ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N°. 4/2006
|
|
Global shortage of health care staff
The global health care profession employs an estimated 100 million people, but is failing to attract enough new recruits in both developed and
developing countries alike. Across the European Union, more than half of the doctors in 2000 were over 45. In the United States, a 20% deficit in
healthcare staff is predicted by 2020 if current trends are not reversed.
So fierce is the competition to secure scarce health care professionals that private recruitment agencies stage promotional events and aggressive
recruitment campaigns in supplying countries. A recent ILO study, available
here, analyses this trend. It notes that while remittances generated
by migrants are a source of national income for poorer countries, they do not sufficiently compensate governments for their investment in the
education and training of health care workers. A feature service article on this issue is available on the ILO website (click
here).
ILO Governing Body
At its meeting in Geneva in March, the ILO Governing Body focused in particular on violations of the freedom of association in Belarus and Nepal.
In the case of Belarus, the Governing Body expressed its deep concern that, rather than implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry
set up by the ILO in 2004, the Government was on a path to eliminating all remnants of an independent trade union. The Government member of Finland,
representing the European Union, said that the European Commission had launched a procedure that could deprive Belarus of the benefits of the
Generalised System of Preferences. The Governing Body also considered violations of the freedom of association following the coup d'état by the King
of Nepal in February 2005 when a state of emergency was declared and all civil liberties consequently suspended. Several union leaders were arrested
and the resulting climate of fear forced many Nepalese trade unionists into exile.
Special guest Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, addressed the meeting on 27 March and stressed the importance
of the strategic partnership signed in 2004 between the European Union and the ILO. Mr Michel noted that international consensus now exists on the
fact that productive employment and decent work, as defined by the ILO, are effective tools in combating poverty and boosting sustainable development.
He told the Governing Body that he intends to propose a new initiative to the Commission and the ACP-EU Council in a bid to urge all companies active
in ACP countries to respect basic ethical standards. The initiative would include measures to promote implementation of the ILO Conventions.
Mr Michel’s statement at the ILO Governing Body is
available here (in French) and a press release (
click here) provides further information on this session of the Board.
Football without child labour
With the World Cup approaching fast, the ILO has recently published a brochure on combating child labour in soccer ball factories in the Sialkot
district of Pakistan. An ILO project running since 1997 has helped significantly in changing the attitudes of parents,
authorities and employers in this district and making them realise how important education is to every child's future. Over 95% of soccer ball
production lines in the area now operate without child labour and over 10,000 young people have been supported in their studies since the project
began. The brochure, available
here, provides more information about this successful
project and offers suggestions for other actions to abolish child labour in other countries or sectors.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
As every year, 28 April 2006 will mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The day aims to focus international attention on promoting and
creating decent, safe jobs and reducing the number of work-related deaths. This year, the ILO will highlight the link between HIV/AIDS, decent work
and working in safety. Click
here to access a report on the ILO website which provides more
information on this issue.
Tripartite events will be held across the world to mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work. In Belgium, the ILO, together with Belgium's
three trade union confederations, will take part in a commemoration of the Bois du Cazier coal mining disaster in Marcinelle (south of Charleroi),
on the morning of 28 April.
Migration for better development
At an interregional dialogue session for Africa and Europe organised by the ILO in Brussels on 4-6 April 2006, 70 high-level government officials
and leaders of African and European employers' and workers' organisations examined ways of making labour migration contribute to integration and
development. The meeting was the culmination of a three-year programme, supported by the European Union, involving research, regional tripartite
meetings and the development of interregional partnerships. This ILO/EU programme has already led to the adoption of new legislation in several
African countries and the creation of tripartite migration mechanisms in 12 countries.
The participants in the interregional dialogue adopted a roadmap containing recommendations aimed at fostering joint actions by governments and social
partners in Africa and Europe. In particular, they aim to advance ratification of ILO Conventions, boost worker mobility within Africa and enhance
training opportunities in countries of origin in order to better meet domestic and international needs. The meeting's conclusions can be viewed by
clicking here.
Global Report on Child Labour
The second Global Report on Child Labour, produced as a follow-up to the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, will be
launched on 4 May 2006 in 10 capital cities, including Brussels. After years of global campaigning and efforts to mobilise civil society, this report
provides an overview of the child labour situation in the world, reviews the progress made, outlines the main challenges still to be overcome, lists
action required and sets realistic objectives for the total elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Further information about this report
will be provided in next month's newsletter.
Scheduled meetings
Please
click here for a list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2006 and 2007.
Contact us
For more information on the ILO's activities, please contact the :
ILO Brussels
Rue Aimé Smekens 40
B -1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 02 736 59 42
Fax: +32.02 735 48 25
E-mail: brussels@ilo.org
Website : www.ilo.org/brussels
