ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N° 10/2007
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Juan Somavia visits Luxembourg
The Director-General of the ILO, Juan Somavia, made an official visit to Luxembourg on Monday 15 October 2007. He was invited by Luxembourg's
Minister of Labour and Employment, François Biltgen. During his visit, Mr Somavia took part in a public conference where he discussed the issue
of the link between financial policy and decent work.
In the context of the globalisation of financial markets, the growing tendency towards speculative investment – as opposed to productive investment –
poses a real threat to sustainable development. Director-General Somavia said that
"efficient financial markets are necessary for a modern, open and global economy to work properly. In principle, these markets make it possible
to direct savings into the most productive and innovative investments, which will be profitable in the long term." He added,
"Today we need to ask ourselves whether we want an imbalanced globalisation, based on the 'financialisation' of the economy, or a balanced
globalisation, based on a social market economy?"
Click here to read the Director-General's speech on this
subject (in French).
During their meetings, Mr Somavia and Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, examined possible strategies for encouraging financial
markets to take greater responsibility within the framework of a coherent international policy on economic and social development, which would
also make it possible to create decent work for everyone. During the Director-General's visit, Luxembourg announced its intention to step up
considerably its cooperation with the ILO from 2008 onwards.
ILO, World Bank and buyers cooperate on the Better Work programme
The ILO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the private sector arm of the World Bank Group – have entered into a partnership with
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to lead an international buyers’ consultative forum for their joint global Better Work programme.
This programme aims to improve working conditions and competitiveness in world production processes. Better Work is currently piloting projects
in three countries (Jordan, Lesotho and Vietnam) with the cooperation of workers' and employers' organisations. These projects will directly
benefit more than 800,000 workers by evaluating how companies respect labour standards in factories and by training people and developing their skills.
Click here to read the
ILO's press release on the project, or
here to read an interview
with Ros Harvey, the director of the Better Work programme.
BSR is a non-profit-making organisation and a leader in the field of corporate social responsibility. Its members include 250 of the biggest
global investors. It has already worked with the ILO and the IFC in Cambodia on the Better Factories Cambodia project, which was the inspiration for
Better Work.
What is the situation with the Southern European social model?
A recent study by the ILO focuses on the social model in Southern Europe, a concept that captures important similarities across the four
Mediterranean countries of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. It shows that despite considerable efforts to catch up with Northern European
welfare, education and training levels, these four countries still face important challenges, such as persistent labour market segmentation
and stronger reliance on the family for social protection.
Click here to read this study.
Review of CSR in the electronics sector
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been around for a long time in sectors such as textiles and toys, but it is relatively new to
electronics. A recent ILO study examines CSR in information and communications technology companies, focusing in particular on how brands
work towards improving conditions of work in their supply chains. One conclusion drawn by this study is that although the brands do make
efforts to improve working conditions, they pay less attention to analysing what they could alter in their own operations to help their
suppliers to do the same. The analysis focuses in particular on initiatives implemented by three brands known across the world (Hewlett
Packard, Philips and Sony Ericsson).
Click here to read this study.
Social security for everyone
Only one in five people in the world has adequate social security coverage. In an interview (available
here), Michael
Cichon, Director of the ILO's Social Security Department, reviewed the situation and described measures which could be taken to extend social
security to all. Among other things, he explains that growth does not in itself constitute a solution for the poorest people, and that social
security mainly contributes to social cohesion, which is a prerequisite for any long-term investment. A certain degree of willingness is required,
but, as Mr Cichon said in the interview, "If we can send Coca-Cola cans to the remotest villages, we should also be able to deliver a pension".
For more information on the ILO's activities in the field of social security, visit the website of the global programme STEP (Strategies and
Tools against social Exclusion and Poverty) by
clicking here.
Multinationals and global employment
The internationalisation of production entails significant changes for global employment, especially as far as relocations are concerned.
As multinationals play an important role in these developments, the ILO has conducted a new study on the employment situation they have
created in the world, from both a qualitative and a quantitative point of view. This study examines recent trends and uses them to make
long-term projections. To better define these developments, the importance of foreign direct investments in capital flows and employment
in export processing zones are also analysed.
Click here to read the study.
From the employers’ side
The ILO's Bureau for Employers' Activities is holding a symposium on labour and social aspects of global production systems in Geneva
from 17-19 October. Its main focus will be issues for business, dealing in particular with the role of business associations, how global
production systems contribute to decent work and their effects on the regulatory framework of global economic life.
Click here to see the programme and introductory
notes for this event.
Employers may also be interested in the video-interview with Daniel Funes de Rioja, the Vice-President of the International Organisation of
Employers, in which he explains how employers are encouraging social dialogue with workers and governments in support of decent work. You can
watch the video by
clicking here.
Did you know?
In the Benelux countries, the ILO sells its publications through three distributors. They are:
- Belgium and Luxembourg:
Editions et librairie Academia-Bruylant
29 Grand Place
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
E-mail: promotion@academia-bruylant.be
Tel: +32(0)10 45 23 95
Fax: +32(0)10 45 44 80
- Netherlands:
Roodveldt Import BV
50 Nieuwe Hemweg
1013 CX Amsterdam
Tel: (+31 20) 622 8035
Fax: (+31 20) 625 5493
E-mail: info@roodveldt.nl
www.roodveldt.nl
De Lindeboom Internationale Publicaties BV
20A M. A. de Ruyterstraat
7482 BZ Haaksbergen
Tel: (+31 53) 574 0004
Fax: (+31 53) 572 9296
Email: books@delindeboom.com
www.delindeboom.com
Scheduled meetings
Click here for a list of meetings scheduled by the ILO for the
rest of 2007 and for 2008.
Scheduled meetings
For a list of ILO meetings scheduled in 2007, please
click here.
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
