World Day Against Child Labour: New report highlights plight of children working as domestic labourers Millions of children - there is no fixed number - work night and day outside of their family homes, toiling as domestic child labourers - fetching water, minding infants, cleaning the house or tending the garden. Nearly all are exploited, exposed to hazardous work and subject to abuse. All, without exception, are at risk because of the very nature of child domestic labour. ...
China Employment Forum: Focus on decent work for all At a recent employment forum, China and the ILO adopted a "common understanding" aimed at forging greater cooperation to create more and better jobs as the key to continued development in the world's most populous country. ...
Second Global Report on freedom of association and collective bargaining Freedom of association and collective bargaining are called fundamental rights in the workplace for good reason. These are the rights which make it possible for both workers and employers to join together to promote their interests and to defend other rights. The ILO Constitution upholds these rights, and they are set out in core Conventions. ...
"Do no harm": How social dialogue benefits patients, too Today's under-resourced health services are putting both workers and patients at risk. But with "quick-fix" solutions unfeasible, how to address this global problem? ILO expert Susan Maybud explains how increased cooperation between workers, employers and governments will not only benefit those working in the health services, but their patients as well.
March 2004
Asbestos in the workplace: a difficult legacy Once used nearly universally for its fire-retardant qualities, asbestos - and the illnesses it causes - has become a major issue for the industries which used and produced it as well as individuals who contracted various diseases and cancers as a result of exposure in the workplace. ...
Strangers in a foreign land - Migration's hidden risk: Increased child trafficking In many parts of the world, migration is adding a new dimension to the child labour problem, exposing many children to potential exploitation by traffickers. This article explains how migrants can fall into the trafficking trap and how the ILO is working to stop this worst form of child labour.
International Women's Day 2004 Before women had many rights, they at least had their day. The first recorded National Women's Day occurred in the United States in 1909. A year later, the Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Woman's Day "to honor the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage" ( Note 1). ...
Waiting in Correntes: Forced labour in Brazil In a small, dusty town in Brazil's Piaui State, the "escravos", or modern-day slaves, of Correntes are on the fault lines of forced labour. In this report, the ILO shows how they become ensnared in a trap of debt and coercion - as well as what the ILO, in collaboration with the Government of Brazil, is doing about their plight.
In Quebec, labour-sponsored "Solidarity Funds" are generating jobs The success of the Quebec Federation of Labour Solidarity Fund is founded upon twin objectives. Its main goal is profit, yet the Fund promotes workers' rights, and training and development for employees. Fernand Daoust, former president of the administrative council of the Fund and now special counsellor to the president, explains the vision of a unique organization.
Global Employment Trends 2004: Record joblessness, but relief may be on the way Despite a second-half economic recovery in 2003, global unemployment continued its relentless climb, hitting a new record of 185.9 million for men and women, rising especially sharply for young people. Meanwhile, the number of "working poor" remained at an all-time high of 550 million. A hopeless scenario? Not quite, says a new ILO report.
World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization: Globalization can and must change Can globalization change so its benefits are shared more equitably by people and countries? It not only can change, it must, says a new, groundbreaking report, presented to the ILO by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. The Commission's report says building a fair and inclusive globalization must become a worldwide priority.
"We created jobs...": The forest peoples of Mayurbhanj In two and a half years, an innovative ILO project has helped create well over 2,000 jobs, and pull more than 200 indebted families out of a debt trap. This three-year ILO INDISCO project aims at creating decent employment for tribal peoples in the remote forests of Mayurbhanj in Orissa, India, and is well on its way to becoming a replicable model.
Union "dot orgs" come of age "Am I being paid what I should be, for the work I'm doing?" is a question many people ask but often find difficult to answer. Now, Internet sites dedicated to workplace issues can resolve this and other queries. Writer Andrew Bibby examines how workers and employers are navigating the information highway on bread and butter issues.
A universal challenge: Social security for the world Only one in five people worldwide enjoys adequate social security coverage. Faced with this stark reality, the ILO has initiated a new global campaign to encourage and assist member States to extend social security to all of their citizens. The Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All, reflects a global consensus among governments, employers and workers to take up this challenge. ...
ILO Recommendation 193 one year after: The revival of the cooperative idea This June marked the first anniversary of the ILO's initiative to encourage the idea of cooperative business. ILO Recommendation 193, for the Promotion of Cooperatives, was formally adopted last year at the International Labour Conference. ...
