News and articles

April 2015

  1. Luc Cortebeeck, President of the Workers’ Group: “The right to strike has been recognized and the ILO supervisory mechanism is back in operation”

    13 April 2015

    The 323rd session of the ILO Governing Body has just finished in Geneva. In this interview, President of the Workers’ Group Luc Cortebeeck discusses the outcomes achieved at this session, in particular on the issue of the right to strike. He also talks about the solutions the trade unions have in mind for the protection of vulnerable workers and the expectations of the Workers’ Group for the forthcoming discussions on transitioning from the informal to the formal economy due to take place at the International Labour Conference in June 2015.

January 2015

  1. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of ITUC: What challenges for Unions in 2015?

    26 January 2015

    In 2015, the international trade union movement will face several challenges. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), expresses her views on these challenges -- in particular the right to strike and Global Supply Chains that will be discussed at the ILO in 2015 and 2016.

July 2014

  1. Interview with Sam Gurney, Governing Body Workers'Spokesperson (MNE Segment)

    22 July 2014

    Sam Gurney, ILO's Governing Body Workers' Spokesperson (MNE Segment) explains the increasingly important role multinational entrerprises (MNEs) play in today's globalized economy and underlines the importance of the new follow-up mechanism to the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) adopted by the ILO Governing Body in March 2014.

June 2014

  1. Luc Cortebeeck, President of the Workers’ group: “We have to strengthen ILO… “

    23 June 2014

    The 103rd Session of the International Labour Conference drew to a close on 12 June 2014, in Geneva. In this interview, President of the Workers’ Group of the Governing Body Luc Cortebeeck shared his views on several issues debated during the session, such as forced labour, the transition from informal to formal economy, migration and unemployment. He also set out the workers’ position with regard to the work of the Committee on Application of Standards and appeals for ILO to be strengthened through social dialogue and tripartism.

  2. ILC 2014: WFTU views on the right to strike

    17 June 2014

    During the 103rd session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva from 28 May to 12 June 2014, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expressed its views about the right to strike.The following video hightlights statements made by George Mavrikos, General Secretary of WFTU and Pr. Maximos Aligisakis from University of Geneva.

  3. ILC 2014: Closing remarks by Takaaki Sakurada, Worker vice-president

    12 June 2014

    Closing remarks by M. Takaki Sakurada, Worker Vice-president of the 103rd session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva from 28 May to 12 June 2014.

March 2014

  1. Workers’ Group pays tribute to trade unionist Marc Blondel

    17 March 2014

January 2014

  1. Challenges and opportunities for trade unions in 2014

    27 January 2014

    Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), discusses achievements of the global trade union movement in 2013 and new challenges coming up this year. She stresses the role of the ILO in the fight for workers’ rights and says what she expects from the ITUC Congress in May 2014 in Berlin.

November 2013

  1. Interview with Luc Cortebeeck, Chair of the Workers’ Group of the ILO Governing Body

    11 November 2013

    The 319th session of the ILO Governing Body recently drew to a close in Geneva. Tackled at this session were several issues concerning the economic crisis in Europe, workers’ rights and international migration. In this interview the Chair of the Workers’ Group, Luc Cortebeeck, looks at the main points covered at this session, held in Geneva on 17-31 October 2013.

April 2013

  1. Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association: interview with Yves Veyrier, workers’ spokesperson

    03 April 2013

    The 317th session of the Governing Body adopted the latest report of the Committee on Freedom of Association. Yves Veyrier, the workers’ spokesperson on this Committee, fills in some details of the results obtained by the unions, on the issue of the right to strike and the application of the Committee’s decisions and recommendations.