services to expand into new areas given their extensive network of offices in all countries, and studies were underway on possible service integration in countries such as Japan and the United States on the basis of digitalization and voice communication technology. To realize this potential effectively, postal services should receive adequate investments, since they were often poorly equipped to compete effectively with multinational companies in overseas operations, especially in many developing countries. Competition, the foundation of market economies, was not an absolute principle. It should be subject to social policy given that workers were not as mobile as capital.

Mr. Bobke agreed with the need for a labour relations system based on negotiations and transparency which maximized the productive value of human resources. It was important to have strong union representation, whether in the form of works councils as in Austria and Germany, or otherwise, for instance similar structures at European level, as well as to respect ILO standards. Even with the best consultative or negotiations structures, however, adaptations would have to be made to wage structures and qualification requirements in relation to competitive demands. Global alliances had also become important, as for example the one between his organization and a major American company. Equally important, shifts from seniority-based to performance-based criteria for employment and careers had become crucial. A major challenge for the future was the reconciliation of corporate cultures between large "mother" companies and smaller "daughter" companies, often multimedia, which were spun off from the parent enterprises.

Ms. Johansen noted that developments in Norway had confirmed some of the research and points made by previous speakers. It had been difficult initially for unions to organize computer industries, but recent mergers with telecommunications firms had rendered such attempts more fruitful. Rapid structural change within companies often concentrated more on the change than on its consequences. She agreed on the need for substantive involvement of trade unions in decisions on change, which would lead to greater acceptance, higher productivity and stronger companies. By contrast, those companies whose subsidiaries had different salary levels and working conditions presented greater difficulties for workers' participation. Future changes should be based on guarantees of the workers' future in the new situation, by involving unions in decisions on change, guaranteeing workers' job benefits and pensions, and negotiating industry-wide agreements. Commenting on recent trends in negotiated leave arrangements in Norway, she stated that the general principle of everyone's right to leave and benefits for continual training had been agreed to, a vital incentive to motivate workers to upgrade their skills.

Discussion

A Worker participant considered that there was a dangerous trend of relying on competition between older and newer companies whose wages, hours and other conditions were substantially lower than the older enterprises, in effect amounting to a "human discount" which led to unfair competition. Professor Katz considered that such a "race to the bottom" could be avoided by choosing a policy of high skill inputs and rewards, founded on union/management cooperation. Professor Hatsuoka shared the Workers' apprehensions, to which he added the need for trade unions to be concerned with the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) currently being negotiated within the OECD. Mr. Bobke noted the adjustments that were necessary in a changing market situation where technical skills might decline but professional specialization requirements increased. This did not imply in all cases a search for the cheapest labour and products, as the experience in some European telecommunications firms such as his own had demonstrated; hiring and firing had been reduced in favour of developing the existing human resources. Ms. Johansen suggested that a more level competitive playing field could be achieved with smaller, newer companies having similar pension benefits.

Other Worker participants raised questions about the lean production models and employee shareholder systems in which workers had little direct voice. Professor Katz contrasted the lean production model based on better use of human resources and teamwork as a comparative advantage and the current cost-cutting models which sought to reduce the number of workers through technological applications. Mr. Bobke noted that, whereas legislation affecting these questions differed widely among countries, a common denominator in their resolution was the strength of trade unions.

A Government participant agreed with the panellists that coordination between trade unions and management was important but posed the question of what factors motivated unions to join in changes. In reply, a Worker participant noted that in Japan, reorganization of public enterprises had preserved the legal status of staff as civil servants, as well as maintaining universal service obligations. The changes had led to greater efficiency, and the gains were shared with workers and consumers by being reinvested in the public corporation. Another change which could secure workers' support for change would be alterations in work council agreements to facilitate collective bargaining within the new public corporations.

Questions of retraining for workers without sufficient qualifications for new jobs, and redeployment of workers within enterprises, constituted another major area of discussion. Professor Katz emphasized the importance of training designs, citing a positive example among a major telecommunications firm in the United States which had successfully retrained low-skilled telephone operators, mostly women and many of them single parents, for new jobs in a programme whose initiative came from the trade union. Professor Hatsuoka added that telecommunications firms had a special social responsibility to design and implement retraining programmes since as highly technological entities they represented the future. Ms. Johansen reiterated that constant skill upgrading was the key.

Several Worker participants commented on the difficulties in ensuring respect for trade union roles and rights, including collective bargaining, within global alliances formed by companies with different labour relations traditions. Mr. Bobke described European-level management/union traditions and law, largely constructed around works councils as in some member States such as Germany, which were respected on a voluntary basis in non-European countries such as Hungary. The issue was more complex when an alliance consisted of a European and an American firm with very different views initially on collective bargaining, as was the case with the Global One alliance, and which required his organization, for example, to strive constantly for its views and traditions in favour of collective bargaining to be respected; in this case a compromise had been worked out to appoint a "neutral" representative of workers who was a lawyer. An observer representing Communications International commented that the Global One alliance works council was a case-study on management control of the labour relations process which effectively excluded real participation and collective bargaining since only one of 20 worker members was a union member.

Communications and globalization

Chairperson:

Mr. Contreras (Employer Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)

Panellists:

Mr. Cousquer, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Post Corporation, Brussels, Belgium

Mr. Kelly, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland

Mr. Di Leo, Unión Industrial Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ms. Hamilton, Divisional Assistant Secretary, Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union, Carlton, Australia

Mr. Cousquer, whose organization provided a forum for cooperation to improve quality of services among member post offices in Europe and North America, explored the challenges posed by globalization to public and private postal operators. Competition between different means of communication and among operators had increased quality of service. The private package delivery operators, such as UPS, Fedex, DHL and TNT, had further sharpened competition, particularly at the international level. Another important competitive factor was that the bulk of the communications market comprised corporate enterprises who as federated alliances of big customers could influence terms and prices of service. In the face of such competition, post offices increasingly cooperated in their competition against private operators, except where delivery of packages was concerned. He described the relationship among post offices as being at once both cooperative and competitive in different areas. Unlike the United States, state postal and telecommunications monopolies in Europe were being eliminated progressively under European Union pressure. This would inevitably lead to even greater competitive pressures. While the protected proportion of services under state monopoly was decreasing, it remained substantial and there were as yet no plans to destroy the unique systems of national mail distribution. With regard to privatization of some postal services, Mr. Cousquer noted that it invariably led to a general evolution in previously entrenched cultures and lines between public and private operators were increasingly blurred. In this new environment, the human factor remained imperative and workers' skills and motivation needed to be enhanced. He contrasted increased corporate responsibility and decision-making with the former situation where important decisions with long-term consequences could be deferred for a long time due to frequent changes of the relevant government ministers. However, even after privatization, the State remained the ultimate guarantor of the general public interest. It was, therefore, necessary to ensure that the substantial obligations of public service previously under state posts and telecommunications were appropriately catered for.

Mr. Kelly reported that the overwhelming proportion of communication facilities were found in developed countries, representing only 15 per cent of the world's population: 65 per cent of telephone lines and 97 per cent of Internet hosts. In some 50 developing countries, teledensity, defined as the number of telephone lines for each 100 people, was less than one. He emphasized the importance of the telephone line to a wide range of means of communication as it provided the essential interface to telex, facsimile, Internet, and other services. Given the supply-side problem of increasing the number of lines available in developing countries, at least in the short and medium terms, it had become necessary to consider working more towards affordable universal access rather than the traditional objective of universal service to each household. The ITU was working closely with governments in developing countries to increase their overall communications capacity.

Ms. Hamilton reaffirmed the primary function of trade unions as being the protection and enhancement of members' working conditions. Globalization and associated concepts had forced trade unions to assess the manner in which they fulfilled that role. Multinationals were currently dominant in a globalized economy and operated in a different manner from traditional corporations. It had therefore become necessary to establish framework agreements on human resource development policy at the global level. Trade unions recognized that benefits from globalization could be substantial and were therefore prepared to work with managements to improve service. They were also more amenable to privatization rather than deregulation, even though most posts and telecommunications workers still had a strong affinity to public service. Although market forces needed to be kept in mind in a competitive global economy, they alone should not be allowed to determine economic and social decision-making because they tended to encourage extreme income disparities. While she could appreciate the need for the concept of universal access as defined by Mr. Kelly, a fixed telephone line in each household remained the ideal.

Mr. Di Leo considered liberalization and globalization of the postal and communications sector to have been conducive to competition, reduced costs, increased efficiency and lowered consumer prices. Similar welcome processes were under way in other sectors. In Argentina, privatization of state enterprises, including the national posts and telecommunications, had started in 1993 and was continuing. However, there was a need to ensure an element of market stability and see to it that the interests of all actors and stakeholders were given adequate consideration.

Discussion

A number of issues related to human resource development and management in privatized companies in the posts and telecommunications sector were raised. A Worker participant from Canada noted a wide range of experiences with privatization, not all of which were positive. As an example, he pointed to performance-based remuneration systems which tended to be introduced after privatization. While workers might initially welcome such changes, they had subsequently become unhappy with the introduction of short cuts on occupational safety and health issues; a diminished ability to influence corporate decision-making; and frequent changes in management and performance benchmarks. He felt that collective bargaining had to remain in place to ensure a framework for negotiated rules for achieving overall corporate objectives.

Closing speeches

The Secretary-General noted that the Meeting constituted a milestone in the ILO's efforts to address the social and labour problems of one of the world's most dynamic economic sectors. Through exchanges of information, ideas and experiences which took place in the plenary sittings as well as in the Working Parties on Conclusions and Resolutions and the panel discussions, the Meeting made a further step in clarifying the issues and challenges currently facing the sector and, more importantly, gave guidance on how these challenges could be met, in a joint effort by all the parties concerned. The texts adopted by the Meeting provided consensual and pragmatic answers to problems which were to be addressed by multiple parties with divergent interests in a context of constant change. Policy-makers, top management and trade union leaders, together with the ILO's Governing Body and its Sectoral Activities Department, would find these texts useful when reflecting on how best to deal with the concerns of the postal and telecommunications services.

Ms. Cagnoli (Government representative, United States; Chairperson of the Government group) welcomed the full participation in the Meeting of private-sector employers, which was a positive change compared to the joint meeting held in 1991. Governments were also employers in the postal and telecommunications sector and this posed particular problems which could perhaps be addressed in the next meeting through joint group meetings between the Government representatives and the Employer members. Turning to the substance of the Meeting, she recalled that the challenges faced by all three groups in this rapidly changing sector were significant; both private and public employers had to take account of the demands for quality, efficiency, competitiveness and the necessary focus on customers, together with the impact these changes had on the status and working conditions of their employees. Workers and trade unions, for their part, had to adapt to new and often less favourable circumstances. The concept of job security, for example, was giving way to the notion of employment security based on the company's performance and the employability of workers. She was convinced that the successful management of changes in the postal and telecommunications sector required an ongoing dialogue, through consultation and collective bargaining, between management and labour. Employers and unions both had to review their traditional roles and responses and combine their efforts in new spheres, for example in the company's strategic planning and the development of new markets, to ensure the prosperity and well-being of the enterprise and its employees.

Mr. Contreras (Employer Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting) expressed his group's general satisfaction with the outcome of the Meeting. The results obtained -- through spirited discussions, lively debates and intense negotiations -- clearly illustrated that when the social partners pursued together common goals, they could ensure that a fair and rightful share of the success of an enterprise was duly attributed to its employees. The staggering and sometimes overwhelming problems which had occurred in the postal and telecommunications services were perceived as challenges which provided opportunities for the three parties to find mutually agreed solutions.

Mr. Young (Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting) stated that the Meeting had been a rewarding experience and the participants, in pursuing their principles, had progressed in a spirit of compromise which lay at the heart of all successful negotiations. In spite of tense and delicate moments, a successful outcome was reached through the adoption of conclusions and resolutions. Most of what his group sought to achieve was encompassed in the adopted texts. The Workers' group was disappointed, however, that the issues of security of employment and precarious and atypical forms of work had not been addressed in the report; these concerns would need to be considered in the future since they were already key topics of collective bargaining, which required better legislative coverage. The postal and telecommunications sector was truly a service industry and employers had to find the appropriate balance between their customers' needs and the well-being of their employees.

The Chairperson expressed his full satisfaction with the cooperative spirit that marked the Meeting's deliberations. The report and conclusions adopted recognized the often convergent interests of governments, employers and workers in striving for positive reforms which led to enhanced postal and telecommunications services. The speaker was convinced that the results of the Meeting would be useful to the social partners and governments in dealing with the problems arising from the globalization and other changes taking place in the postal and telecommunications services. The Chairperson declared the Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes in Postal and Telecommunications Services closed.

Evaluation questionnaire

A questionnaire seeking participants' opinions on various aspects of the Meeting was distributed before the end of the Meeting; the response rate was 41.8 per cent of participants. The Meeting itself, rated as regards six different criteria, obtained the most favourable scores for the choice of subject discussed and the points for discussion. Of the three panel discussions, the one on the labour relations rated the highest. The report, noted according to the same criteria, obtained good scores as well, especially for quality of analysis and objectivity. The consolidated results are reproduced hereafter.

1. How do you rate the Meeting as regards the following?

5

4

3

2

1

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average score

The choice of agenda item (subject of the Meeting)

13

12

1

3.46

The points for discussion

12

11

4

4.30

The quality of the discussion

12

13

1

4.42

The Meeting's benefits to the sector

12

12

2

4.38

The conclusions

6

14

7

3.96

The resolutions

7

13

6

4.04

Panel discussion on ILO activities of interest to the P&T sector

7

9

7

1

3.92

Panel discussion on labour relations

7

15

4

4.12

Panel discussion on globalization

7

13

6

1

3.82

Opportunity for networking

4

9

6

1

1

3.67

2. How do you rate the quality of the report in terms of the following?

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average score

Quality of analysis

12

15

1

4.39

Objectivity

14

11

3

4.39

Comprehensiveness of coverage

8

14

6

4.07

Presentation and readability

13

13

1

4.29

Amount and relevance of information

12

13

3

4.32

3. How do you consider the time allotted for discussion?

Too much

Enough

Too little

Discussionof the report

3

21

4

Panel discussions

24

3

Groups

1

14

3

Working Party on Resolutions

1

21

3

Working Party on Conclusions

19

4

4. How do you rate the practical and administrative arrangements (secretariat, document services, translation, interpretation)?

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Unsatisfactory

Average scrore

19

5

2

1

1

4.43

5. Respondents to the questionnaire

Government

Employer

Worker

Observer

Total

11

7

7

3

28

6. Participants at the Meeting

Government

Employer

Worker

Observer

Total

34

19

32

33

118

List of participants
Liste des participants
Lista de participantes

Representative of the Governing Body
of the International Labour Office
Représentant du Conseil d'administration
du Bureau international du Travail
Representante del Consejo de Administración
de la Oficina Internacional del Trabajo

Mr. A. Pierides, Director-General, Cyprus Employers' and Industrialists' Federation, Nicosia

Members representing Governments
Membres représentant les gouvernements
Miembros representantes de los gobiernos

Belgium Belgique Bélgica

M. Jean-Marie Dubois, Conseiller, Département "Sélection/Recrutements statutaires", Direction des ressources humaines, Bruxelles
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
M. Marc Vinck, Premier Secrétaire, Mission permanente de Belgique à Genève

Brazil Brésil Brasil

Sr. Mozart Gomes, Diretor de Controle do Sistema Postal, Ministério das Comunicações, Brasilia
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Sr. Alain Rocchi, Assistente técnico, Ministério das Comunicações, Empresa Brasileira de Correios Telégrafos, Gama/DF

Canada Canadá

Mr. Gordon Clark, Director, Legislation, Research and Policy, Human Resources Development, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), FMCS/HRDC, Ottawa

China Chine

M. Zhang Wei, Conseiller, Mission permanente de Chine à Genève
Adviser and Substitute/Conseiller technique et suppléant/Consejero técnico y suplente
Mr. Dai Fuzeng, Deputy Director, Ministry of Information Industry, Beijing
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
Mr. Gao Jiyuan, Vice-President, Academy of Postal Research and Planning, Ministry of Information Industry, Beijing
Mr. Zhang Feng, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Beijing
Mr. Li Mingfu, Third Secretary, Permanent Mission of China in Geneva

Cyprus Chypre Chipre

Ms. Efy Christou, Human Resources Section Head, Manpower Planning and Resources Personnel Services, Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, Nicosia

Egypt Egypte Egipto

Mr. Shawky Eid, Director, Postal Services of Kafr El Sheikh Region, Nation Postal Organization, Cairo
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejera técnica
Ms. Islah Mohamed Amin, Labour Counsellor, Consulate of Egypt in Geneva

Finland Finlande Finlandia

Ms. Kristiina Pietikainen, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Helsinki
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico Mr. Juhani Pekkola, Senior Researcher, Ministry of Labour, Helsinki

France Francia

M. Jean-Paul Pistolet, Chef du service des personnels et des activités sociales, Direction des Postes et Télécommunications, Ministère de l'Economie, des Finances et de l'Industrie, Secrétariat d'Etat à l'Industrie, Paris

Ghana

Ms. Yaa Osei-Brimpong, AG Director (Human Resources Development), Ministry of Communications, Accra
Advisers/ Conseillers techniques/ Consejeros técnicos
Ms. Beatrice Osei, Senior Manager, Human Resources Management, Ghana Postal Services Corporation, Accra
Mr. Kwasi Asante, Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Ghana in Geneva

India Inde

Mr. Swapan Dutta, Postal Services Board, Ministry of Communications, New Delhi

Italy Italie Italia

M. Mauro Fazio, Vice-Dirigente, Ministero delle Comunicazioni, Rome
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
M. Rosario Cappelleri, Divisione II, Direzione Generale Rapporti Lavoro, Ministero del Lavoro e della Previdenza Sociale, Rome

Luxembourg Luxemburgo

M. Pierre Schloesser, Attaché de direction à l'Administration de l'Emploi, Ministère du Travail et de l'Emploi, Luxembourg

Russian Federation Fédération de Russie Federación de Rusia

Mr. Nikolay Khlestov, Senior Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation in Geneva
Adviser/Conseiller technique/ Consejero técnico
Mr. Alexei Lyjenkov, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation in Geneva

Switzerland Suisse Suiza

M. Frédéric Riehl, Vice-directeur, Office fédéral de la communication, Bienne
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos
M. Reto Muellhaupt, Conseiller scientifique, Secrétariat général, Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'énergie et de la communication, Berne
Mme Sylvie Kunz, Collaboratrice scientifique, Office fédéral de la communication, Bienne

Thailand Thaïlande Tailandia

Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Thailand in Geneva

Tunisia Tunisie Túnez

M. Gley Hadj, Chef de Cabinet, Ministère des Communications, Tunis
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
M. Mongi Bouaziz, Directeur général adjoint, Office national des télécommunications, Tunis

United Kingdom Royaume-Uni Reino Unido

Mr. Mark Callanan, Director Employee Resource Strategy, Royal Mail (The Post Office), London

United States Etats-Unis Estados Unidos

Ms. Sherry Cagnoli, Manager, Labour Relations, United States Postal Service, Washington, DC
Adviser/Conseiller technique/ Consejero técnico
Mr. Stephen Moe, Manager, Human Resources, United States Postal Service, Washington, DC

Members representing the Employers
Membres représentant les employeurs
Miembros representantes de los empleadores

Mr. Habibu Aliyu, Executive Director, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, Abuja
Mr. Manfred Bobke, Senior Executive Director, Product Management Human Resources and Collective Bargaining, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. Ralf Stemmer, Director Head, Collective Bargaining Training Policy, Deutsche Post AG, Generaldirektion, Königswinter
Mr. Noel Brown, Vice-President, Cable and Wireless of Jamaica Ltd., Kingston
Sr. Joaquín Bulnes Ochoa, Gerente de Desarrollo Organizacional, Consejo Hondureño de la Empresa Privada (COHEP), Tegucigalpa
Mr. Oscar Contreras, Jr., Senior Vice-President for Corporate Services, Globe Telecom, Makati City
Sr. Miguel Ángel Di Leo, Unión Industrial Argentina (UIA), Comisión de Política Laboral, Buenos Aires
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Sr. Juan José Schaer, Comisión pro Laboral, Departamento de Política Social, Unión Industrial Argentina, Buenos Aires
Mr. Justin Hughes, Manager Labour Relations, Telkom SA.Ltd., Cape Town
Mr. Zeljko Ivancevic, General Secretary, Croatian Employers' Association, Zagreb
Mr. Karam Hussain Khan, General Manager, Administration, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., New Delhi
Mr. Mansoor, Human Resources and Administration Manager, Alcatel Pakistan Ltd., Islamabad
Mr. Charlie McKay, Head of Employee Relations, British Telecommunications Plc., British Telecom Centre, London
Mr. Ibrahim Md. Nassir, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Human Resources, Telekom Malaysia Bhd., c/o Malaysian Employers' Federation, Kuala Lumpur
Mr. Juha Pentti, Vice President, Human Resources, Telecom Finland Ltd., Tele Helsinki
Sr. Pedro José Salcedo Donado, Gerente Financiero, Caribetell Empresa de Telecomunicaciones S.A., Cartagena
M. Fedor Saldivia, Diretor (Comité Ejecutivo), Federación de Cámaras de Producción, Comercio y Servicios (FEDECAMARAS), Caracas
M. Ali Saleh Younos, Directeur général adjoint, Office national des postes et télécommunications, N'djamena, Tchad

Members representing the Workers
Membres représentant les travailleurs
Miembros representantes de los trabajadores

M. Awadh Balluck, Secrétaire-général, Fédération panafricaine des syndicats des services publics (FPSSP), c/o FCSU, Port-Louis
Mme Hassana Chaibou, Union des syndicats des travailleurs du Niger (USTN), Syndicat des travailleurs des postes et télécommunications, Niamey
M. Michel Gobet, Secrétaire général suppléant, Union PTT Suisse, Ostermundigen/Berne
Mr. Kurt van Haaren, President, Deutsche Postgewerkschaft (DPG), Frankfurt/Main
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos Mr. Rolf Johanning, Deutsche Postgewerkschaft, Berlin
Mr. Klaus Lörcher, Legal Adviser, Deutsche Postgewerkschaft, Frankfurt/Main
Ms. Diane Hamilton, Divisional Assistant Secretary, Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), Carlton, Australia
Mr. Khairy Hashem, CI Vice-President, General Trade Union of Communication Workers (GTUCW), Cairo
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos Mr. Hamdy Yasin, President, Postal Trade Union Organization, Cairo
Mr. Mohammed Bayoumy, International Secretary, General Trade Union of Communication Workers, Cairo
Ms. Tove Johansen, Vice President, Tele-og Dataforbundet, Oslo
Ms. Balinda Helen Mabonga, National Treasurer, Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Employees Union (UPTEU), Kampala
Mr. Mammal Shafie, National Union of Telecom Employeee (NUTE), Wisma Nute, Kuala Lumpur
Mr. Anatoli Nazeikin, President, Communication Workers' Union, Moscow
Adviser/Conseiller technique/Consejero técnico
Mr. Vladimir Skossyrev, International Secretary, Communication Workers' Union, Moscow
Mr. Daniel Odum-Ewuakye, General Secretary, Communication Workers Union of TUC (Ghana), Accra
Ms. Ulla Olovsson, Vice-President, The Union of Service and Communication (SEKO), Stockholm
Mr. Fred Pomeroy, President, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), Ottawa
Sr. Osvaldo Rossato, Diretor de Finanças, SINTETEL, Saõ Paulo
Mr. James Sauber, Director of Research, National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO), Washington, DC
Sra. Alicia Sepúlveda Núñez, Secretaria de Relaciones y Actas, Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (STRM), México
Mr. Susum Takato, President, Japan Postal Workers' Union (ZENTEI), Tokyo
Advisers/Conseillers techniques/Consejeros técnicos Ms. Tomoko Nabukomaru, Director, ZENYUSEI, Tokyo
Mr. Yuitsu Yoneda, Director, ZENTEI, Tokyo
Mr. Yoshikazu Mizushina, Director, ZENDENTSU, Tokyo
Mr. Sho Inabu, First Secretary, ZENDENTSU, Tokyo
Ms. Noriko Mizuguchi, Secretary, ZENTEI, Tokyo
Mr. Sanshiro Shiga, Director, ZENTEI, Tokyo
Mr. Kazumi Sato, Director, ZENYUSEI, Tokyo
Mme Andrée Thomas, Secrétaire nationale, Fédération Syndicaliste des Travailleurs des PTT(FO), Paris
Mr. Anthony Young, Joint General Secretary, Communication Workers Union (CWU), Southall
Mr. Xinhuai Yu, Vice-Chairman, Postal and Telecommunication Workers' Trade Union, Beijing

Others
Autres
Otros

Representatives of member States present at the sittings
Représentants d'Etats Membres présents aux séances
Representantes de Estados Miembros presentes en las sesiones

Japan Japon Japón
Government/Gouvernement/Gobierno

Mr. Minoru Hirukawa, Senior Adviser, General Affairs Division, Personnel Department, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Tokyo
Mr. Gaku Nomizu, Staffing, Salary and Compensation Division, Personnel Department, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Tokyo
Mr. Akira Isawa, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva

Malaysia Malaisie Malasia
Government/Gouvernement/Gobierno

Mr. Azlan Yusof, Counsellor Labour Affairs, Permanent Mission of Malaysia in Geneva

Representatives of United Nations, specialized agencies
and other official international organizations
Représentants des Nations Unies, des institutions spécialisées
et d'autres organisations internationales officielle
Representantes de las Naciones Unidas, de los organismos
especializados y de otras organizaciones internacionales oficiales

Arab Labour Organization
Organisation arabe du travail
Organización Arabe del Trabajo

M. Adnan El Telawi, Chef de la délégation à Genève

International Telecommunication Union
Union internationale des télécommunications
Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones

Mr. Venen Paratian, External Affairs Officer, Geneva
Mr. Honoré Vignon, Head of Sector Reform Unit, Geneva

Universal Postal Union
Union postale universelle
Unión Postal Universal

Mr. Christian Gheorghiev, Assistant Director General, Berne
M. Delu Qu, Conseiller, Berne

Representatives of non-governmental
international organizations
Représentants d'organisations internationales
non gouvernernementales
Representantes de organizaciones internacionales
no gubernamentales

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
Confédération internationale des syndicats libres
Confederación Internacional de Organizaciones Sindicales Libres

Mr. Dan CUNNIAH, Assistant Director, Geneva

International Federation of Employees in Public Services
Fédération internationale du personnel des services publics
Federación Internacional del Personal de los Servicios Públicos

Mr. Willi Russ, Vice-President, Troisdorf, Suisse
Mr. Roger Willemin, Berne
Ms. Christine Gubitzer, Gewerkschaft Öffentlicher Dienst, Wien
Mr. Jadranko Vehar, President, RSH-HPT, Zagreb
Ms. Vlasta Mesaric, Secretary General, RSR-HPT, Zagreb
Ms. Vinka Komesar, Translator, RSR-HPT, Zagreb

International Organization of Employers
Organisation internationale des employeurs
Organización Internacional de Empleadores

Mr. Jean Dejardin, Deputy Executive Secretary, Cointrin, Geneva
M. Ousmane Touré, Conseiller régional, Cointrin, Geneva

Organization of African Trade Union Unity
Organisation de l'unité syndicale africaine
Organización de la Unidad Sindical Africana

Mr. Mohamed M. Abuzeid, ILO Permanent Representative, Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Communications International (PTTI)

Mr. Philip Bowyer, General Secretary, Geneva
Mr. John Pedersen, Deputy General Secretary, Geneva
Mr. Luis Neves, Assistant General, Geneva
Mr. Eiichi Ito, Director, Tokyo Office, Tokyo
Ms. Monique Marti, Geneva
Mr. Edward Sussex, Geneva
M. Gabou Gueye, Secrétaire général, Syndicat national des travailleurs des P&T (SNTPT), Dakar
Sr. Rogelio Rodriguez, Asesor Técnico, Buenos Aires
Sr. Diogenes Salazar, Secretario Adjunto, Buenos Aires
Mr. Neil Anderson, Multinationals Officer, Geneva
Sr. Alberto Maximo Tell, Senador Nacional, Parlamento Argentino, Buenos Aires
Sr. Almir Munhoz, Presidente, Sindicato dos Trabalhadores en Telecomunicações.P., Saõ Paulo

World Confederation of Labour
Confédération mondiale du travail
Confederación Mundial del Trabajo

Mme Béatrice Fauchère, Représentante permanente, Genève
M. Freddy Pools, Secrétaire exécutif action professionnelle, Bruxelles

1. ILO, Tripartite Meeting on the Human Resources Dimension of Structural and Regulatory Changes and Globalization in Postal and Telecommunications Services, Geneva, 1998: Structural and regulatory changes and globalization in postal and telecommunications services: The human resources dimension, 90 pp.

2. Adopted unanimously.

3. Resolution concerning the use of the Arabic language in the ILO, adopted on 26 June 1979.

4. Adopted unanimously.

5. Adopted unanimously.

6. Adopted unanimously.

7. Adopted unanimously.

Updated by BR. Approved by JM/OdVR. Last update: 24 September 2001.

Government group
	Chairperson:		Ms. S. Cagnoli (United States)
	Vice-Chairperson:		Mr. S. Dutta (India)
	Secretary:		Ms. K. Pietikainen (Finland)
Employers' group
	Chairperson:		Mr. J. Hughes
	Vice-Chairpersons:		Mr. N. Brown
			Mr. Z. Ivancevic
			Mr. P.J. Salcedo Donado
	Secretary:		Mr. J. Dejardin (International Organization of Employers) (IOE)
		assisted by:	Mr. O. Touré (IOE)
Workers' group
	Chairperson:		Mr. K. van Haaren
	Vice-Chairpersons:		Mr. A. Balluck
			Mr. K. Hashem
			Ms. U. Olovsson
			Mr. S. Takato
	Secretary:		Mr. P. Bowyer (Communications International)

Government members
	Brazil:	Mr. M. Gomes
	Canada:	Mr. G. Clark
	Italy:	Mr. M. Fazio
	Tunisia:	Mr. M. Bouaziz (adviser)
	United Kingdom:	Mr. M. Callanan
Employer members
	Mr. K.H. Khan
	Mr. C. McKay
	Mr. J. Pentti
	Mr. P.D. Salcedo Donado
	Mr. R. Stemmer (adviser)
Worker members
	Mr. M. Gobet
	Mr. K. van Haaren
	Mr. J. Sauber
	Ms. A. Sepulveda Nuñez
	Mr. S. Takato

Geneva, 24 April 1998.	(Signed) Mr. M. Callanan,
	Government Vice-Chairperson.

Officers of the Meeting:
	Mr. A. Pierides (Chairperson of the Meeting)
	Mr. M. Callanan (Government Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)
	Mr. O. Contreras (Employer Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)
	Mr. A. Young (Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting)
Government members:
	Belgium:	Mr. J.-M. Dubois
	Cyprus:	Ms. E. Christou
	Ghana:	Ms. Y. Osei-Brimpong
Employer members:
	Mr. N. Brown
	Mr. M.A. Di Leo
	Mr. J. Hughes
Worker members:
	Mr. F. Pomeroy
	Mr. Mammal Shafie
	Ms. A. Thomas

Chairperson:	Ms. S. Cagnoli, Chairperson of the Government group
Panellists:	Ms. S. Olney, Freedom of Association Branch, ILO, Geneva
	Mr. R.Torres,Task Force on the Social Dimension of Globalization, ILO, Geneva
	Mr. R. van der Hoeven, Employment and Labour Market Policies Branch, ILO, Geneva

Chairperson:	Mr. Young, Worker Vice-Chairperson of the Meeting
Panellists:	Mr. Katz, Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
	Mr. Hatsuoka, Professor, Himeji Dokkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
	Mr. Bobke, Senior Executive Director, Product Management Human Resources and Collective Bargaining, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn, Germany
	Ms. Johansen, Vice-President, Tele-og Dataforbundet, Oslo, Norway

1. How do you rate the Meeting as regards the following?
	5	4	3	2	1
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average score
The choice of agenda item (subject of the Meeting)		13	12	1		3.46
The points for discussion	12	11	4			4.30
The quality of the discussion	12	13	1			4.42
The Meeting's benefits to the sector	12	12	2			4.38
The conclusions	6	14	7			3.96
The resolutions	7	13	6			4.04
Panel discussion on ILO activities of interest to the P&T sector	7	9	7	1		3.92
Panel discussion on labour relations	7	15	4			4.12
Panel discussion on globalization	7	13	6	1		3.82
Opportunity for networking	4	9	6	1	1	3.67

2. How do you rate the quality of the report in terms of the following?
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average score
Quality of analysis	12	15	1			4.39
Objectivity	14	11	3			4.39
Comprehensiveness of coverage	8	14	6			4.07
Presentation and readability	13	13	1			4.29
Amount and relevance of information	12	13	3			4.32

3. How do you consider the time allotted for discussion?
	Too much	Enough	Too little
Discussionof the report	3	21	4
Panel discussions		24	3
Groups	1	14	3
Working Party on Resolutions	1	21	3
Working Party on Conclusions		19	4

4. How do you rate the practical and administrative arrangements (secretariat, document services, translation, interpretation)?
	Excellent	Good	Satisfactory	Poor	Unsatisfactory	Average scrore
	19	5	2	1	1	4.43


5. Respondents to the questionnaire
	Government	Employer	Worker	Observer	Total
	11	7	7	3	28
6. Participants at the Meeting
	Government	Employer	Worker	Observer	Total
	34	19	32	33	118