ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N°. 1/2006
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All maritime Conventions brought together in one comprehensive Convention
An international Labour Conference devoted to the maritime sector will be held on 7-23 February 2006 in Geneva with the support of the European
Commission. Its aim is the unprecedented task of adopting a comprehensive international Convention to consolidate almost all maritime labour
Conventions and Recommendations currently in force (over 60 texts) and set out the conditions for decent work in the increasingly globalised
maritime sector. In view of the large number of maritime Conventions and the fact that they are usually very detailed, it has so far been difficult
for governments to ratify and apply all these standards, especially since many of them are out of date and no longer correspond to the working
conditions and life on board vessels. Many of these Conventions have only been partially ratified.
The new Convention must apply across the globe, be easy to understand, simple to up date and implemented in the same way. It is due to become
the 'fourth pillar' of the international maritime regulation by complementing the fundamental Conventions of the International Maritime Organisation.
The countries that are going to ratify the new Convention will no longer be bound by the existing Conventions once the new Convention enters into
force. Those countries that are not going to ratify the new Convention will remain bound by the Conventions they have ratified. Click
here to find out more about the Conference.
'Flexicurity' at Lego
In Denmark, a flexible labour market, broad social security and professional retraining form the building blocks of a model called 'flexicurity'.
The model helps to keep the unemployment rate in Denmark at 4.7%, just half of the average rate in the euro zone. It requires a high level of
flexibility: each year, some 30 percent of Denmark's workers change jobs, a rate outpaced only by the United States and Britain. At over 5% of
the country's GDP, Danish expenditures on labour market policies are also the highest in the European Union.
An ILO article,
available here provides further details on the model using the example
of the toymaker Lego which signed an agreement in November 2005 with trade unions and the local employment office to retrain some workers for jobs in
the service sector.
Clémenceau's final voyage, a symbol of unfair globalisation
The dispatch of the asbestos-laden aircraft carrier 'Clemenceau' from France to the world's largest ship graveyard on India's west coast has
focused new attention on the human and environmental dangers inherent in ship breaking. Breaking ships and selling the scrap and hardware from
retired vessels provides work and income for tens of thousands of people in Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan. However, the work can cause
deaths as well as serious health problems, especially due to exposure to hazardous substances such as asbestos, the number one carcinogen in the
world of work. According to the ILO, 100,000 people die each year from work-related asbestos exposure.
Moving the risks elsewhere runs counter to the aim of fair globalisation that offers opportunities for everyone. Although the use and production
of asbestos has been forbidden in the 15 old Member States of the European Union and is soon to be banned in the new Member States, the ILO thinks
that it will prove to be a 'time bomb' in the developing countries in 20 to 30 years' time. An article and an interview published on the ILO website
take stock of the situation, you can read them by clicking
here and
here respectively. The ILO Safe Work programme also contains a
wealth of information on ship breaking. You can read it by
clicking here.
Forced labour and sexual exploitation in Germany
The ILO has recently published a new piece of research on human trafficking for forced labour and sexual exploitation in Germany.
The document, available by
clicking here, examines the main sectors in which
trafficked persons are exploited: the sex industry; domestic service, agriculture, the restaurant industry and so on. It also reviews issues
such as the role of private intermediaries, demand-related aspects, the role of the authorities and the role of the unions in helping victims.
The research was conducted by the ILO's Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour. This piece of research, like other research conducted
on the same topic in other countries (Russia, France, Albania, Moldova etc.), aims to prepare the ground for actions against forced labour and
trafficking, in both the countries of origin and destination.
Health and safety to achieve decent work
The proceedings of the Conference on 'Fair Globalisation – Safe Workplace, Policies, Strategies and Practices for Sustainable Development',
which was held on 24-26 October 2005 in Düsseldorf, are now available on the ILO website by
clicking here.
The documents illustrate how the promotion of health and safety at work and the strengthening of labour inspectorates throughout the world help
to achieve the goal of decent work for all.
A new guide on collective bargaining
Collective bargaining has been fundamental to the ILO since it was founded in 1919. A new guide explains how countries can foster collective
bargaining by ratifying and applying ILO Collective Bargaining Convention No. 154. It sets out the main elements of the Convention, the ways
of promoting collective bargaining and how the ILO can help to support its application. The guide is available by
clicking here.
New publications
The following recent ILO publications may be of special interest to our readers:
- Yearbook of Labour Statistics 2005 – 64th edition
2005, xvi+1555 pp.; ISBN 92-2-017247-X; €180
Since its first edition in 1935-36, the Yearbook of Labour Statistics has become established as the world's leading work of statistical
reference on labour questions. The data comes from a large range of authoritative sources in about 190 countries. It is organised in nine
main chapters: economically active population, employment, unemployment, hours of work, wages, labour cost, consumer prices, occupational
injuries and strikes and lockouts. You can place an order for a copy of the publication by
clicking here.
- Occupational wages and hours of work and retail food prices - Statistics from the ILO October Inquiry 2005
2005, 246 pp.; ISBN 92-2-016580-5; €50
This volume presents the latest results of the worldwide ILO October Inquiry on wages and hours of work in 159 occupations in 49 industry
groups and on the retail prices of 93 food items (conducted with reference to the month of October each year).You can place an order for a
copy of the publication by
clicking here.
Scheduled meetings
Please
click here for a list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2006.
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
