ILO LIAISON OFFICE – BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER NO. 4/2005
At least 2 million work-related deaths a year
Each year since 2003, the ILO has organised an annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April to focus international attention on
promoting and creating a safety and health culture at work and to help reduce the number of work-related deaths.
On average, 6,000 deaths a day result from accidents in the workplace or from occupational diseases, representing an annual total of between 2 and
2.3 million deaths. Approximately 4% of world GDP is lost due to injuries, deaths and work-related illnesses, days of absence, medical treatment,
invalidity payments and allowances paid to surviving relatives. The ILO stresses the importance of effective social dialogue as a means of reducing
the number of victims. This year's World Day will address two sub-themes: construction health and safety (for the construction sector has a global
fatality rate of one death every 10 minutes) and occupational health and safety for younger and older workers'.
A report on occupational health and safety and other World Day products, such as posters and postcards, can be downloaded by
clicking here.
Many events have been organised around the globe as part of the World Day. In Belgium, for example, the ILO will take part in two events: a
demonstration where six Belgian companies will sign a charter with the Minister of Labour to improve the prevention of work-related accidents
and occupational deseases, as well as an information and mobilisation action organised by the Belgian trade unions.
ILO-EU Forum on economic liberalisation
On 26 May, the ILO will hold a joint forum in Turin with the European Commission to address the social dimensions of an open world trade system and
its impact on employment. In these days of intensive debate about the positive and negative aspects of economic liberalisation, the forum will aim to
share the knowledge and experience gathered by the ILO and the European Commission in this area and to review current action with a view to
strengthening the social dimension of trade policies. It will also attempt to identify areas for technical cooperation between the Commission and
the ILO on trade-related issues. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, and Peter Mandelson, European Commissioner for External Trade, will be
among those taking part in this open forum.
Focus on Myanmar
At its meeting in March, the ILO Governing Body expressed serious doubts about the credibility of the declaration by the Myanmar government
confirming its political will to combat forced labour.
The visit by a very High-Level Team, sent by the ILO in February to evaluate the attitude of the new leaders of the military junta towards forced labour,
ended two days earlier than scheduled when it became clear that a meeting with the Myanmar authorities at the highest level of the military junta would
not be possible.
The Governing Body noted that it was no longer possible to take the 'wait and see' attitude that has prevailed since 2001. It therefore decided to
communicate its conclusions to government, employer and worker representatives as well as other international organisations so that they can review
their relationship with Myanmar to ensure that these relations are not exploited to sustain or further develop the country's system of forced labour.
A press release on the latest Governing Body Session is available
here, and an interview by a Swiss daily newspaper of one of the members of the very
High-Level Team, Ms Ruth Dreifuss, former President of the Swiss Confederation, is available in French by
clicking here.
Maintaining social dialogue in public service reforms
Many reforms of public services aiming to improve efficiency by reducing the state's role have had the opposite effect. The ILO notes that an analysis
of the reforms implemented in different countries indicates that such reforms are only successful if they are undertaken in cooperation with all the
parties concerned, including the relevant public service workers. Consequently, the ILO has drawn up a new guide aimed at strengthening the role of
social dialogue in reforms of public services – whether provided by the State or by private bodies. This guide explains the role and different types
of social dialogue in public services and includes several good, specific examples of such dialogue (for example, in Ireland and Norway). The guide
also includes exercises, allowing it to be used during training seminars. The Practical Guide for Strengthening Social Dialogue in Public Service
Reform is available
here.
A tool to better understand the ILO Declaration
In June 1998, the International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-Up. By adopting
this declaration, ILO member states and their employers' and workers' organisations reaffirmed their commitment to respect and defend these rights in
the workplace. These principles and rights are: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the
elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect
of employment and occupation. A new ILO publication, entitled Understanding Rights at Work, provides a general overview of this declaration, the
challenges it faces and how these challenges can be addressed. Click
here to download a free copy.
Revitalising the Kazakhstan economy
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the agricultural infrastructure of Eastern European and Central Asian countries is slowly
recovering from profound structural reforms. With the aim of creating new jobs and generating income for the local population, the ILO has launched
a project to revitalise the local economy in Kazakhstan. This involves vocational training, the promotion of regional products and the introduction
of modern cooperative principles. Click
here for an article on this project.
Calendar of the ILO Training Centre in Turin
Click here
for the latest calendar of training courses offered by the ILO's International Training Centre in Turin. The Centre works to enhance the capacity of
governments, employers' organisations, workers' organisations and other social and economic actors to play an effective role in the economic and social
development of their countries and regions. Upcoming courses address a wide range of subjects such as social protection, gender equality in the workplace,
enterprise development, standards and fundamental principles and rights at work.
Fresh support in the combat against sexual harassment at work
The ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme (TRAVAIL), which aims to improve working conditions across the world, recently published a new
document on sexual harassment at work, setting out what constitutes sexual harassment, detailing its consequences and examining the most effective
ways of preventing and combating it. This report, entitled Sexual Harassment at Work: National and International Responses, can be downloaded
here for free.
Schedule of meetings
The list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2005 is available by clicking
here.
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