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GB.270/STM/2/1
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Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings and Related Issues |
STM |
SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Effect to be given to the recommendations of sectoral meetings
(a) Tripartite Meeting on the Effects of New Technologies on
Employment and Working Conditions in the Hotel,
Catering and Tourism Sector
(Geneva, 12-16 May 1997)
1. The Tripartite Meeting on the Effects of New Technologies on Employment and Working Conditions in the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Sector was held in Geneva from 12 to 16 May 1997, under the chairmanship of Ms. B. Dunkak (Government, United States).
2. The Meeting had before it a report entitled New technologies and working conditions in the hotel, catering and tourism sector, prepared by the International Labour Office.(1)
3. The Meeting unanimously adopted the following conclusions and resolutions:
(a) conclusions on the effects of new technologies on employment and working conditions in the hotel, catering and tourism sector;
(b) resolution concerning enterprise and employment creation in the hotel, catering and tourism sector;
(c) resolution concerning future ILO activities in the hotel, catering and tourism sector;
(d) resolution concerning the sexual exploitation of children and child labour;
(e) resolution concerning the development of sustainable tourism and resulting employment;
(f) resolution concerning freedom of association in the hotel, catering and tourism sector.
4. These texts, together with a summary of the proceedings of the Meeting, appear in the Note on the Proceedings, which is appended. The conclusions and resolutions call for the following action by the ILO.
5. In paragraphs 20 to 26 of the conclusions the Meeting outlines the role it wishes the ILO to play. It stresses that the ILO should make provision for the material and human resources commensurate with the importance of the sector and the issues it faces. As follow-up activities, the conclusions point to priority areas for ILO assistance, including technical cooperation and advisory services concerning human resources development, training -- including management training -- and productivity enhancement. The Meeting also requests the Office to carry out research on labour-management relations and the technical development of the sector, and to disseminate the results. The Office should also become the prime repository of statistics on employment and working conditions in the sector and analyse and disseminate them; it should promote the image of the sector and undertake studies of its potential and disseminate the results. In view of the rapid expansion of the sector, including the increase in small and medium-sized enterprises, and of the rapid change in its technical procedures and corresponding management methods, the Meeting calls on the Office to continue its research activities on the social consequences of new technologies in the sector and to disseminate information on "best practices" embracing the use of new technology to develop innovative methods of providing training. Despite the Employers' initial and continuing opposition to the Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (No. 172), the Office should, if requested, examine the obstacles to further ratifications and suggest appropriate action, including the organization of tripartite meetings at the national and regional levels.
6. In the resolution concerning enterprise and employment creation in the hotel, catering and tourism sector, the Governing Body is invited --
1. to call on member States --
- to create and/or restore the economic and social environment appropriate to the creation of enterprises and employment in the hotel, catering and tourism (HCT) sector; this includes appropriate fiscal, monetary and flexible scheduling policies to ensure the stability of the economic environment, particularly in respect of inflation, interest and exchange rates, taxation and employment and social stability;
- to formulate and implement the necessary educational and human resource policies for their citizens which will enable them to utilize technology efficiently and effectively as a means to generate more, better and highly productive jobs;
- to adopt measures to develop and strengthen a culture which encourages individual initiative, enterprise creation, productivity, quality, good labour relations as defined in the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98), and the Workers' Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135), and fair social practices;
- to create an environment that recognizes the need for businesses to be provided with fair tax policies, legislation and regulation so that they can be competitive in the local, national and global market-places and can provide rewarding employment opportunities;
- to pursue the development in society of entrepreneurial attitudes, with particular emphasis being given to professional and managerial skills;
- to request the Director-General to work and cooperate with the World Tourism Organization and other international organizations, where appropriate, in the following areas of activity:
(i) training of managers and workers in the HCT sector;
(ii) studies on employment flexibility in enterprises and its impact on job creation and quality of employment in the HCT sector;
(iii) studies, research and statistics relating to enterprise and job creation in the HCT sector;
(iv) national and subregional seminars on enterprise creation and job opportunities in the HCT sector.
7. The resolution concerning future ILO activities in the hotel, catering and tourism sector invites the Governing Body --
1. to restore to the HCT sector its former importance within the Organization and to allocate to it sufficient material resources and a staff complement of five experienced professionals in the programme and budget of the International Labour Organization;
2. to include the following item on the agenda of the next scheduled tripartite meeting: "Identifying the needs of all forms of training in the HCT sector as a result of globalization";
3. to request the Director-General --
a. to publicize, through the intermediary of member States and the workers' and employers' organizations concerned, the conclusions and resolutions adopted by this meeting and previous tripartite meetings;
b. to request the governments of member States, when they are sending out information for future tripartite meetings and examining follow-up on the conclusions and resolutions of the present meeting, to consult the workers' and employers' organizations concerned;
c. to encourage women's participation in activities and meetings organized by the International Labour Organization;
d. to continue to cooperate with intergovernmental and employers' and workers' organizations so as to address problems relating to the HCT sector;
e. to conduct a study on the informal sector that includes a definition of this sector and covers its impact on the HCT sector.
8. The resolution concerning the sexual exploitation of children and child labour invites the Governing Body --
1. to request the Director-General to continue and improve cooperation between the ILO and all other international organizations, particularly the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, active in preventing and combating child prostitution and child labour;
2. to appeal to member States --
a. to devote particular attention to this question and involve the workers' and employers' organizations in discussions and activities designed to eradicate child prostitution;
b. to help the industry to put an end to businesses engaged in the sexual exploitation of children;
c. to support the ILO's work against the sexual exploitation of children and to appeal to donor countries to increase resources for this purpose, particularly in the framework of the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC);
d. to be represented at the International Labour Conference in 1998, where a new Convention on child labour will be on the agenda.
9. The resolution concerning the development of sustainable tourism and resulting employment invites the Governing Body --
1. to encourage member States and, if need be, employers' and workers' organizations --
a. to promote HCT-sector development policies that are compatible with protection of the cultural and natural environment;
b. to support tourism development initiatives focusing on nature (such as "green" tourism and eco-tourism);
c. to encourage enterprises in the sector to develop practices in respect of environmental protection and the use of natural resources;
d. to organize public awareness and educational activities for the employers and workers concerned with environmental protection in the HCT sector;
2. to request the Director-General --
a. to continue to include environmental issues in ILO activities, coordinating these activities and cooperating with other groups as appropriate, and to ensure that these are compatible with the requirements of sustainable development;
b. to undertake surveys on the relations between the environment, employment and training in the HCT sector, and encourage the exchange of relevant information between ILO constituents;
c. to provide developing countries with advice on general policy, consultation services and technical assistance in the field of the working environment, sustainable development and training in environmental issues.
10. The Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings and Related Issues may wish to recommend that the Governing Body authorize the Director-General to communicate the Note on the Proceedings containing the texts mentioned in paragraph 3 above --
(a) to governments, requesting them to communicate these texts to the employers' and workers' organizations concerned;
(b) to the international employers' and workers' organizations concerned;
(c) to the international organizations concerned.
11. The Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings and Related Issues may wish to recommend that the Governing Body request the Director-General to bear in mind, when drawing up proposals for the future programme of work of the Office, the wishes expressed by the Meeting in paragraphs 20-26 of the conclusions and in the relevant parts of the resolutions.
Geneva, 14 October 1997.
Points for decision:
Paragraph 10;
Paragraph 11.