ILO LIAISON OFFICE – BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER NO. 7-8/2004
New partnership between ILO and the European Union
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia joined EU Commissioners Nielson and Dimas on 16 July 2004 to sign a partnership
agreement for sustainable development. This new agreement should enable the two institutions to shore up cooperation
in strategic priority areas such as promoting core labour standards, combating child labour, consolidating
infrastructure and frameworks for social dialogue, promoting decent work for all, migration issues and corporate
social responsibility. The agreement is based on the values and objectives shared by the ILO and the EU, specifically
in terms of developing social justice and establishing a fair social dimension within the process of globalisation
of the economy.
Click here to read the press
release on this agreement.
Streamlining standards in the maritime sector
A Preparatory Technical Maritime Conference will be held from 13-24 September in Geneva. The Conference will be studying
a draft Consolidated maritime labour Convention which it hopes
to adopt at the 94th session (maritime) of the International Labour Conference scheduled to take place in Autumn
2005. The agenda for this preparatory conference is extremely important since the proposed Consolidated Convention
would replace virtually all maritime labour conventions adopted since 1920. It will push for measures to guarantee
fair conditions for all countries and shipowners desiring decent working conditions for their seamen.
Click here to view the
draft Consolidated maritime labour Convention.
AIDS will kill 48 million workers by 2010 unless something is done about it
The XV International AIDS Conference held in Bangkok from 11 to 16 July was an opportunity for the ILO to present
its new world AIDS report. The report gives the first ever forecast of the potential global impact of AIDS on the world
of work: 36.5 million people of working age are living with HIV, and by 2005 the total number of workers to have died
from AIDS since the pandemic began will have risen to 28 million. The ILO estimates that if no headway is made in terms
of access to treatment, this number will rise to 48 million by 2010, and to 74 million by 2015. The ILO is at the
forefront of the fight against AIDS since its unique tripartite system enables it to do what no other international
organisation can - mobilise workers, employers and governments in order to reach the very farthest-flung corners of
the world of work, to provide them with essential care and distribute information on how to halt the spread of the disease.
For more information on the role of the ILO in treating HIV/AIDS in the workplace,
click here to read the interview with
Franklyn Lisk, Director of the ILO Global Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work, or
click here to visit the programme's website.
Click here to download a
training manual on Implementing the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work in PDF format. The manual
is aimed at employers, workers and governments.
Social dialogue to improve health
The ILO considers access to healthcare a fundamental right. But if people are to be able to enjoy this right in the
real world, the working conditions of healthcare staff need to be improved because healthcare services around the
world are crying out for more human,
material and financial resources. Excessive working hours, low wages, and violence against staff are all serious
problems which pose a threat to the health of patients. According to a recent ILO publication, closer cooperation
between workers, employers and governments would benefit not only healthcare staff but also their patients. Entitled
Social dialogue in the health services: A tool for practical guidance, the publication was compiled following a joint
meeting on healthcare services held in Geneva at which participants formulated a number of recommendations on social
dialogue. The publication is essentially a manual describing the context of social dialogue within the sector and
guides negotiators and coordinators through the various stages of the process, from analysis and preliminary action
right through to implementation and evaluation.
Click here to view the manual,
or to read an article on this topic published in the ILO's World of Work magazine,
click here.
How to reconcile work and family life
The year 2004 marks the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family. The ILO has taken this opportunity
to highlight the problems faced by individuals with family commitments when they wish to start and hold on to a job or
earn a decent living.
To this end, the ILO has compiled a new report entitled How are workers with family responsibilities
faring in the workplace? (
Click here). The report highlights
the changes that have taken place during the 20th century which have led to problems in terms of care for children left
at home alone, the increasing number of women in paid employment, and the rural exodus (and the resulting loss of direct
contact with the extended family). Workers in six countries were interviewed (Botswana, the United States, Honduras,
Mexico, Russia and Vietnam) and their comments help to illustrate the importance of the ILO Convention (no. 156) on
workers with family responsibilities, which was adopted in 1981 but has, to date, been ratified by only 36 countries.
New publications
The following recent ILO publication may be of special interest to our readers:
Security in Ports. Code of Practice
2004, xvi+48 pp., ISBN 92-2-215286-7, €15
This code of practice, compiled jointly by the ILO and the International Maritime Organisation, sets out a number
of useful guidelines for reducing the threat that crime can pose to ports. In particular, it sets out the
responsibilities and tasks of port security officers and details measures to deter, detect and punish crime
committed in ports. These measures pertain to all port activities and to all individuals in the ports sector,
whether they work there or use them. The code also gives tips on how to ensure that security measures are as
effective as possible. An illustration based on real-life examples is given of the process of evaluating the level of
security at a port, and a sample port-security plan is also included.
To order the code
click here.
Schedule of meetings
Click here for a list of planned ILO meetings
in 2004 and 2005.