ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N°. 4/2007
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2.2 million deaths in the workplace… most of which are avoidable
"Safe and Healthy Workplaces - Making Decent Work a Reality" is the theme the ILO has adopted for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work
on 28 April. In a report published to mark the event, the ILO estimates that 2.2 million people die each year in accidents or as a result of
illnesses connected with their work. Over 270 million workers are also injured at work and almost 160 million suffer from an illness caused by
their professional activities at any one time. In addition to the human tragedy, the estimated cost of this suffering is 4% of the world's gross
domestic product, or 20 times total development aid. The ILO report and several other occupational health and safety tools are available on the
ILO site devoted to the World Day on 28 April, which can be accessed by
clicking here.
The ILO stresses that most of these accidents could be avoided and urges member states to ratify the new Convention adopted in 2006
(Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention available
here) and other conventions covering this issue. It has been proven that good labour
inspection and constructive social dialogue are among the best ways to prevent accidents and illnesses. The ILO is working across the world to
boost these resources. This is true, for example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the ILO, with the support of the Belgian government,
has recently launched a major project for good governance in the mining sector in Katanga. One of the main objectives of the project is to
improve health and safety conditions that are particularly bad in artisanal mines. Particular efforts will be made to boost the labour inspection
services and consolidate social dialogue to promote better conditions at mines in Katanga.
New report on discrimination at work
The ILO will publish its new world report on discrimination at work on 10 May. This report, carried out as part of follow-up to the ILO Declaration
on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, will be presented during a conference organised by the ILO at the Residence Palace in Brussels. This
is the most comprehensive document available on the subject and contains references to more than 170 countries or regions. The study reviews progress
made over the past four years in the fight against discrimination, identifies new types of discrimination and notes that certain forms of
discrimination affecting millions of people persist despite efforts to banish them. We will outline the key points contained in the report in the
next Newsletter.
In France, 80% of job applicants from a foreign background face discrimination
An article published on the ILO site provides a typical example of work-related discrimination.. It reports on a test survey carried out in France
under the auspices of the ILO into discrimination during recruitment procedures. During the survey, the ILO tested 2,440 vacancies via test candidates.
All of the applicants were French nationals and had very similar career paths, the only distinction between them being different names. Results:
in almost four cases out of five, applicants from metropolitan France were chosen over applicants with a North African or Sub-Saharan African
background. Almost 90% of discrimination is registered before the employers even go to the effort of inviting the two test applicants to an
interview. The survey is available (in French)
here and the article
here.
The ILO has already carried out discrimination surveys in other countries, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, and occasionally had a significant
impact. In Belgium, for example, the ILO study in the mid-1990s led to the implementation of anti-discrimination campaigns by the three large trade
union federations and the development of a code of practice by the employers federation for its members. Administrative anti-discrimination measures
were adopted at regional and federal levels. Special training courses on discrimination were run by the labour inspection department and the research
results also led to changes in national legislation.
New film on child labour in Europe launched
A new ILO video on child labour in Central and Eastern Europe will be launched in Brussels on 8 May in cooperation with the European Parliament,
in the Parliament Building. This film is a shortened combination of four other films on child labour made by the ILO in Albania, Moldova, Romania
and Ukraine. Agriculture and construction are two of the main sectors where children are exploited in these four countries, but many other commercial
activities (such as shoe manufacturing) are also concerned as well as criminal activities (e.g. drugs trafficking and petty crime) and sexual
exploitation (prostitution and pornography).
ILO Governing Body
The Governing Body, the ILO's executive body, met between 8 and 30 March. It considered the joint review by the ILO and the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) on trade and employment (available
here). Mr Lamy, WTO Director-General, addressed the ILO Governing
Body stressing that this review presents an impartial overview of the relationship between trade and employment. Mr Somavia, ILO Director-General,
noted that the joint review could be a very useful source for tripartite dialogue at national level and thus contribute to a tripartite consultation
on trade negotiations.
The Governing Body considered the situation in several countries where the application of international ILO Conventions is often weak. With regard
to Myanmar, despite the fact that forced labour is often used, the Governing Body welcomed the additional Understanding signed in February 2007
between the ILO and the government of Myanmar. This should establish a mechanism for victims to seek redress without fear of reprisals (click
here for further information on this subject). In the case of Belarus,
the Governing Body urged the government to abandon the current bill on trade unions and to review its entire labour legislation in full consultation
with all the social partners in order to fully guarantee the right to organise both in law and in practice. The Governing Body also approved the
latest report of the Committee on Freedom of Association, drawing special attention to the extremely worrying cases of Djibouti and Zimbabwe.
A press release on the work of the last ILO Governing Body meeting is available
here.
New information site about micro-insurance
STEP, an ILO programme to tackle social exclusion and poverty and promote the extension of social protection across the world, has just created an
information site about micro-insurance, GIMI - Global Information on Micro-insurance. It offers a wealth of documents and resources (guides, notes)
that will facilitate the creation, management and monitoring of micro-insurance systems and create opportunities for professionals to exchange
information and collaborate. In return, GIMI will draw on experience gained in the field to offer new expertise. You can access the site by
clicking here.
New publication
The following recent ILO publication may be of special interest to our readers:
The evolving world of work in the enlarged EU. Progress and vulnerability
By François Eyraud and Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead
2007, ix+582 pp. ; ISBN 978-92-2-119547-4 ; €50
This study provides information on trends in all important elements of the world of work in the enlarged EU27: employment contracts, working time
and work intensity, wages, training, health and safety, social dialogue and workers' participation and work-family balance. It shows that
unemployment, increased competition and the shift of the European Union (EU) from 10 to 27 Member States have had a significant impact on
employment and working conditions in the EU. It notes that, on the one hand, innovations on the labour market (such as a greater diversity of
contracts and working time) facilitate entry to and exit from the labour market. On the other hand, however, they have created new risks, in
particular for women, immigrants and younger and older workers. According to the study, most of the jobs being created in Europe are in the
sectors that are the least regulated, such as the retail sector and personal services, which primarily have negative implications on young people.
You can order a copy of the study by
clicking here.
Scheduled meetings
Please
click here for a list of scheduled ILO meetings in 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
