News

• May 2013

  • ILO Director-General's statement on International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia
    17 May 2013. On International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, says the ILO is stepping up efforts to eradicate workplace discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Ksenia Yudaeva: Russia has chosen the right priorities for its G20 Presidency
    13 May 2013. Ksenia Yudaeva, Chief of the Presidential Experts Directorate and the Russian G20 Sherpa, talks to journalists on the third Sherpas' Meeting held in St.Petersburg on May 11-12.
  • Kazakhstan’s labour minister explains pension system modernization process
    8 May 2013. At the meeting with workers of Ust-Kamenogorsk’s poultry farm and public at large Kazakhstan’s Labour and Social Protection Minister Serik Abdenov told about the republic’s comprehensive plan of employment support for people over 50 years of age or the so-called Initiative 50+.
  • Putin signs into law creation of work concils
    8 May 2013. On May 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law amendments to Article 22 of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation.
  • Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013 (PDF, 55 Kb)
    8 May 2013. Youth jobs’ gains wiped out by slow recovery.
  • Methodology for assessing decent work to help improve working conditions in Armenia
    7 May 2013. The Decent Work Country Profile presented in Yerevan on May 7 will help improve working conditions in Armenia, said Tadevos Avetisian, the head of the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry’s labour and employment department.
  • Georgia’s parliament adopts in first reading amendments to Labour Code
    7 May 2013. On May 7 the Georgian parliament adopted in the first reading amendments to the Labour Code. They will protect workers from groundless layoffs and will help reduce the number of jobless in the country.
  • Five Russian citizens awarded the title Hero of Labour
    1 May 2013. Vladimir Putin awarded Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation medals and title certificates to five Russian citizens for their outstanding achievements in state and public work and their big contribution to Russia’s socioeconomic development, including in production, transport, construction, science, culture, education, and healthcare.

• April 2013

  • ILO calls for urgent global action to fight occupational diseases (PDF, 74 Kb)
    28 April 2013. According to a new ILO report, prevention is key to tackling the growing number of work-related diseases, which claim an estimated 2 million lives per year.
  • Our goal is to ensure safe labour
    25-26 April 2013. On April 25-26 Astana hosted the third Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition KIOSH-2013.
  • Crisis shockwaves reverberate in European public sector (PDF, 36 Kb)
    24 April 2013. The public sector in many European countries has been hit hard by the economic crisis, leading to big cuts in spending, jobs and wages. ILO Senior Economist, Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, analyses the impact on the public sector, of policy responses to the crisis.
  • Kazakhstan to join OIC labor ministers at Baku conference
    22 April 2013. Kazakhstan is to participate in the 2nd Conference of Labor Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries in Baku on 24 April.
  • Confederation of Labour of Russia developing migration strategy
    16 April 2013. On April 16 Moscow hosted a conference on management, representation and protection of labour migrants’ rights and trade unions’ experience and prospects. It was organized by the Centre for Social and Labour Rights, the Confederation of Labour of Russia and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF).
  • Confidence can be restored in Europe, ILO says
    11 April 2013. In a move to restore confidence in jobs and growth in the region, the 9th European Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization adopted the Oslo Declaration.
  • Jobs for youth: what works
    10 April 2013. “Young people have borne the brunt of the crisis and there is a real risk of a lost generation,” said one of the European labour ministers taking part in a discussion about youth unemployment during the ILO's 9th European Regional Meeting in Oslo. The sentiment was echoed by all his colleagues.
  • ILO Director-General urges closer cooperation between IMF, EC and ILO
    9 April 2013. Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Guy Ryder, called for closer cooperation between the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and the ILO, recognizing their “different policy goals, since they are all legitimate.”
  • Crisis puts European Social Model to serious test
    8 April 2013. The 9th European Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO) opened here today with an urgent call for effective employment and social policies that can achieve growth and competitiveness with good jobs.
  • Ten million more unemployed in Europe than in 2008
    8 April 2013. There are over 10 million more jobless people in Europe now than at the start of the crisis, according to a snapshot of the European labour market released by the International Labour Organization.
  • One labour market, one labour law?
    By Miguel Ángel Malo, senior economist at the ILO’s International Institute for Labour Studies
    5 April 2013. There are many occupations that can be found both in the public and private sectors. It’s the case of nurses, doctors and teachers, for example.
  • Half of Russia’s employable population employed in shadow economic sector - minister
    3 April 2013. Half of Russia’s employable population are engaged in the shadow sector of the economy, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said on Wednesday.
  • 9th ILO European Regional Meeting: Agenda and accreditation information
    2 April 2013. The International Labour Organization will hold its 9th European Regional Meeting (ERM) focused on “Jobs, growth and social justice” in Oslo on 8-11 April.
  • Nearly 300 thousand women in Kazakhstan unemployed
    2 April 2013. Currently, 286 thousand women in Kazakhstan are unemployed, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Serik Abdenov told journalists on Tuesday.

• March 2013

  • ILO and Russian oil giant LUKOIL in talks to promote youth employment
    28 March 2013. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder met with Mr. Vagit Alekperov, President of Russian oil company LUKOIL on 28 March 2013, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation under the partnership agreement that was signed by the ILO and LUKOIL in December 2012, at a joint Russian Federation and ILO International High-Level Conference on Decent Work.
  • Rescue operation in Kuzbass mine underway
    27 March 2013. The search and rescue operation is conducted in the Osinnikovskaya emergency mine in the Kemerovo Region, the fate of the four miners remains unknown, the press service of the regional department of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM) told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
  • The Business 20 employment task force meets in Geneva
    26 March 2013. The Business 20 Task Force on Job Creation, Employment and Investments in Human Capital meeting was convened in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 26, to discuss the task force's recommendations for the G20 Leaders.
  • The Civil 20 will present in Moscow its recommendations on labour and employment
    19 March 2013. On March 21, 2013 the Public Chamber will host a round table discussion of the Civil 20 recommendations for the G20 on labour and employment.
  • Engaging youth is vital for the G20
    15 March 2013. Ksenia Yudaeva, Chief of the Presidential Experts Directorate and the Russian G20 Sherpa, noted that the key focus of Russia's Presidency of the G20 was cooperation with various social groups, in particular with Youth 20, Business 20, Civil 20 and Labour 20.
  • Tajik agency logs 500 missing migrant workers
    14 March 2013. Over 500 migrant workers from Tajikistan's northern region of Sughd have officially been announced missing as at today.
  • Kazakh Deputy PM: Retirement age for women to be increased gradually
    12 March 2013. "It is planned to increase the retirement age for women in Kazakhstan gradually from 2014," Deputy Prime Minister Kairat Kelimbetov announced during the presentation of the draft law "On pensions provision in the Republic of Kazakhstan" in the new edition of the Majilis of the Parliament.
  • Deputy Labour and Social Protection Minister Alexei Vovchenko held talks with ILO Deputy-Director General Sandra Polaski
    6 March 2013. On March 6 Russian Deputy Labour and Social Protection Minister Alexei Vovchenko held talks with ILO Deputy-Director General Sandra Polaski.
  • ILO Governing Body to discuss global crisis response
    5 March 2013. The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization starts on 6 March with the aim of discussing, among other issues, how employment and social policies can lead to a coordinated recovery from the global crisis.
  • G20 Sherpas' Meeting was held in Moscow
    4 March 2013. On March 3-4, 2013 the Second Sherpas' Meeting was held in Moscow within the framework of Russia's G20 Presidency. During the meeting Sherpas discussed the main outcomes of the first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, which had been held on February 15-16, 2013.
  • Tajikistan becomes 159th member of WTO
    2 March 2013. Tajikistan has become a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• February 2013

  • France ratifies the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006)
    28 February 2013. On 28 February 2013, the Government of France deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006).
  • Development Working Group Meeting was held in Moscow
    27 February 2013. The first Development Working Group Meeting within Russia's Presidency was held on February 26-27, 2013 in Moscow (Russia). The representatives of the G20 Ministries and Official Development Assistance Agencies, as well as experts from the international organizations attended the meeting.
  • New Labor, Migration and Youth Minister of Kyrgyzstan appointed
    27 February 2013. Aliyasbek Alymkulov was appointed the acting Labor, Migration and Youth Minister of Kyrgyzstan, official website of the Kyrgyz government reported.
  • Kazakh government approves blueprint for youth policy till 2020
    26 February 2013. The Kazakh government approved a blueprint for state youth policy till 2020 at a meeting today.
  • Rosstat: January unemployment equals 6%
    25 February 2013. The unemployment rate in Russia equaled 6% in January (excluding seasonality), while employment (the ratio between the employed and the total number of economically active population) equaled 64.2%, the Federal Statistics Service reported, tallying results of sampling surveys of the public about employment problems.
  • ILO publishes the annual report on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations 2013
    25 February 2013. International labour standards are universal instruments adopted by the international community and reflecting common values and principles on work-related issues.
  • Russian expert: G20 should listen to the anti-crisis initiatives of the President of Kazakhstan
    25 February 2013. Members of "Big Twenty" should listen to the anti-crisis initiatives of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
  • Russia's Putin invites Kazakh leader to attend G20 summit
    24 February 2013. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has received a personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in a G20 summit, the Kazakh president's central communications service has said.
  • A strategic alliance for youth employment
    22 February 2013. During a meeting of ILO development partners in Geneva on 22 February 2013, the ILO presented a portfolio of proposed technical cooperation projects to build support and partnerships to tackle the youth employment crisis.
  • Russia has introduced a number of initiatives to the G20 employment agenda
    22 February 2013. On February 21-22, 2013 the first Task Force on Employment Meeting was held in Moscow within the framework of Russia's G20 Presidency.
  • The Task Force on Employment Meeting opened in Moscow
    21 February 2013. The Russian G20 Sherpa and Chief of the Presidential Experts' Directorate Ksenia Yudaeva in her welcoming remarks emphasized that employment is one of the key topics among the Russian Presidency's priorities and that many G20 Leaders pay special attention to this issue.
  • Ksenia Yudaeva: Creation of high-quality jobs is a common task for the G20 members
    21 February 2013. Welcoming the participants of the Task Force on Employment Meeting, Ksenia Yudaeva, Chief of the Presidential Experts' Directorate and the Russian G20 Sherpa, reassured that the issue of employment is a crucial one for Russia's G20 presidency.
  • Russia Invites G20 Leaders to St. Petersburg Summit
    20 February 2013. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday issued an official invitation to the G20 heads of state and government to participate in the St. Petersburg Summit, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
  • Message by ILO Director-General on World Day for Social Justice
    20 February 2013. Global economic recovery hangs in the balance. Tipping that balance towards sustainable growth and development means tackling social injustice.
  • Workers strike in Kazakh west to demand pay rise, cut in foreign staff
    20 February 2013. Over 150 workers of the ship-building limited liability partnership Keppel Kazakhstan are striking in Aktau (administrative centre of Mangistau Region in western Kazakhstan) for a second day now.
  • The list of countries and international organizations invited to take part in the 2013 G20 summit has been announced
    20 February 2013. Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov announced today that Vladimir Putin signed invitations for heads of state and government of the Group of Twenty nations and the heads of a number of other countries and international organizations to take part in the G20 summit in St.Petersburg.
  • Putin Asked to Pardon Millions of Illegal Immigrants
    20 February 2013. The head of the Federation of Immigrants in Russia, Muhammad Amin Madzhumder, has requested that President Vladimir Putin grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants working in the country's shadow economy, Izvestia reported Wednesday.
  • Kyrgyzstan introduces pension payment cards
    19 February 2013. Social Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic continues changing the pension payment process from cash to bank cards payments. This was announced today by Sabira Abdyrakhmanova, Head of the Analysis and Pension Payment Reporting Department, at a press conference.
  • Kyrgyzstan to make first payments from funded component of pensions
    19 February 2013. The first payments from the funded component of pensions will be made in Kyrgyzstan, Rakhatbek Pirmatov, Head of the Agency on the State Pension Savings Fund said today at a press conference.
  • 64.5% of Armenian budget was formed by transfers from Russia in 2012
    19 February 2013. Armenians transferred $1.69 billion from foreign countries to Armenia in 2012, which means a transfer drop of $140.3 million (9.1%), compared with 2011, News.am reports.
  • EU to allocate €1.9 billion to Eastern Parnership's members
    19 February 2013. The European Union will allocate €1.9 billion to the members of the Eastern Parnership project, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
  • Russian Deputy Labour Minister: for the first time the G20 program includes Joint Labour and Finance Ministers Meeting
    18 February 2013. On February 21-22, 2013 Moscow will host the first session of the G20 Task Force on Employment during Russia's G20 presidency. Representatives of the G20 task forces - Labour 20, Business 20, Civil 20, experts of the OECD, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank will also take part in discussing the issues of labor and employment.
  • Bodies of 17 miners lifted to surface at Vorkutinskaya mine
    17 February 2013. The bodies of seventeen miners who died in a methane blast at Vorkutinskaya mine early on Monday have been raised to the surface, Sergei Moiseyev, the mine's chief engineer, told an emergency meeting held by Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov.
  • G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting was held in Moscow
    16 February 2013. The first G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting within Russia's Presidency was held on February 15-16 in Moscow. Main events took place on the 16th of February.
  • Trade unions expand information space
    14-15 February 2013. On February 14-15 a subregional seminar on information campaigns for labour rights organized by the Pan-European Regional Council of the International Trade Union Confederation (PERC- ITUC) took place in the town of Moskovsky.
  • Jobs, social inclusion and growth should top EU agenda
    14 February 2013. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder discusses the priorities of the European Union in the context of his first official visit to Ireland, which holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU
  • International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting took place in Moscow
    13 February 2013. The first IFA Working Group meeting within the Russia's Presidency in the G20 took place on 13 February 2013 in Moscow. The representatives of the G20 Finance Ministries and Central Banks and experts from international financial organizations (IMF, World Bank, OECD, BIS, G24 and others) attended the meeting.
  • Tashpolot Baltabayev: Only way to fight unemployment in Kyrgyzstan is export of human recourses
    11 February 2013. “The only way to fight unemployment in Kyrgyzstan is export of human resources to neighboring or far-abroad countries,” MP Tashpolot Baltabayev said today at panel on discussion of Employment Promotion Draft Law of Kyrgyzstan.
  • ILO: Tougher measures needed to curb forced labour
    8 February 2013.A new ILO report highlights the need for tougher measures to combat forced labour, which claims 21 million victims worldwide – men, women and children coerced into jobs they can’t leave, trapped in debt bondage, trafficked for sexual exploitation and even born into slavery.
  • Tajikistan, Russia ink new migration pact
    8 February 2013. Today a ceremony to sign an agreement between Tajikistan and Russia on the conditions of the presence of Tajik citizens in Russia was held in Moscow.
  • ILO Director-General discusses development agenda with UN Secretary-General
    7 February 2013. In his first official visit to the United Nations, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his senior staff to discuss the role of the Decent Work Agenda in the post-2015 development framework.
  • Sattar Mehbolliyev re-elected as chair of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation
    6 February 2013. On February 5 Sattar Mehbolliyev was re-elected as chair of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan at the confederation’s fourth congress.
  • Tajikistan's population reaches eight million - news agency
    6 February 2013. Tajikistan's population reached eight million, the privately-owned Tajik news agency Avesta reported on 6 February.
  • Young leaders from the G20 countries will take part in the Generation 2020 platform of the tenth annual Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum 14-16 February 2013
    4 February 2013. During the meeting, entitled "Open Future: How to Manage Development", young leaders will discuss preparations for the Y20 Russia 2013 summit and share the experience of their authorities' implementing the principles of openness and transparency.
  • Skills mismatches hurt job creation prospects
    4 February 2013. Several developed economies are seeing increasing numbers of job vacancies but their unemployment rates are not going down. In some cases, they are even rising.

• January 2013

  • Not all remittances sent by labour migrants to Tajikistan - minister
    31 January 2013. Not the entire amount of remittances are sent by labour migrants, the Tajik minister of economic development and trade, Sharif Rahimzoda, said at a news conference on 29 January.
  • Russia plans to ratify ILO Safety and Health in Mines Convention
    29 January 2013. On January 29 the Russian government’s law making activity commission supported a draft federal law on ratification of the ILO Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (No. 176) submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.
  • PM submits document on creation of work councils to Duma
    29 January 2013. On January 29 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev submitted a bill on the creation of work councils in companies to the State Duma for consideration, the government’s press service said.
  • Ksenia Yudaeva: Now it is time for the G20 to pay attention to the initiatives aimed at improving the economies’ performance
    29 January 2013. Nowadays an outsider might have an impression that the G20 is losing relevance, while in 2008 after the most severe phase of the financial crisis it seemed to be at the heart of the global economy stabilization strategy.
  • Abelgazi Kussainov elected as new chair of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan
    28 January 2013. On January 28 the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a meeting of the General Council.
  • Over 800 oil workers reportedly go on strike in Kazakh west
    26 January 2013. Over 800 workers of the SiBu engineering drilling company in western Kazakhstan went on strike today. They are demanding a pay rise.
  • Republic of Bashkortostan signs Decent Work Programme
    25 January 2013. On January 25 the Republic of Bashkortostan signed the Decent Work Programme. Signatures under the document were put by the republic’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Rauf Nugumanov, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Amirkhan Samirkhanov, and president of the republic’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yuri Pustovgarov.
  • Children working at Apple's suppliers
    25 January 2013. Apple has discovered multiple cases of child labour in its supply chain, including one Chinese company that employed 74 children under the age of 16, in the latest controversy over the technology giant's manufacturing methods.
  • Jobs crisis is far from over, warns ILO chief
    25 January 2013. Stressing the urgent need to tackle the employment crisis, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, has warned that there can’t be any real growth without jobs.
  • All pension funds in Kazakhstan to merge: President
    23 January 2013. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested creating a single pension fund at the Government's meeting on Wednesday.
  • Kazakhstan introduces dual education: PM
    23 January 2013. More than 100 colleges across Kazakhstan are to introduce a dual education system, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov declared at the Government's meeting dedicated to results of the year 2012 and the implementation of the "Kazakhstan-2050" Strategy on Wednesday.
  • Italy ratifies the Domestic Workers Convention
    22 January 2013. The Government of Italy deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). Italy is the 4th ILO member State and the first EU member State to ratify this instrument which seeks to improve the working and living conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide.
  • Uncertainty lets global unemployment rise again
    22 January 2013. Global unemployment rose in 2012 after falling for two straight years and could further increase in 2013, the International Labour Organization has warned in a new report.
  • ILO Director-General's presentation of the Global Employment Trends 2013
    21 January 2013. Guy Ryder provided an overview of the scope of the Global Employment Trends 2013, followed by some of the key findings of the ILO report on trends and policies
  • Rise of middle-class jobs in the developing world could spur growth
    21 January 2013. 390 million additional “middle class” workers projected by 2017, but 1.5 billion workers remain either poor or near poor
  • Putin names economic results in 2012 "relatively satisfactory"
    16 January 2013. Russian President Vladimir Putin named the economic results in 2012 as "relatively satisfactory". The Russian president has made a statement to this effect at a meeting devoted to economic issues at the Kremlin on Wednesday.
  • Kazakhstan raises social payment for disabled by 16 per cent
    16 January 2013. Government social payments for disability and survivors' benefits were increased in Kazakhstan starting from 1 January 2013.
  • Migration Service Chief Made a Cabinet Minister
    15 January 2013. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday making the head of the Federal Migration Service a federal minister, signaling that the service's powers will likely be expanded.
  • ILO Chief: Less austerity, more investment needed to tackle youth jobs crisis
    11 January 2013. International Labour Organization chief Guy Ryder has called for less austerity and more investments to promote a jobs recovery at a time when the youth employment crisis threatens to scar “the very fabric of our societies”
  • Finland ratifies the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
    10 January 2013. On 9 January 2013, the Government of Finland deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006).
  • Minister says 4,500 HIV-positives logged in Tajikistan
    10 January 2013. The number of HIV infected people in Tajikistan was 4,500 by the end of 2012, Health Minister Nusratullo Salimov told a news conference today.
  • More than 52 million domestic workers worldwide (PDF, 42 Kb)
    9 January 2013. Millions of domestic workers around the world remain excluded from protection enjoyed by other workers, says a new ILO report.
  • Tajik parliament's lower house ratifies agreement on WTO admission
    9 January 2013. The Assembly of Representatives (lower house of parliament) of Tajikistan during its regular session in Dushanbe today ratified the agreement on the admission of Tajikistan to the World Trade Organization [WTO].
  • Kazakhstan raises pensions by 9 per cent
    4 January 2013. Pensions in Kazakhstan increased by 9 per cent as of 1 January 2013. The official media today published the government's decree to this effect, which was signed by Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov on 25 December 2012.

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