News and articles

November 2017

  1. © Roberto Maldeno 2022
    How to promote decent work and workers’ rights in export processing zones

    20 November 2017

    This week, ILO headquarters in Geneva is hosting a meeting of experts to promote decent work and protection of fundamental principles and rights at work for workers in export processing zones (EPZs). ILO News spoke with Vic van Vuuren, Director of the ILO Enterprises Department to find out more about the event and EPZs.

December 2015

  1. Symposium on Global Supply Chains: What are the main conclusions?

    18 December 2015

    Decent Work in Global Supply Chains was the topic of the workers’ symposium organised by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV) from 15th to 17th December 2015. In this interview, Claude Akpokavie, Senior Adviser highlights the main conclusions emerging from this symposium.

  2. Global Supply Chains: What are the experiences from Africa?

    18 December 2015

    Decent Work in Global Supply Chains was the topic of the workers’ symposium organised by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV) from 15th to 17th December 2015.The following is an interview with Ms. Hilma Mote from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) who expresses her views about the challenges and opportunities for Unions to implement Decent Work in Global Supply Chains in Africa.

  3. Global Supply Chains: What are the experiences from Asia and Pacific?

    18 December 2015

    Decent Work in Global Supply Chains was the topic of the workers’ symposium organised by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV) from 15th to 17th December 2015.The following is an interview with Felix Anthony, President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for the Asia-Pacific who expresses his views about the challenges and opportunities for Unions to implement Decent Work in Global Supply Chains.

  4. Global Supply Chains and Public Sectors

    16 December 2015

    Decent Work in Global Supply Chains is the topic of the workers’ symposium organised by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV) from 15th to 17th December 2015. The following is an interview with Rosa Pavanelli, General Secretary of the Public Services International (PSI) who discusses the possible ways to implement Decent Work in Global Supply Chains particularly for the Public sectors.

  5. Towards Decent Work in Global Supply Chains

    16 December 2015

    Decent Work in Global Supply Chains is the topic of the workers’ symposium organised by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV) from 15th to 17th December 2015.The following is an interview with Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) who expresses her views about the challenges and opportunities for Unions to implement Decent Work in Global Supply Chains.

  6. The challenges of Decent Work in Global Supply Chains

    14 December 2015

    The ILO’s Bureau for Workers ‘Activities (ACTRAV) will organize a symposium on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains from 15th to 17th December. ACTRAV Director Maria Helena André discusses the challenges linked to this topic, particularly for the trade union movement.

January 2015

  1. Claude Akpokavie, Senior ILO Adviser:“Engaging in policy debates and organizing workers, are two key challenges faced by unions in Export processing zones”

    09 January 2015

    The Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ILO-ACTRAV) has just published a Trade Union Manual on Export Processing Zones (EPZ). In this interview, Claude Akpokavie, ACTRAV’s focal point on EPZ explains the main lessons highlighted in the manual and the role of trade unions in EPZ.

September 2014

  1. Free Trade Zones: What are the challenges for Workers in Sri Lanka?

    26 September 2014

    Following the Global Dialogue Forum on Wages and Working Hours in the Textiles, Clothing, Leather and Footwear Industries held in Geneva from 23 - 25 September 2014, Anton Marcus, Joint Secretary of Free Zones and General Services Employees Union, explains the challenges facing by workers in Free Trade Zones in Sri Lanka. He also underlines the role of ILO to improve social dialogue and collective bargaining in Sri Lanka.

April 2013

  1. Defending Workers' rights in Export Processing Zones-Difficult but possible

    25 April 2013

    Globalisation has seen an expansion in the number of export processing zones. The ILO estimates that there are some 3500 zones worldwide, employing at least 66 million workers in 130 countries. These zones have become ghettos of poor working conditions. Workers’ rights are often violated and organising workers into trade unions is very difficult. This video presents the situation of workers in export processing zones and shows that even if organizing workers is difficult, it is possible.