ILO LIAISON OFFICE – BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER NO. 10/2005
Latin America is bearing the financial burden of child labour
The elimination of child labour in Latin America within the next 20 years could generate approximately $340 billion in economic benefit by improving
children's access to universal education and better health care, according to a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO).
The study, produced by the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), claims that the benefits from eliminating child
labour will vastly outweigh the costs involved, which are estimated at roughly $105 billion, to be invested between 2006 and 2025, producing a net
economic gain of some $ 235 billion.
The study, which is available in Spanish by clicking
here is based on data from 19 countries in the region where
there are estimated to be 19.7 million child labourers. To see an ILO press release on the subject, click
here. The ILO estimates the current worldwide total of child labourers of one
description or another at 246 million. Of these, 179 million are exposed to the worst forms of child labour, which jeopardise their physical and mental
health and undermine their moral well-being.
Juan Somavia to receive the Silver Rose Award in Brussels
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia will come to Brussels on 8 November to receive the Silver Rose Award from the Solidar Alliance. The award is bestowed
on people or organisations that dedicate their work to social justice. At a dinner organised by the European Parliament Juan Somavia will receive the
award in recognition of his work on defending the rights and freedoms of workers.
Solidar is an independent international alliance of non-governmental organisations which are involved in social service provision, international
cooperation, humanitarian aid and life-long learning and have historical links with the free and democratic labour and trade union movement.
Employment trends in China
Rapid industrialisation and economic growth in China are having a substantial impact on the employment of Chinese workers. A new document published by
the ILO analyses the consequences, examining the growth in employment, changes in its structure and trends regarding unemployment and wages in China.
It is available by clicking
here.
An idea for action on 1 December?
World AIDS Day takes place on 1 December every year. The ILO has compiled a brochure entitled Know Your Status to help its partners and constituents
take preventive measures at work. The brochure sums up the main issues regarding HIV-AIDS tests (Why take the test? - What is the test? - Before you
take the test - What happens next?) and the key principles underlying them. To consult the brochure, click
here. If you would like to receive printed
copies to use in the context of your activities, please send an email to the following address: andry@ilo.org.
Microfinance to fight unemployment in south-eastern Europe
Experience in Western countries shows that microfinance can be a useful tool in the fight against unemployment. An ILO project is now exporting this
positive experience to Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia – three countries suffering severe unemployment – in a bid to help them introduce microfinance as
a tool in active labour market policy. The aim is to provide start-up capital to prospective entrepreneurs coming out of unemployment. This year - the
International Year of Microcredit - an article dedicated to this project was published in the latest edition of the ILO's World of Work magazine.
To read it, click
here.
Update on debt bondage in India
A new ILO working document takes stock of exploitation in India taking the form of debt bondage. This modern form of slavery, which has
been prohibited under Indian law since 1976, continues to claim numerous victims in southern Asia, including both adults and children.
The document, which is available by clicking
here, runs through the causes of debt bondage, lists
the sectors where it is rife and highlights the measures taken so far to prevent it. It is published by the InFocus Programme on Promoting the ILO
Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Did you know?
The CIS (International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre) Bibliographic Database contains almost 65,000 references to documents on
accidents at work and occupational diseases and on how to prevent them, including legal texts, chemical data safety sheets, training material,
newspaper articles, books and standards. The database can be consulted on the ILO website, where a more user-friendly search engine was recently
installed. To access the database, click
here.
New publications
The following recent ILO publications may be of special interest to our readers:
- The fundamentals of minimum wage fixing
François Eyraud and Catherine Saget
2005, 150 pp.; ISBN 92-2-117014-4; €20
This new ILO study is a crucial tool in the debate on introducing and fixing minimum wages. It focuses primarily on how a minimum wage affects
economic variables such as employment, wage inequality and poverty, and looks into various ways of fixing and implementing minimum wages by drawing
inspiration from the ILO database on the minimum wage situation in around 100 countries (to access the minimum wages database, click
here). Copies of the study can be ordered by clicking
here.
- Positive Action: Reducing poverty through social dialogue. A guidebook for trade unions and employers' organizations
Rosalind Harvey and Chang-Hee Lee
2005, 88 pp.; ISBN 92-2-116151-X; €13
The Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) have sparked off discussion on social and economic policies in developing countries. This guide sets out
to help unions and employers' organisations alike play an active role in drawing up, implementing and evaluating PRSPs. It was based on the ILO's
experience in helping the social partners in several Asian countries, but it could also prove useful for any country concerned by PRSPs. You can order
a copy of the guide by clicking
here and then on the letter P to find the title.
Please note that there is also another ILO guide on the same topic, which focuses on trade union training in this area. This second guide can be
ordered by clicking
here.
Scheduled meetings
Click
here for a list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2005 and 2006.