International Labour Conference Conférence internationale du Travail Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo

Ninety-fifth Session, Geneva, 2006 Quatre-vingt-quinzième session, Genève, 2006 Nonagésima quinta reunión, Ginebra, 2006 Provisional Record – Compte rendu provisoire Actas Provisionales 9

The transcript of statements made in a language other than English, French or Spanish is produced in the language chosen by the country concerned for the purpose of official correspondence with the ILO.

Les interventions prononcées dans une autre langue que l’anglais, l’espagnol ou le français sont transcrites dans la langue choisie par le pays concerné aux fins de la correspondance officielle avec le BIT.

Las intervenciones pronunciadas en un idioma distinto del español, el francés o el inglés se transcribirán en el idioma que el país interesado haya escogido a efectos de su correspondencia oficial con la OIT.

REPORTS OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE GOVERNING BODY AND OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL: DISCUSSION

RAPPORTS DU PRESIDENT DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION ET DU DIRECTEURGENERAL: DISCUSSION

DISCUSIÓN DEL INFORME DEL PRESIDENTE DEL CONSEJO DE ADMINISTRACIÓN Y DE LA MEMORIA Y LOS INFORMES DEL DIRECTOR GENERAL

Original Arabic: Mr. ALSALIM (Minister of Labour, Jordan) supporting and training unemployed persons and enabling them to fill vacancies. In addition, public The Director-General, in his Report for this year employment services were established in coopera- entitled Changing patterns in the world of work tion with the private sector. dealt with one of the most important and pressing In order to promote the participation of women in issues of our times. We agree with the Director- the national economy and their entry into the work- General that, given the changes in the working ing world, in particular the non-traditional fields, world, progressing towards the goal of decent work the Ministry of Labour recently established a divi- requires change in the status quo and the current sion for women workers. approach at the economic, social and political lev- In cooperation with the social partners, efforts are els, and the acceptance of such changes by all social also being made to modernise legislation governing partners. labour relations and the rights and duties of both The important developments in the areas of trans- parties at work, in accordance with international port and telecommunications, as well as the eco- standards, in order to establish an equitable relation- nomic openness dictated by the rules of globaliza- ship between the two parties. tion and free trade require, more than at any other A programme aimed to build the capacity of the time, the establishment of rules to safeguard decent social partners and promote social dialogue in cur- work as an important element of national, regional rently being carried out in cooperation with the In- and international strategies. ternational Labour Organization; the project should At this stage of economic and social change, the facilitate the creation of the Jordanian economic and importance attributed to human rights at work in the social council, which would provide a forum for the framework of international standards is a key factor social partners to express their views in respect of in ensuring stability and security in the labour mar- different issues freely and in a democratic setting. ket. On the other hand, for many countries, creating With regard to social protection, we currently employment opportunities in itself is often the work on expanding social security coverage to the greatest challenge, especially in developing coun- informal sector and domestic workers; with regard tries. Therefore, more attention must be placed on to maternity protection, we explore the possibility training and employment programmes with a view of creating a maternity fund to finance, together to providing the necessary jobs. with employers, the costs incurred by the rights of In this context, Jordan has embarked on the im- women workers. plementation and financing of programmes, in co- We face many other challenges, which require operation with private sector institutions, aimed at considerable efforts. These include, in particular,

9/1 the issue of labour migration; the restructuring of security has been replaced by a single institution, vocational training to meet the needs of a globalized and the right to social protection with equal condi- world and changed labour market situation; and ca- tions and coverage and quality has been granted to pacity-building within the Ministry in different ar- all workers without discrimination. With this re- eas to ensure that it can respond effectively to la- form, a general health insurance system will also be bour market requirements, especially with regard to initiated covering all residents in Turkey. These labour inspection and employment. aspects of the reform indicate that the aim of the In the area of child labour, Jordan has long been radical changes made in the social security system working on identifying the true reasons for chil- is not only to ensure financial sustainability, but dren’s presence in the labour market, with ILO sup- also to make it more effective, equal and compre- port, with a view to finding workable solutions to hensive. this problem. Programmes to curb child labour and Turkey joined the Youth Employment Network in the relevant international standards articulated in the January 2006. Thus, national policies and strategies Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No.138) and the to create employment opportunities for youth are Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 hoped to be implemented in the near future with the (No.182), which Jordan has ratified, provide a collaboration of the ILO and the World Bank. framework for such efforts. Turkey has taken a rightful place among the coun- Jordan, like many other countries, is concerned tries showing progress in the implementation of in- about the situation in the occupied Arab territories ternational labour standards in the fields of child and the high levels of unemployment and poverty, labour and equal treatment. I am pleased to note that considering the problems that impede finding solu- Turkey is also among the countries which have rati- tions. We are aware that the situation in the labour fied the International Convention on the Protection market is linked with the political situation, but we of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members consider that the responsibility of the international of Their Families; enhanced social dialogue oppor- community in the regard should not be limited to tunities; tackled the informal economy through so- such considerations. In order to ensure social secu- cial dialogue; and improved working conditions in rity in these territories and improve the standard of certain economic sectors by ratifying new interna- living, urgent measures must be taken to create de- tional conventions. cent employment opportunities. The EU-funded project Technical Assistance for Original Turkish: Mr. BASESGIOGLU (Minister for Labour and Strengthening Social Dialogue for Innovation and Social Security, Turkey) Change in Turkey has been initiated this year with the cooperation of the ILO International Training I would like to commend the Director-General, Centre in order to strengthen social dialogue institu- Mr. Somavia, for his excellent Reports submitted to tional capacities. the Conference. The Director-General’s Report, As regards legislation regulating freedom of asso- Changing patterns in the world of work, encom- ciation and industrial relations, consultations with passes a range of significant issues which we, as the social partners are continuing in order to finalize constituents committed to transforming the ideal of work for bringing it up to date. decent work into reality on both national and global In the face of globalization, as we are aware of the levels, cannot afford to overlook, but will continue necessity to first create more and better jobs in or- to reflect upon and discuss over the coming years. der to achieve the decent work goal within the con- Intensification of global competition following text of the ILO social dimension of globalization, trade and financial liberalization stimulated by in- this autumn we will host an ILO subregional con- formation technologies; the open market economy; ference for south-eastern European countries, invit- production and distribution processes internation- ing the relevant ministers of Albania, Bosnia and ally, as a multinational enterprise is spread over Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, the Repub- several communities; and labour markets shaped by lic of Moldova, Romania, The former Yugoslav foreign direct investments is causing a debate over Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, the role of the State. However, the creation of posi- and Slovenia, to exchange views and share experi- tive implications of these changes, a reduction in ences on designing and implementing policies in the poverty and inequalities in the distribution of in- field of emerging new patterns of work and em- come and improvement of living and working con- ployment strategies. ditions can only be possible through the regulatory We consider worth noting the proposals and find- role of the State. ings in the conclusions of the meticulously prepared Combating poverty and achieving the MDGs are Report, The situation of workers of the occupied also the priority goals of my country, as is the case Arab territories. We hope that the conditions in the for other countries. region will improve in the direction of ensuring a Drivers of change, as mentioned in the Director- lasting peace and in the observance of the ILO prin- General’s Report, have also affected my country ciples that are valuable to all of us. deeply, and, as a consequence, a radical reform of In my concluding remarks, I would once again labour law was made in 2003 by changing the La- emphasize the importance that my country attaches bour Act completely through social dialogue. A le- to the work of the International Labour Conference gal framework required by the world of work in and extend my highest regards to all of you. Turkey has been established by introducing new provisions regarding flexible working modalities, as Sr. FUNES DE RIOJA (empleador, Argentina) well as provisions ensuring job security. Es un honor para mí, en nombre de la Organiza- Radical reforms have also been made very re- ción Internacional de Empleadores y como Presi- cently in the field of social security in Turkey. The dente del Grupo de los Empleadores de la Confe- social security system has been reassessed and re- rencia, saludarlo a usted por su designación y co- structured with a holistic approach. Hence, existing mentar la Memoria del Director General titulada segmentation in the institutional structure of social Cambios en el mundo del trabajo.

9/2 Para nosotros es satisfactorio constatar que la Ofi- mento de un ambiente propicio para la creación de cina reconoce en este documento que el mundo del empresas, las microfinanzas, la economía informal, trabajo está cambiando, y que continuará haciéndo- la inspección y administración del trabajo, la pro- lo. Las empresas y nuestras organizaciones vivimos ductividad y la competitividad. Esos temas alenta- día a día ese cambio y debemos ser capaces de tra- rán la inversión, la inversión con empleo que an- ducirlo en oportunidades, oportunidades no sólo helamos. para nuestras empresas sino también para nuestros También debe quedar claro que el trabajo decente trabajadores. y los derechos laborales sólo pueden existir en la Muy frecuentemente, el cambio se percibe como medida en que exista el empleo productivo, y ello algo negativo. Como algo que debe ser temido. requiere la implementación de enfoques y políticas Como algo que debe ser frenado. Pero ésta no es la que alienten la generación de empresas y su susten- visión que necesitamos para hacer frente a los retos tabilidad, así como el claro respeto del derecho a la de hoy y a las transformaciones a las que aspiramos propiedad y la libre iniciativa. Atendiendo a los te- para el bien común. El cambio es hoy constante y mas que afectan al mundo real del trabajo la OIT rápido: para lograr ser partícipes activos del mismo, aportará, seguirá aportando, un mayor valor agrega- nosotros los miembros de esta Organización necesi- do para el mundo que viene. tamos buscar nuevas respuestas y nuevas ideas. El Las relaciones entre la Organización y otras orga- mundo de hoy ya no se entiende con las respuestas nizaciones internacionales serán más claras en la de ayer. medida en que precisemos y nos limitemos a nues- El Presidente de la Conferencia nos ha hecho refe- tro mandato. Debemos participar, eso sí, en el am- rencias particulares a ello en el día de hoy. El Direc- plio debate del desarrollo, ofreciendo respuestas tor General también ha marcado parte de sus desafí- efectivas fundadas en nuestras realidades, en las os. realidades nacionales, y contribuyendo así al logro La globalización ha dado y está ofreciendo a la de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio relativos OIT una oportunidad de reafirmar su relevancia, a la reducción de la pobreza, sin olvidar el impor- sobresaliendo en el propio ámbito de su mandato y tante papel que desempeñan las empresas en la so- destacándose por ello del resto de las agencias de ciedad. desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas, ya que el empleo Los resultados de la reforma de la Conferencia In- productivo está en el centro de toda estrategia de ternacional del Trabajo examinada por el Consejo crecimiento económico. de Administración son cruciales para reafirmar la Al mismo tiempo que el mundo empresarial cons- relevancia de la Organización. Debemos dejar de tata el gran potencial que la OIT tiene en el mundo lado las confrontaciones ideológicas y preguntarnos globalizado, observamos con preocupación tantos con toda sinceridad si nuestras actuales estructuras intentos por sacar lo social de nuestros espacios tri- de gobernanza contribuyen o no a encauzar a la OIT partitos para llevarlo a otros foros, como también por el camino deseado. Para ello hemos iniciado a algún intento para llevar a la Oficina más allá del nivel tripartito un diálogo sobre estos temas, pero es ámbito de su mandato. Sin embargo, insistimos en necesario no dejar pasar esta oportunidad para que que la fuerza de la OIT reside en dar respuesta a las de forma creativa exploremos nuevas maneras de necesidades e intereses de todos sus mandatos y en fortalecer el gobierno de la OIT y, por tanto, hacer a el marco de nuestro mandato especifico en lo social, la misma más eficiente y más responsable en sus y por ello los empleadores tenemos la legítima ex- acciones. pectativa de que estas prioridades sean plenamente Antes de terminar quisiéramos realizar un breve incorporadas en las actividades de la Casa. comentario sobre el Informe del Director General Sr. Presidente, quiero señalar que valoramos pro- relativo a la situación de los trabajadores en los te- fundamente los programas nacionales de trabajo rritorios árabes ocupados. Compartimos la preocu- decente, los cuales habrán de ser indudablemente el pación del Director General y, tal como lo hemos vehículo a través del cual la OIT dará respuestas hecho en el Consejo de Administración, exhortamos concretas y adecuadas a las necesidades y realida- una vez más a los donantes a que apoyen las activi- des específicas de cada país. Por ello, debe garanti- dades de cooperación técnica y muy especialmente zarse la participación y el compromiso de los acto- hacemos un llamamiento a los nuevos gobiernos de res sociales en la definición de dichos programas. Israel y de la Autoridad Palestina para que avancen La discusión general sobre la cooperación técnica en beneficio de todos los pueblos hacia la resolu- que está teniendo lugar durante esta Conferencia ción del conflicto. Por nuestra parte, los interlocuto- resulta altamente oportuna. La cooperación técnica res sociales estamos preparados para apoyar toda es el medio de acción más importante de la Organi- iniciativa a este respecto. zación. En este sentido, lamentamos constatar que, Finalmente, seguimos convencidos de que el prin- con excepción del programa IPEC, existe una dis- cipal objetivo es fortalecer a la OIT en los años ve- minución en los recursos disponibles para su im- nideros, y dicho objetivo sólo será logrado en la plementación. Debemos revertir esta tendencia. medida en que trabajemos conjuntamente trabajado- Como empleadores esperamos que nuestras priori- res, empleadores y gobiernos, hacia las metas co- dades sean prioridades también para la totalidad de munes que nos fijemos y, para ello, no dudamos de la Oficina. Por tanto, las organizaciones empresaria- que hemos de contar con el decidido apoyo de la les deberían recibir el beneficio de la cooperación Oficina, reforzando, como el Director General ha técnica no sólo a través de ACT/EMP, cuyos recur- expresado hoy, el papel de los actores sociales. Ese sos son limitados, sino también del resto de los de- es nuestro desafío, ese es nuestro compromiso. partamentos técnicos y basados en necesidades con- Muchas gracias. cretas y prioritarias para nuestra Organización y los Mr. TROTMAN (Worker, Barbados) mandantes tripartitos. En particular, necesitamos desarrollar programas The word is out, but the news is not good. If we en temas clave, tales como la promoción del espíritu did not know before we now have the finding that: empresarial, la creación de nuevos negocios, el fo- “Current patterns of growth are not generating

9/3 enough decent jobs to meet the growth in the global properly points out that these CSRs, as we call labour force and the need to reduce current levels of them, embrace a wide variety of initiatives, includ- unemployment and working poverty.” This is the ing companies’ codes of conduct intended to guide summary of our Director-General in his analysis of managers’ behaviour on employment issues. the changing patterns in the world of work, which These initiatives are generally well intentioned the Workers’ group commends as an excellent and, where they are well intentioned, are to be probe into these issues related to the world of work, commended. The Report, however, stops short of which may easily spell the difference between na- the required full treatment. It fails to say that these tional and international growth, development and CSRs are frequently unilaterally determined for the stability on the one hand, and decline, division and express purpose of avoiding the collective bargain- deprivation on the other. ing exercise and full recognition of the fundamental The Report could easily be read and put aside as principles and rights at work, as detailed by the being merely a document to start this year’s debate. ILO. Where we can have CSRs pursued and arrived In our view, that would be a major mistake. We be- at by consultations with workers’ representatives, lieve that it has value well beyond the here and and faithfully adhering to the principles covered by now. Our Workers colleagues do not see it as a dis- our ILO Conventions as their minimal point of de- cussion item for this Conference alone, we see it as parture, then our group may continue to support a reference text for workers’ organizations all over them. the world in their strategizing about their future. The ILO’s task ought to be to examine these And we make bold to say, equally candidly, that CSRs and to provide information to the Governing employers’ organizations and national governments Body of their text and their import, as well as to will find it equally useful. guide where necessary regarding how they could be We do not wish to convey the impression that we made compatible with our global standards. are in agreement with everything in the Director- We are pleased to see that the Report has dealt General’s Report, quite the contrary. But it is a so- with one of the most critical matters facing the ber and a sobering analysis, which should permit world of work, that is the informal sector. Quite each of us to locate our country or our enterprise or clearly, more work has got to be done, but the Re- industry and to reflect on how we may start a useful port recognizes that organization has to be brought strategy to renew, refocus or simply to reinforce. to the sector. Our group knows that workers’ or- The world could do with other reports like this one. ganizations have to enfold these workers within our Regrettably, we are limited in the scope of our re- ranks and governments have to supply the necessary sponse and will be able to touch only a limited infrastructure, including storehouses for products, number of issues, not the least of which is the ac- roads for transport, equipment and machinery, pref- ceptance that a driver of change in the world of erably on a cooperative basis, basic education, vo- work should be greater reliance on markets and a cational training and professional advice. The Di- correspondingly reduced role for the State. Some rector-General is absolutely correct where he as- may believe this, but for us this remains a fallacy, a serts, and I quote: “breaking out of informality onto myth perpetuated by those who would relieve us not a developmental trajectory in which increased pri- only of our proverbial cloak, but of our coat also. It vate and public sector investment feeds into the is the basis for the crisis the world finds itself in creation of decent work opportunities is the single regarding growth without development and em- biggest challenge for labour market governance ployment. The State must reassert itself if we will worldwide”. avert this crisis. I have not finished but I have to close. And I have On the positive side we should note that the Re- to close by taking note of the advice given by the port draws our attention to the extent of poverty Report to accept, nurture and utilize the institution among rural workers, the continuing large shift out of social dialogue as a more healthy, productive and of agriculture, the low productivity levels that are a sustainable form of labour market interaction. My becoming graver every year, the low earnings in group believes that this Report should be carried jobs in the informal sector, the deprivations associ- forward for further study and the distillation of ac- ated with those earnings and the resulting crisis in tion programmes by the Governing Body. international labour migration. These are all labour Sr. ANDRADE LARA (Ministro del Trabajo y Previsión Social, problems which go to the heart of our global strat- Chile) egy for poverty eradication and of the ILO’s decent work country programmes. El Gobierno de la Presidente Michelle Bachelet se It is, however, evident that we do not fully under- ha propuesto una agenda social ambiciosa que pone stand the true extent of the problems which cause al centro dos objetivos muy consistentes con las women and men to uproot themselves from the vil- metas impulsadas por la Organización Internacional lages of their ancestral homelands and to brave the del Trabajo. Por un lado el fortalecimiento de un unknown in search of “decent work.” What we do gran sistema de protección social que acompaña a know is that it is not for the purpose of viewing the chilenas y chilenos desde sus inicios hasta su térmi- historic or cultural sites of their destination coun- no, y por otro lado, la decidida promoción del traba- tries. The Report is right to bring this matter so viv- jo decente. idly before us and to challenge us, all of us, to rec- Uno de nuestros logros más recientes es la apro- ognize that it is a global problem that will only be bación en el Congreso Nacional de la ley que regula solved globally. la subcontratación y el suministro de trabajadores, Another very interesting issue raised by the Direc- de modo de asegurar la protección de los principios tor-General is the matter of global production sys- y derechos fundamentales en el trabajo de más de tems and the culture they are bringing to the world un millón y medio de personas que se desenvuelven of work. Among the many things which one may bajo esas modalidades y, además, eliminar las odio- address here, we must treat the matter of corporate sas discriminaciones entre trabajadores de primera, social responsibility. The Director-General’s Report segunda y tercera categoría. Se trata sin duda de un

9/4 avance en nuestro proceso de consolidación demo- política y un efectivo diálogo social para hacer via- crática expresado en el plano laboral. bles las reformas. Con ello honramos los compromisos contraídos Finalmente, no puedo dejar de mencionar los en el seno de esta organización y también el com- grandes esfuerzos que estamos haciendo en pro de promiso de noviembre de 2005 en la Cumbre de las la equidad de género en nuestro país en todos los Américas, que reafirmó el trabajo decente como ámbitos y con un énfasis especial en materia labo- principal estrategia en materia de desarrollo para ral. Desde ya, el signo más fuerte que estamos dan- nuestros países, lo que hace posible conciliar dina- do al respecto es contar con la primera mujer Presi- mismo económico con protección social, aumentos denta de la República en nuestro país y con el pri- de productividad y gobernabilidad social y política. mer gabinete paritario de América Latina. A ello se Ahora bien, no pretendo entregar en esta interven- agrega una política de empleo con un fuerte acento ción una imagen autocomplaciente de nuestro país, pro mujer y pro jóvenes. Y una serie de medidas pues tenemos conciencia de que en algunos planos tendientes a facilitar la incorporación de la mujer al tenemos logros importantes pero también rezagos mercado de trabajo y a evitar todo tipo de discrimi- que nos preocupan. Así por ejemplo, la propia Me- nación, ya sea en materia salarial u otras. Todo ello moria del Director General da cuenta de los signifi- tiene un fuerte significado cultural en un continente cativos avances logrados por Chile en lo que respec- como el nuestro, tan proclive al machismo. Consti- ta a la erradicación del trabajo infantil, lo cual ha tuye, sin duda, un signo de esperanza. implicado un trabajo multisectorial que incluyó la Original Russian: Ms. MASLAROVA (Minister of Labour and suscripción de convenios internacionales sobre la Social Policy, Bulgaria) materia, un esfuerzo complementario vía la promul- gación de varias leyes de protección de niños, niñas On the item concerning the Director-General’s y adolescentes, y la elaboración y aplicación de po- Report, Changing patterns in the world of work, I líticas públicas focalizadas. Sin embargo, la práctica would like briefly to describe our position. del trabajo infantil aún existe en nuestro país debido The Report quite correctly underscores the need en parte, como en muchos otros, a la persistencia de to change established working patterns and also una pobreza que hemos ido reduciendo fuertemente makes us think about how best to reconcile the durante los gobiernos democráticos pero que no ha process of work with the rapidly changing environ- desaparecido del todo. ment in which work is done. The various trends and Por otro lado, tenemos desafíos pendientes en el phenomena that can be observed in different parts plano de la ratificación de los convenios más impor- of the world today are described in detail in the Re- tantes en materia de seguridad y salud en el trabajo, port. aunque dimos un paso significativo con la nueva ley From the viewpoint of my country, problems re- de subcontratación, al establecer la faena como eje lating to changing established patterns of work have central de la responsabilidad en esta área y estable- been aggravated by problems encountered as part of cer que la empresa principal es la que debe diseñar the difficult and rather lengthy transition period that y aplicar una política de gestión de seguridad en we have been going through as we move to a sys- faenas que establezca condiciones seguras para to- tem of democracy and market economy. During that das y todos los trabajadores que en ella laboran, period, to a significant extent we had to make sean propios o externos, dado que los riesgos no changes, in some cases radical changes, to our na- diferencian entre unos y otros. tional labour legislation, to our social security sys- Con puntos altos y puntos bajos, entonces, pienso tem, and to the way in which we conduct social dia- que podemos afirmar honestamente que, en lo sus- logue in the country. We have had to make all of tantivo, nuestro país avanza en los objetivos comu- these changes as part of an overall reform of our nes que compartimos con esta honorable asamblea. economy and, as we all know, the social sphere de- Para ello tenemos como referencias vivas y plenas pends directly on the state of the economy. de sentido los propios acuerdos de las instancias In such circumstances, then, one always runs up tripartitas de la OIT y nuestro programa de gobier- against the same kind of question: what should the no. main objective of policy be in areas such as em- Tal como les explicara hace un momento, la crea- ployment, social security and labour market regula- ción de un gran Sistema de Protección Social es uno tion? Should it be to enhance economic competi- de los objetivos estratégicos de nuestro Gobierno, tiveness, or to uphold the principles that will make porque entendemos que la inclusión social y la pro- it possible to create a cohesive society? This is a tección social son elementos consustanciales a la question that we all have to answer. democracia. Sólo si somos capaces de ofrecer un There is a lot of evidence today supporting the conjunto de garantías de mínimos sociales en salud, conclusion reached in the Report that the latest educación, previsión social y en la esfera laboral technological developments in the world require que les permitan acceder a una calidad de vida dig- new and ever-expanding knowledge bases. The very na, tendremos ciudadanos identificados con la de- process of economic and technological change mocracia y dispuestos a defenderla. means that we constantly have to be expanding our En definitiva, para que el ciudadano reconozca knowledge and skills, and that is true for both como propio el sistema social que lo cobija, éste workers and employers. deber ser capaz, a su vez, de reconocerlo en su dig- As an example of some positive practice in this nidad y en un mínimo de derechos más allá de los area, I would like to refer to the fact that we in Bul- clásicos derechos civiles y políticos. garia have adopted a national strategy on ongoing Por este camino estamos avanzando, sabiendo que vocational training for the period 2005-15. The pur- no hay atajos en la ruta hacia el desarrollo, pero sí pose of this strategy is to ensure that we can under- los frutos que entrega —recordando a nuestro poeta take further far-reaching reform in the area of voca- Pablo Neruda — una ardiente paciencia, lo que im- tional training and education by creating the con- plica legitimidad y seriedad en las políticas públi- ceptual and methodological framework required if cas, sustentabilidad financiera de los esfuerzos de la such training is to be successful.

9/5 I would also like to note the need to change the workers”. We hope that this term will be employed way in which we organize employment in a way in ILO documents. that does not have an adverse effect on stable labour It is important for us to state in this international relations. Greater use of part-time work and flexible forum that the workers welcomed by the Council working time arrangements creates fresh opportuni- States are received on a temporary basis and not as ties for employers, who can make more rational use migrant workers. The workers do not leave their of labour, and, for workers, who will be able to rec- countries with the aim of emigrating and settling in oncile their personal and professional lives more these States. They come, rather, with temporary successfully. work contracts for specific tasks, upon completion We must pay particular attention in all of this to of which they return to their countries of origin, the important role of the ILO’s international stan- complying with the mechanisms and procedures dards system. We continue actively to pursue an established in line with the rules in force in the active policy of ratifying ILO standards, and we countries of origin and in the countries of destina- seek to ensure that international standards that have tion. Such a process can only be beneficial for the already been ratified are actually implemented in economies of the two parties. Bulgaria. In doing this, we cooperate actively with In light of this, we wish to stress the following the ILO, which is helping us to improve our labour points. and social legislation. This is particularly important (1) The important role played by the workers to us on the eve of Bulgaria’s accession to the entering the Council States in economic de- European Union. velopment and infrastructure construction Reform in our education and vocational training projects; a role for which we hold these systems is particularly important as, indeed, is re- workers in the utmost esteem. Our States are form of our social security system and social sup- also proud to contribute to the economic de- port in general. We are also trying to develop a velopment of the friendly countries from clearer definition of the poorest groups in our soci- which such workers originate, as well as in ety, and endeavouring to help them out of the situa- the development of their human resources tion of marginalization. through the provision of employment and All this is just part of the very difficult and far- training in the Council States, without forget- reaching changes we have lived through in Bul- ting the considerable constraint-free transfers garia. In undertaking these reforms we have had to of savings which may be carried out by these use a lot of our national resources, but now I am workers. happy to say, and indeed I can say with absolute (2) The concern of the Council States to guaran- certainty, that all of these reforms are now begin- tee that workers’ rights are respected and that ning to bring their welcome results to people living they are recruited without discrimination and in Bulgaria. without distinction with respect to race, na- Mr. ALKA’ABI (Minister of Labour, United Arab Emirates, tionality, religious beliefs and cultural tradi- speaking on behalf of the Council of Ministers of Labour and tions, since the laws applied in our countries Social Affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council States) are in line with international labour standards. (3) The need for countries of origin to understand The agenda of the Conference contains a large the national objectives that Council States number of items of vital importance, such as the adopt to ensure that their citizens have work employment relationship, the promotional frame- opportunities, to operate settling-in pro- work for occupational safety and health, the role of grammes, to find solutions for unemployment the ILO in technical cooperation, as well as other and to encourage the citizens to fit into the issues linked to the activities and programmes of the job market. ILO. We are sure that the Conference will have a (4) The right of Council States to apply their na- positive outcome which will strengthen the efforts tional legislation, to protect their national and made to promote the Organization’s laudable objec- cultural identity, to establish the structures tives in the fields of development, progress and de- required to prevent illegal work, illegal entry cent work. and workers vanishing from the workplace The policies of the members of the Cooperation and other illegal practices, which are against Council for the Arab States of the Gulf are based on the current regulations. an approach consisting of constant openness toward (5) Finally, we would like to stress the impor- the international community and cooperation with tance of proceeding in a completely transpar- friendly countries and international specialized or- ent manner, with dialogue and consultations ganizations and agencies. Thus, I am happy to an- between the countries of origin and the coun- nounce that the Ministers of Labour of the Gulf Co- tries of destination regarding any problem operation Council States participated in the Third that arises. This would strengthen common Ministerial Consultations on Overseas Employment interests and make these countries more able and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in to handle and to find a solution to all com- Asia, held in Bali, Indonesia, in September 2005 mon interests. and organized in cooperation with the International We have been notified of the efforts made by the Organization for Migration (IOM). Organization within the framework of technical co- The participation of the Council States in this con- operation to benefit Palestinian workers and those ference in their role as countries of destination was in the occupied Arab territories. We would like to particularly useful and positive, our point of view thank the Organization for its efforts and we call for being well-received by the Asian countries of origin extra steps to be taken to support the Palestinian and leading to specific results, the most important Fund for Employment and Social Protection and to of which being the replacement of the term “mi- promote the development of capacities and social grant workers” with that of “temporary migrant dialogue to rebuild these territories.

9/6 We have learnt that Dr Taleb Rifai, director of the In February 2005, the Parliament of Mongolia ILO Regional Office for the Arab States, has re- ratified the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 signed. We would like to thank him for his work (No. 29), and the Abolition of Forced Labour Con- while in office for the member States and the social vention, 1957 (No. 105). We have started to revise partners. We wish him every success in his future national laws and regulations to comply with those undertakings. Finally, we ask the Director General Conventions. I am proud to say that Mongolia has to appoint a new director as soon as possible. now ratified all the core Conventions of the ILO. We would also like to take this opportunity to ask Within the framework of the ILO Declaration on that the regional offices connected with the activi- Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its ties of Arab countries have more support and that Follow-up, and in order to ensure proper application Arabic is used more extensively in all the Organiza- of all of the Conventions, the ILO recently organ- tion’s activities. ized a seminar in Mongolia. This provided a greater Original Russian: Mr. ODONCHIMED (Minister for Social opportunity for us to gain a better understanding of Welfare and Labour, Mongolia) forced labour, and indeed this also applied to other countries of the subregion. It also encouraged na- The Government of Mongolia fully supports the tional initiatives as well as the exchange of experi- agenda of this 95th Session of the International La- ences and information. bour Conference. The Global Report under the fol- We believe that ILO technical assistance will play low-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental a vital role in ensuring implementation of policies in Principles and Rights at Work, submitted by the this area. The Government of Mongolia therefore Director-General, provides a clear picture of the supports the idea of this Conference holding a gen- effective abolition of child labour. eral discussion on the role of the ILO in technical Our Government is now really looking forward to cooperation. Mongolia has been working very ac- supporting all delegations at the Conference in tively with the ILO in conducting needs-based re- unanimously adopting the proposed Convention on search by providing policy advice and making rec- the promotional framework for occupational safety ommendations to the Government and social part- and health. The Government of Mongolia has ners. adopted, and is implementing, a national pro- We have also been conducting training activities gramme on occupational safety and health (OSH) aimed at capacity building as well as holding work- with some success, but there is a need to strengthen shops and seminars. I would like to express my par- the national inspection system and to foster a pre- ticular thanks to the ILO Beijing and Bangkok of- ventative occupational safety and health culture. An fices. instrument such as the proposed Convention will greatly help in this, and we support the initiative. Original Russian: Mr. ALAKBAROV (Minister of Labour and The Government of Mongolia has also adopted a Social Protection of Population, Azerbaijan) national programme on improving OSH and the Allow me to begin by expressing my thanks to working environment, based on demands to in- Mr. Juan Somavia for the Report that he has submit- crease public awareness of occupational safety and ted to us. Today’s assembly once again underscores health issues. This is very important, as we seek the link between fundamental ILO declarations and also to intensify our Government’s efforts and find the basic principles of social development that are new ways of implementing an OSH strategy and adhered to by the member states of this authoritative ILO instruments. The programme in question aims international organization. The Republic of Azer- to establish a prevention culture for OSH, to reduce baijan, which is endeavouring to modernize its so- the incidence of industrial accidents and occupa- cial policy, gives effect to ILO initiatives in this tional diseases, provide a suitable workplace envi- area directly through its concrete achievements in ronment for all, improve the enforcement of OSH the social sphere. The main objective of the reforms legislation, enhance social dialogue, and develop undertaken in the Republic of Azerbaijan is to raise and promote an integrated occupational safety and the standard of living. Employment growth and so- health information network. cial policy in general are key to achieving these ob- As a result of all of these activities, the OSH jectives, not only in the context of social protection, management system proposed by the ILO in 2001 but also as the basis for achieving effective eco- should now be implemented by Mongolian and nomic growth. other organizations. Our Government focuses par- Providing decent work, raising the standard of liv- ticular attention on OSH, undertaking a comprehen- ing and achieving social development have become sive policy and activities intended to guarantee key policy objectives. This is reflected in a number work free from injury or accident and to provide a of Presidential Decrees and in state programmes safe working environment. The Government of aimed at poverty reduction and promoting regional Mongolia has implemented a national programme social and economic development, as well as put- on OSH and on improving working conditions in ting in place a mechanism to provide targeted social two phases. The main outcomes of this programme assistance population growth and the implementa- are: the development of legislation in this area; the tion of an employment strategy. The priority given establishment of a management and monitoring sys- to youth employment in the Republic of Azerbaijan tem; and the improvement of attention to OSH is- has meant that the ILO has included it in the top ten sues by entities and organizations. We fully intend countries in regard to tackling youth unemploy- to bring our law and regulations into line with ILO ment. standards in this regard. These activities will be im- The fact that Azerbaijan has ratified 55 ILO Con- plemented thanks to the active participation of our ventions, including all eight core Conventions, as Government, as well as its agencies and workers’ well as the European Social Charter, is conducive to and employers’ organizations. Other NGOs will further promoting social development in our coun- also be involved in the process. try.

9/7 I would like to take this opportunity to express my jani territory and the presence of over a million thanks to the ILO for its assessment of the social refugees and displaced persons. change we have achieved and for its support to All of the above, in my view, calls for greater ef- Azerbaijan in implementing our employment strat- forts on the part of the international community to egy and in developing an occupational safety and solve the problems that make it difficult to achieve health system, and its advice in eliminating the many of the ILO’s strategic objectives. I would also worst forms of child labour and developing the role like to express our empathy with the situation of of the social partners in resolving social problems. workers of the occupied Arab territories as de- With the aim of providing decent work, our coun- scribed in the Report of the Director-General. try is in the process of building market economy Once again I would like to extend my thanks for institutions as a necessary prerequisite for liberali- organizing this Conference and emphasize that the zation in regard to employment and remuneration. achievement of decent and productive employment Steady macroeconomic growth is vital to this proc- calls for long-term changes and commitment. This ess. meeting provides new opportunities to implement According to the International Monetary Fund, in these strategies and resolve social problems. 2005 Azerbaijan achieved the highest rate of eco- I wish all the participants confidence in meeting nomic growth in the world. According to an as- the above objectives in the name of social progress. sessment by foreign experts, we can expect similar M. NKILI (Ministre du Travail et de la Sécurité sociale, trends in our GDP in the near future. In the year Cameroun) 2005 alone, monetary incomes increased by 27 per cent, wages went up by 22 per cent and real in- Des trois rapports présentés par le Directeur géné- comes by 17 per cent. In the past two years more ral à la Conférence internationale du Travail, celui than 350,000 jobs were created in the country. relatif à La fin du travail des enfants: un objectif à Social development will be further boosted by the notre portée a particulièrement retenu notre atten- implementation of our oil strategy, the opening of tion. the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the construc- Comme plan d’action, vous proposez trois actions tion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars transport link, the ef- majeures: le renforcement de l’action de l’IPEC, fective use of non-oil resources and further eco- l’abolition du travail des enfants, la mobilisation nomic integration. partenariale contre le travail des enfants. The Director-General’s Report, ILO programme S’agissant du renforcement de l’action de l’IPEC, implementation 2004-05, as well as the strategic il importe de vous dire que le Cameroun est en objectives of this Organization, once again lay em- phase avec vous. Nous avons accueilli le projet phasis on the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all LUTRENA en 2002 et le projet WACAP en 2004. solution for social problems in the world today that Dans ce cadre et dès le 22 octobre 2004, nous avons would suit every country. Today we can say with signé un protocole d’accord avec le bureau sous- increasing certainty that success in social reform is régional de l’OIT à Yaoundé portant sur la partici- determined by the choice of national priorities. pation de mon pays au programme IPEC. Le bilan At the national level, we see decent work and ad- est plutôt flatteur: 5 000 enfants identifiés dans des dressing employment issues as part of the general exploitations agricoles, dont près de 1 100 réinsérés context of development issues, based on the interre- dans des écoles de formation, soit 20 pour cent seu- lationship between macroeconomic policy and la- lement. Plus de 70 pour cent restent encore aban- bour market policy. Employment needs to be seen donnés. from the perspective of providing decent work in Plus grave, le financement du programme ne the context of achieving productive employment, semble plus assuré, au point que l’avenir de ces en- growth in stable and good-quality jobs, reform of fants est donc incertain. C’est le lieu pour moi de the system of remuneration and education, and the lancer un appel pressant aux donateurs de l’OIT provision of effective means of training the unem- pour aider le Cameroun à donner espoir à cette ployed and ensuring occupational safety and health. frange fragile de notre population. These principles also shaped our youth employment Relativement au renforcement des mesures desti- objectives. Particular importance is attached to in- nées à l’abolition du travail des enfants, formal employment issues, entrepreneurship devel- l’engagement du Cameroun est total. Aux disposi- opment and addressing child labour. I must point tions réglementaires prises dès 1969 se sont ajou- tées des actions fortes: la loi de 1992 portant Code out that increasing attention is given to the gender os dimensions of development and social dialogue du travail, la ratification des conventions n 138 et when addressing social problems in our country. 182 de l’OIT, la toute récente loi de décembre 2005 I hope these orientations will also be reflected in contre le trafic et le travail des enfants. La lutte sur programmes for further cooperation between Azer- le terrain juridique est donc inébranlable. baijan and the ILO, as well as other international S’agissant enfin du renforcement des partenariats, structures and donors interested in achieving the nous affirmons ici que la communauté nationale est abovementioned objectives at the country level. engagée dans la lutte contre le travail des enfants: At the same time I would like to draw your atten- parlementaires, élus locaux, société civile, toutes les tion to the fact that security of societies plays an couches actives sont en mouvement. increasingly determinant role in the further devel- Le Chef de l’Etat, son Excellence Paul Biya, a fait opment of social rights. I would draw your attention de son septennat actuel un moment fort de la lutte to the fact that unauthorized armed conflicts and the contre la précarité et la pauvreté. L’avenir de la jeu- threat of terrorism hinder the social progress, not nesse le préoccupe au plus haut point. La lutte only of individual countries, but also of the interna- contre le chômage est totale. Après la consultation tional community as a whole. Thus, the problems nationale de novembre 2005, un vaste programme faced by Azerbaijan in its social development dur- pour l’emploi des jeunes est en cours de finalisa- ing economic transition have been compounded by tion. the Armenian occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbai-

9/8 Au total, je réaffirme du haut de cette tribune que les. A nuestro juicio esto vulnera los Convenios in- le Cameroun est avec le Directeur général et que ternacionales de la OIT núms. 87, 98 y 151 y los nous le soutenons. fallos emitidos por la Comisión de Expertos en Sr. MARTÍNEZ MOLINA (trabajador, Chile) Aplicación de Convenios y Recomendaciones de la OIT. Señor Presidente de la 95.ª Conferencia de la Or- Recientemente el Gobierno de Chile tomó la ini- ganización Internacional del Trabajo. ciativa de legislar, aprobando una ley de subcontra- Señor Director General don Juan Somavia. tación que es un paso fundamental en la consecu- Distinguidas delegaciones de los países hermanos, ción del objetivo del trabajo decente. Esperamos reciban ustedes un saludo cordial de los trabajado- seguir por este camino para eliminar las prácticas res de Chile. autoritarias y la falta de derechos en las relaciones La época está marcada por rápidas transformacio- laborales. nes que afectan al mundo del trabajo, lo que ha sig- En nuestro país, el 62 por ciento de los accidentes nificado abandono en el plano social, generando del trabajo con consecuencias graves ocurren en el exclusión y alarmantes niveles de pobreza en el llamado sector terciario, lo mismo sucede con las mundo y en particular en América Latina. enfermedades profesionales. Millones de hombres y mujeres luchan por sobre- Esto no podía ser de otra forma, por cuanto las vivir en un mundo profundamente desigual, donde empresas que se desempeñan en el área del subcon- está en juego la dignidad del trabajo y el ejercicio trato no tienen presencia, ni injerencia en los luga- de los derechos más elementales, tanto en el plano res de trabajo. individual como colectivo. Debemos desde la OIT ser más activos en promo- Hasta hoy los cambios en la organización del tra- ver la prevención y protección, incorporando al lis- bajo han tenido como objetivo primordial el bajar tado las nuevas enfermedades profesionales y acor- costos de mano de obra para alcanzar mayores nive- dar, al menos, un convenio sobre la seguridad y sa- les de competitividad, aunque ello signifique un lud en el trabajo. atropello de los principios y derechos fundamenta- En la consecución de estos objetivos es que desta- les del trabajo. camos la importancia de fortalecer las inspecciones Desde la formulación del trabajo decente como un del trabajo como un instrumento que garantice el objetivo estratégico, se aprecia un consenso y un cumplimiento de las normativas legales de cada pa- respaldo a tal iniciativa de muchos gobiernos y al- ís; inspecciones del trabajo que actúen con políticas gunos empleadores, aunque a veces es más en el claras que fiscalicen y con atribuciones, con funcio- discurso que en la práctica. narios capacitados y eficientes que cuenten con el A muchos aún les cuesta entender que avanzar en respaldo de los gobiernos a sus acciones y a sus de- el objetivo del trabajo decente significa una apuesta cisiones. a largo plazo, una mayor oportunidad para producir más y mejor y una profunda legitimidad democráti- Original Arabic: Mr. GUIDER (representative, Arab Labour ca. Organization) Las relaciones de trabajo son un aspecto funda- First of all, please allow me to congratulate you, mental para el objetivo del trabajo decente y la apli- Mr. President, as well as the Vice-Presidents, for cación de las normas internacionales, pero la forma being elected to conduct the work of this Confer- que ha tomado esta relación laboral se contrapone ence at its 95th Session. I would also like to express con tal objetivo. my gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Juan Somavia, La instalación de un sinnúmero de intermediarios the Secretary-General, for the Report he submitted entre el capital y el trabajo hace difícil saber quién to the Conference and for the developments and es el verdadero empleador y responsable de los de- achievements that have been witnessed by the In- rechos laborales, previsionales y sindicales; gene- ternational Labour Organization during his admini- rando precariedad en el empleo y ausencia de pro- stration, which have impacted on the technical co- tección social. operation between the Arab Labour Organization Cuando el verdadero empleador se oculta en una and the International Labour Organization. diversidad de razones sociales o múltiples subterfu- My intervention in this sitting will be very brief. It gios, resulta imposible el ejercicio de los derechos will be limited to one issue. We see in the Arab fundamentales del trabajo. world that this issue has direct repercussions on the La fragmentación de la empresa, fragmenta el standards and principles of the International Labour empleo y también fragmenta la organización sindi- Organization, in particular including freedom of cal, en un claro afán de debilitamiento de la contra- association, labour standards, decent work, child parte. labour, social protection, the right to decent work La instalación de lo que se ha llamado la “exter- and the Declaration on Fundamental Rights and nalización” ha traído más y nuevas dificultades, Principles, as well as all the Conventions relating to causando efectos negativos para los trabajadores y the activities of this Organization, and which deal sus familias. with human rights. Por más de tres décadas, se fue instalando en mi I would like to begin first of all by saying that we país, por la vía de los hechos, una forma de subcon- live in a world that is characterized by being a civi- tratación sin regulación, hasta convertirse en un fe- lized one in which human rights are applied in all nómeno de desprotección y pérdida de derechos fields – at least, are supposed to be applied in all laborales y sindicales. fields. However, facts reflect a completely different En Chile, tanto en el sector privado como público picture. We in the Arab world feel bitterness, sad- y en particular en el sector municipal se ha preten- ness and discontent because of the slogans we re- dido aprobar una ley, que niega a los funcionarios peatedly hear in international circles at the United municipales el derecho a la negociación colectiva y Nations and in all its specialized agencies. entrega a los alcaldes, sus empleadores, excesivas Wherever we look we find economic and social atribuciones para el manejo de las relaciones labora- exclusion, arbitrariness and unfairness of treatment,

9/9 killing and displacement, the suppression of any population is estimated to be living beneath the chance of enabling Arab workers in the West Bank, poverty threshold. This indicates that Africa entered Gaya Strip, the Syrian Golan and the Lebanese the 21st century as the world’s poorest, most in- Shabaa Farms to obtain stability, social peace and debted and most marginalized region, lagging be- decent and dignified work. hind in new technologies. In short, decent work Double standards in international establishments deficits abound. are a very dangerous phenomenon that require a The Director-General’s Report, Changing pat- serious stand by all honest and sincere people in the terns in the world of work, reflects that progress is world. The fact of defending the land, the family, painfully slow in creating decent work opportunities the community, honour and decent life – is that pro- for all. And yet there is hope: despite the daunting hibited for Arabs and permitted for others? statistics, we believe that the poverty challenge is Issues must be revealed as they are, clearly. How not insurmountable. The ILO cannot afford to re- can we dream that we have got rid of the child la- main an uncommitted and disinterested spectator in bour phenomenon, that occupational safety and a world in which, for many workers, life at work health will be achieved and that basic human rights still presents serious deficit. It is with this acknowl- will be preserved, while seeing in reality that such edgement that I welcome the Director-General’s ambitions, derived from the principles drawn up by Report on the changing patterns of work and the international labour standards, have become mere need for us to enlarge and deepen our knowledge. It ink on paper, without any affect? is indeed true that we need to have a good under- Economic blockades, military occupations, civil standing of how the world of work is changing and wars, division plans and conspiracies and the crea- could be shaped to answer the worldwide popular tion and implanting of all forms of disruption be- demand for decent work. tween Muslims and Christian Arabs are imposed on One can go as far as arguing that this Report is many of our Arab communities. mirrored within the South African labour market. “Faith is for Allah and land is for everyone.” This The workplace in South Africa is being restructured is what we say, without any exploitation of one hu- under the impact of globalization and its own transi- man being by another because of faith or race. Are tion from authoritarianism to democracy. In fact, we treated well by those who protect our rights, in- the most significant challenge facing the workplace cluding the International Labour Organization or has been the transition from a domestically oriented even this Organization of ours, or are they preju- economy to a globally integrated one. diced in favour of the strong? Work restructuring resulted in a labour market The Appendix to the Report of the Director- that is fragmented and a work order that is increas- General on the situation of workers in the occupied ingly differentiated into different zones, which con- Arab territories put forward in this session is just an sist of core formal sector workers enjoying full time event that confirms partiality, whether in descrip- work and benefits, non-core formal sector workers tion, wording or transfer of facts. Perhaps what is who are employed in atypical forms of work, and more bitter and disturbing is the refusal of the ILO those workers at the periphery who make a living mission to the occupied territories to meet the Pales- through informal sector activities. tinian officials, including the Palestinian Minister of We remain heartened that employment and social Labour. protection have remained the backbone of ILO ac- Was this a mission of the International Labour tivity for Africa, and we appreciate the continuing Organization or a mission of the occupation, which support by the Office in advising constituencies in refused to sit with the Palestinian Government, member States, along with the ambitious plans be- which is democratically elected? ing implemented in Iraq. It is our belief that where Does democracy depend on moods? Is democracy there is hope, there is a way. The death of hope will genuine when its activities conform to the will of be the demise of humankind. I believe the Decent the sole occupying force? Is it not just the opposite Work Country Programmes, our main operational if it contradicts public opinion and trends? means of achieving the global Decent Work What is happening cannot be accepted by honest Agenda, usher in a new age of hope. people in this world. The movement of history has In concluding, let me take this opportunity to always thought us that change comes regardless. thank the Director-General for his Report, The We Arabs always say “no matter how high a bird situation of workers of the occupied Arab territo- flies and ascends, it always falls to earth.” ries, which clearly describes the situation of those Mr. MDLADLANA (Minister of Labour, South Africa) workers. We should remain critical of those deliber- ately blind to the facts staring them in the eye, that We have long observed that employment plays a the rights of Palestinian workers and their families critical role in the full realization of individuals and constitute one of the essential steps on the path to- societies. Whilst employment can further social in- wards socio-economic development, security, peace tegration and social cohesion, it can also lead to and enhanced freedom in the occupied Arab territo- exclusion by limiting access to jobs, by the provi- ries. We should emphasize that people can no sion of income too low to satisfy basic human and longer intellectually shrug off the oppression, the social needs, thus fermenting submission and mar- cruelty, the injustice of the occupation as though it ginalization. These are individuals who become rich were a careless trifle. The truth is that the total un- in poverty — poverty dramatically illuminated by employment rate amounts to an estimated 40 per the scenes in which human dignity is crushed by the cent of the labour force, and this should be a major need simply to survive, as catalysed in the Spanish concern to all of us. We nonetheless welcome the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, the European Un- withdrawal of the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip ion’s only land border with Africa. and the Agreement on Movement and Access of 15 Statistics can be very cold and inhuman, but the November 2005, which has the potential to ease the stark horror of what they mean cannot be ignored. situation of workers. One can also not overempha- In sub-Saharan Africa about 47 to 52 per cent of the

9/10 size the role played by social dialogue in ensuring tiel que l’ensemble des agences concernées des Na- that lasting peace and social dialogue are achieved. tions Unies y travaillent de manière convergente. It is very important for the capacities of social La France soutient depuis de nombreuses années partners to be strengthened for them to be able to le programme IPEC consacré à cet objectif; nous engage in dialogue and negotiate to achieve social maintiendrons notre appui. Ce sera notamment un dialogue and a lasting peace. des axes de coopération retenu dans le cadre du M. LARCHER (ministre délégué à l’Emploi, au Travail et à nouveau partenariat pluriannuel conclu entre la l’Insertion professionnelle des jeunes, France) France et le Bureau international du Travail que je vais signer cet après-midi même avec notre Direc- Depuis des années, l’Organisation internationale teur général, et répondre ainsi aux préoccupations du Travail s’est pleinement mobilisée sous exprimées il y a quelques minutes par notre collè- l’impulsion de son Directeur général, M. Somavia, gue du Cameroun. autour de l’objectif commun de promotion du tra- Dans ce sens, je me félicite que la discussion gé- vail décent dans le monde. nérale soit, cette année, axée sur le rôle du BIT en L’an dernier, à cette même tribune, j’ai eu matière de coopération technique. Nous devons éga- l’occasion de souligner, au nom de la France, lement approfondir notre réflexion sur la recherche l’acuité particulière que cet objectif revêtait dans la des moyens permettant de garantir le fonctionne- perspective du Sommet de suivi de la Déclaration ment régulier du Bureau international du Travail du Millénaire des Nations Unies. Le document final pour des actions financées par les contributions ex- du Sommet a témoigné de l’engagement des chefs trabudgétaires. d’Etat et de gouvernement en faveur d’une mondia- Je voudrais enfin souligner l’enjeu du cadre pro- lisation équitable et de l’emploi décent. motionnel pour la sécurité et la santé au travail, à Cet engagement a constitué une étape détermi- double titre: avant tout, parce que la protection nante. La très récente communication de la Com- contre les risques professionnels est un droit humain mission européenne consacrée à la promotion du vital, ensuite, parce qu’il s’agit de la première travail décent pour tous et le choix de ce thème pour concrétisation de l’approche intégrée qui combine la prochaine réunion de haut niveau de l’ECOSOC les normes et d’autres formes d’action dans une vi- témoignent de la prise de conscience de son carac- sion stratégique. En France, depuis 2005, nous met- tère central pour atteindre un développement réel- tons concrètement en œuvre cette approche globale lement durable. avec le plan Santé au travail qui se poursuivra pen- Comme le Directeur général le rappelle dans son dant cinq années autour, notamment, du dévelop- rapport consacré aux changements dans le monde pement des connaissances scientifiques, du renfor- du travail, le cadre stratégique 2006-2009 engage cement des contrôles de l’inspection du travail, de notre Organisation à faire du travail décent un ob- l’amélioration de la gouvernance et, en même jectif fédérateur autour duquel s’articuleront ses temps, en assurant la promotion d’une culture de futures activités. Cette démarche mérite notre entier prévention dans les entreprises. soutien. La France a toujours soutenu et soutient l’objectif Dans ce cadre, le Bureau international du Travail d’un cadre promotionnel international pour la sécu- devrait également contribuer à alimenter les ré- rité et la santé au travail; elle souhaite que se bâtisse flexions développées par le Groupe de personnalités un socle conventionnel autour de la convention (nº sur la cohérence des Nations Unies mis en place par 155) sur la sécurité et la santé des travailleurs, 1981, Kofi Annan. Le BIT peut apporter sur ce sujet, par et de la recommandation (nº 164) sur la sécurité et sa constitution tripartite et sa qualité opérationnelle, la santé des travailleurs, 1981, pour servir de point une véritable valeur ajoutée. d’appui de politiques nationales. Cette avancée est La nécessité, et je cite le rapport du Directeur gé- nécessaire. néral, «d’intégrer l’Agenda du travail décent dans Je souhaite aussi que ce futur cadre promotionnel les stratégies de réduction de la pauvreté et soit la source d’une nouvelle dynamique. Que d’instaurer une mondialisation sans exclus» est au l’Organisation s’inspire de l’exemple de la Confé- cœur de la mission de l’Organisation internationale rence internationale maritime, dont la conclusion en du Travail. Pour atteindre cet objectif, la mise au février nous a montré qu’il était possible de revisiter point de méthodes d’évaluation doit être une priori- un grand nombre de normes, dans une logique de té. progrès social, pour les rendre plus effectives et im- La coopération envisagée par la Commission eu- pliquer directement les partenaires du tripartisme ropéenne peut y contribuer et les actions envisagées dans leur application. doivent pouvoir être rapidement mises en œuvre. Enfin, au-delà de ces débats sur la nature des ins- Jeudi dernier, au Conseil des ministres de l’Emploi truments, des questions se posent à tous les pays, y de l’Union européenne, la France, par ma bouche, a compris les plus développés. C’est en particulier le fortement appuyé cet objectif de coopération de cas de l’amiante. La France plaide fortement pour l’Europe avec le Bureau international du Travail. que s’engage, au sein même de l’OIT, un débat ap- Par ailleurs, je partage également avec notre Direc- profondi en vue de l’élimination rapide, à l’échelle teur général, dans un contexte d’intensification de la mondiale, de l’usage de ce matériau, responsable concurrence internationale, l’intérêt, et je cite, d’une catastrophe sanitaire majeure. En suivant la «d’envisager un seuil minimum pour les normes décision unanime de l’Union européenne, il nous d’emploi dans les systèmes de production mon- faut bannir, je dis bien bannir au plan mondial, diaux». l’amiante. Cette année, la Conférence examine également La France plaide également pour que d’autres questions cruciales. Le rapport global, con- l’Organisation contribue à renforcer la protection sacré à la fin du travail des enfants, donne des travailleurs qui, pendant des décennies encore, l’occasion de noter la baisse de ce fléau, mais les resteront confrontés à l’amiante demeuré en place défis à relever sont encore nombreux et il est essen- dans les équipements les plus divers.

9/11 Dans le monde ouvert qui est le nôtre, le travail empleados, para la comunidad y para sus consumi- doit être source de sécurité et d’épanouissement dores, de lo contrario siempre exhibirá un balance pour les travailleurs comme pour les familles, mais negativo y dependerá de la fuerza del Estado o del cet objectif suppose d’intégrer une dimension so- gobierno para reponer su capital y mantenerla ope- ciale forte à l’économie. L’OIT a été créée pour la rativa. promouvoir. Jamais sa mission n’a été aussi néces- Hemos expresado nuestra preocupación y además saire. nuestra voluntad de establecer acuerdos de integra- Sr. BETANCOURT (empleador, Rep. Bolivariana de ción con políticas incluyentes del sector privado, Venezuela) pero desafortunadamente las decisiones de gobierno se toman generalmente sin tomar en consideración Señor Presidente, ante todo un saludo al Director las opiniones, ideas y experiencias que pueden apor- General por los documentos que nos ha presentado. tar los otros sectores. Aprovecho la oportunidad para extender un muy Incluso hemos visto cómo Venezuela asume com- especial reconocimiento a la Organización Interna- promisos internacionales sin que tales iniciativas cional de Empleadores. sean consecuencia de decisiones consensuadas entre Colegas y amigos del mundo, quienes hacemos y con los actores sociales. vida empresarial privada en Venezuela estamos su- Queremos dejar sentado que los empleadores o la jetos a mecanismos intervencionistas y adversos al empresa privada no somos los enemigos, pues gene- libre mercado como la fijación unilateral de precios, ramos 8 de cada 10 empleos en Venezuela. Está la inamovilidad laboral y el Decreto de creación claro que el enemigo a vencer es el desempleo que unilateral «solvencia laboral», el control cambiario, se traduce en empleo informal, en inseguridad y invasión de tierras, el exceso de discrecionalidad de pobreza, flagelos que día a día crecen en nuestro importaciones por parte del sector público y el aco- país y otras latitudes del mundo. so a nuestros dirigentes gremiales, entre muchos Amigos del mundo, estamos justo a seis meses de otros. Todo esto presumimos, tiene su origen en la las elecciones presidenciales en Venezuela. Ahora, actitud y aptitud prejuiciada que algunos empleados todos los venezolanos tenemos en mi país la respon- públicos y dirigentes políticos del oficialismo han sabilidad de velar por el edificio de la democracia demostrado hacia la empresa privada. para que se construya bien. En este contexto en el que están vulneradas las li- No hemos dejado ni dejaremos de luchar en de- bertades económicas, la propiedad privada, la libre fensa de nuestros principios esenciales. asociación, el estado de derecho, es realmente difí- Entonces, ¿qué hacer frente a este difícil contex- cil para el empresario responder a las necesidades to? Desde FEDECAMARAS hemos buscado el en- de la población. Sin embargo, seguimos confiando cuentro, el diálogo, el entendimiento. Hemos solici- en nuestro país y superando obstáculos, pues nues- tado que se valore el diálogo social tripartito. tro compromiso es con Venezuela, con nuestra gen- Amigos del mundo, en Venezuela vivimos tiem- te, con nuestro país. pos difíciles, obstáculos que esperamos saber super- Estamos convencidos de que la empresa privada ar con creatividad dentro del marco legal que nos en el mundo es la principal fuente generadora de ofrecen la Constitución y las leyes de la República. empleo formal decente, socialmente influyente, La injusticia social, la pobreza, reflejadas en el moderno y productivo. Los empresarios somos im- empleo infantil y la informalidad del empleo en ge- portantísimos actores sociales en cualquier país y neral, tal como lo reflejó la Memoria del Director por ende somos protagonistas del desarrollo. De allí General, son caldo de cultivo para ensayos de mo- la relevancia de los entes gremiales que nos agrupan vimientos políticos que no necesariamente obede- y la responsabilidad de asumir un gran compromiso cen a lo que aquí en la OIT profesamos. Y la políti- social. Tenemos en nuestras manos la actividad ca también se puede globalizar o regionalizar. No- productiva y de intercambio comercial independien- sotros los actores sociales, empleadores y trabajado- temente de la corriente política que esté de turno, res libres no debemos dejar espacios para que nos pues el compromiso nuestro no es propugnar el po- manipulen. No nos dejemos desviar de nuestro rol der, es coparticipar en la toma de decisiones para principal como lo es combatir la pobreza con em- atender lo que sabemos hacer: generar empleo pro- pleo productivo decente, socialmente incluyente y ductivo. de libre elección. Es entonces fundamental que las agrupaciones Empleadores y trabajadores, es preciso que nos sindicales y empresariales defendamos los valores revisemos crítica y constructivamente, pues al fin y que nos identifican: las libertades económicas, la al cabo somos nosotros los verdaderos actores de la libre competencia, es decir, empleo productivo de- actividad económica productiva y nos corresponde cente y de libre elección en el marco de un ambiente fortalecer nuestros entes gremiales en pro de defen- democrático. Defendiendo estos principios, obten- der nuestros derechos y principios y hacer de nues- dremos además del trabajo sustentable y productivo tras empresas el verdadero sustento de la economía generación de verdadera riqueza y valor agregado a mundial generadora de riqueza y bienestar social. nuestros recursos no renovables. Reciban el saludo de este representante de la tierra Los gobiernos definen y deciden las políticas a de gracia, donde esperamos poder atenderles cuan- seguir, pero estas políticas oficiales deben ser el fiel do quieran visitarnos. Estoy seguro de que con el de la balanza entre el rol que debe asumir el sector fortalecimiento de la solidaridad internacional de la público y el sector privado, ya que es determinante OIT y del respeto al Convenio núm. 87 en nuestros para el progreso que cada uno sea más sólido, sin países podemos legarle un mejor porvenir a nues- detrimento del otro. tros ya golpeados pueblos latinoamericanos. Las fórmulas gubernamentales estatistas, centra- listas, excluyentes y llenas de contenido ideológico Original arabe: M. MANSOURI (Ministre de l’Emploi et de la dogmático ya se han ensayado y han fracasado en Formation professionnelle, Maroc) otros tiempos y en otras latitudes, pues toda empre- Dans son rapport, le Directeur général a exposé sa debe generar beneficios para sus propietarios y les principales activités de l’OIT pendant le bien-

9/12 nium 2004-05, notamment en ce qui concerne consultation et de négociation collective. Le dialo- l’activité normative, le renforcement des droits fon- gue ainsi établi a permis de discuter des divers dos- damentaux des travailleurs, l’éradication du travail siers économiques et sociaux, de l’emploi, des rela- des enfants, le travail décent pour les hommes et les tions de travail et de la santé et la sécurité au travail. femmes, la protection sociale et le renforcement du Outre cette culture du dialogue, le Maroc a inscrit tripartisme et du dialogue social. le problème des droits de l’homme dans les priorités Le rapport global en vertu du suivi de la Déclara- du gouvernement. Depuis 1990, nous avons œuvré tion de l’OIT relative aux principes et droits fonda- dans ce sens et beaucoup de résultats ont été enre- mentaux au travail a évoqué un sujet des plus im- gistrés. De même, nous avons créé la Commission portants, à savoir le travail des enfants. En effet, la indépendante d’arbitrage visant à indemniser les proportion d’enfants qui travaillent dans le monde a victimes des violations commises dans le passé. enregistré une baisse, et notamment parmi ceux qui Afin d’élargir la protection sociale, à tous les ci- connaissent les pires formes de travail des enfants. toyens, le gouvernement a créé un système A cette occasion, j’aimerais souligner les efforts d’assurance maladie obligatoire, et ce afin de pro- déployés par le gouvernement du Maroc dans le mouvoir l’un des droits de l’homme les plus élé- domaine du travail des enfants. En effet, nous avons mentaires, à savoir le droit à la santé. pris de nombreuses mesures visant à protéger les Dans le domaine de l’emploi, il est important de enfants, en général, et les enfants au travail, plus signaler que ce sujet est l’une des préoccupations particulièrement. Nos efforts ont été couronnés par principales du gouvernement marocain. A cet égard, la mise en place d’un plan national de protection de le Maroc a organisé cette année un Séminaire natio- l’enfance qui s’inscrit dans l’Initiative nationale de nal pour l’emploi auquel ont participé tous les par- développement humain lancée par sa Majesté le Roi tenaires sociaux et qui a débouché sur plusieurs me- Mohammed VI afin de trouver des solutions aux sures pratiques visant à éliminer progressivement le problèmes sociaux. chômage; les recommandations se sont centrées sur Si l’Organisation internationale du Travail ac- l’élaboration de plans de l’emploi pour les jeunes corde une attention particulière au principe du tra- diplômés et pour le développement de l’esprit vail décent et à la réduction de la pauvreté dans le d’entreprise. monde, cela ne pourra se réaliser qu’à travers La coopération entre le Royaume du Maroc et le l’affrontement des défis qui nous sont imposés par BIT a connu, avec l’aide de certains pays amis, un la globalisation. développement important et a débouché sur de En ce qui concerne le problème du travail non dé- nombreux projets dans différents domaines. Permet- cent, il convient de rappeler que ce problème a des tez-moi de citer à titre d’exemple la lutte contre le origines et des dimensions multiples, et plus parti- travail des enfants, l’amélioration des relations pro- culièrement son rapport à la pauvreté et au travail fessionnelles et la promotion de la santé et la sécuri- forcé. Il est en outre très répandu dans de nombreux té au travail. Le Maroc souhaite approfondir davan- pays, et notamment dans les pays en développe- tage cette coopération dans d’autres domaines et ment. Lutter contre le travail non décent nécessite préparer des projets encore plus ambitieux relatifs une réponse collective de la part de tous les parte- au travail des femmes, à la relance de l’emploi et à naires sociaux, gouvernements, employeurs, organi- l’amélioration de la protection sociale. sations régionales et Organisation internationale du Tout en appréciant fortement les efforts de l’OIT Travail, car la pauvreté et l’insuffisance des moyens visant à rapprocher le BIT des Etats Membres par le matériels et des ressources humaines poussent par- biais des équipes multidisciplinaires, nous souhai- fois les pays à fermer l’œil sur l’expansion de ce tons que ces équipes soient renforcées et dotées des travail non décent. moyens nécessaires afin qu’elles répondent au Partant de cela, le Royaume du Maroc s’emploie à mieux au besoin des Etats Membres. promouvoir le travail décent, et ce notamment dans L’identité de l’OIT, ses principes, son expérience le secteur du textile et du prêt- à-porter qui est une et sa nature tripartite, sont autant d’éléments qui la des principales composantes du tissu socio- prédisposent à jouer un rôle central et pionnier dans économique, et nous avons pour objectif d’assurer un monde régi par l’hégémonie économique globa- les conditions du travail décent dans tous les sec- lisée. Et c’est pourquoi notre Organisation doit teurs de la production ainsi que dans les politiques poursuivre ses efforts afin de repérer les effets de ce nationales de développement. phénomène et d’y remédier. Le Royaume du Maroc, depuis la fin des années Ainsi, à partir des principes qui constituent la base quatre-vingt-dix, s’emploie activement à de l’Organisation internationale du Travail, nous l’édification d’une société moderne et démocrati- l’appelons à intervenir dans le cadre de ses compé- que, fondée sur le renforcement de la démocratie et tences, afin d’atténuer les souffrances que connaît la le respect des droits de l’homme, des libertés indi- région du Moyen-Orient. Nous lui demandons de viduelles et collectives, et des principes du dialogue fournir tout le soutien nécessaire à nos frères pales- social entre tous les partenaires sociaux. Ainsi, le tiniens et de déployer tous les efforts possibles afin Maroc a œuvré à la diffusion de la culture du dialo- d’arrêter les pratiques inhumaines dont sont victi- gue qui est le cadre le plus propice à l’établissement mes les travailleurs palestiniens et de mettre fin à la d’un contrat social et de bases solides pour déve- situation tragique qu’ils vivent. lopper la productivité et permettre aux entreprises Sr. HUAMÁN RIVERA (trabajador, Perú) de relever les défis économiques imposés par les contraintes de la mondialisation et de la compétiti- Quiero empezar destacando la importancia de las vité. C’est également cette culture du dialogue qui conclusiones adoptadas en la Decimosexta Reunión permettra d’améliorer les conditions de travail et de Regional Americana, llevada a cabo recientemente faire régner la paix sociale dans les unités de la pro- en la ciudad de Brasilia y, en especial, el deseo uná- duction. nime manifestado por todos los asistentes de adop- Dans cette optique, le législateur marocain a pro- tar medidas efectivas para generar trabajo decente y cédé à l’institutionnalisation des mécanismes de superar la pobreza. Deseo ahora enfatizar que en

9/13 dicha reunión también concluimos que, si bien son con suma preocupación que los esfuerzos desplega- indispensables los esfuerzos que cada país lleve a dos por lograr un instrumento normativo que esta- cabo a nivel interno para lograr estos objetivos, blezca criterios mínimos de protección para los tra- también se requiere de un contexto internacional bajadores en régimen de subcontratación, y en espe- favorable. cial para aquellos insertos en relaciones triangulares Ciertamente, andamos en la ruta de articular me- de trabajo, no vienen dando los resultados espera- canismos efectivos para una gobernanza de la glo- dos. Con ello, los problemas de incertidumbre sobre balización que brinde condiciones ambientales ade- la figura del empleador, la desprotección de los cré- cuadas para el trabajo decente, pero el camino pue- ditos laborales y otros seguirán afectando a los tra- de hacerse extremadamente largo si los grandes in- bajadores en el mundo. Manifestamos nuestro deseo tereses comerciales, en consonancia con las políti- de que este tema siga siendo abordado en futuras cas de algunos gobiernos, insisten en promover in- reuniones. tercambios comerciales sin equidad y crecimiento Para nosotros, los trabajadores, en tanto se relegue económico sin derechos. Justamente, los tratados de a las grandes mayorías a aspirar únicamente a un libre comercio a puertas de celebrarse en el área futuro mejor sin enfrentar el enorme reto de trans- andina, constituyen un claro ejemplo de cómo la formar un presente de exclusión y desigualdad, el promoción ciega del intercambio comercial puede trabajo decente no pasará de ser otro componente mermar el objetivo de generar trabajo decente para más del acaso irrealizable sueño de la justicia so- todos. cial. Puedo contarles, por ejemplo, que el Gobierno y M. JURCA (travailleur, Roumanie) los empresarios peruanos, estimulados por las opor- tunidades que les abre la globalización, promueven C’est déjà une coutume bien établie d’examiner y respaldan la suscripción de tratados de libre co- chaque année, aux réunions de notre Conférence, le mercio quizás sin evaluar los efectos sociales que rapport présenté par le Directeur général du Bureau acarrean y las responsabilidades que generan. Ni international du Travail, et de constater encore une siquiera el compromiso y la responsabilidad básica fois la valeur, la pertinence et l’humanisme des que deben incorporar estos tratados, de dar cumpli- idées présentées. miento efectivo de las normas laborales nacionales Au nom des travailleurs roumains, je félicite le e internacionales, es materia de medidas efectivas Directeur général et son équipe pour les documents que garanticen su aplicación y respeto irrestricto. présentés. Soyez rassurés que ces idées et principes En efecto, los convenios de la OIT firmados por el continueront d’être pour nous un guide pour notre Perú han sido y siguen siendo materia de observa- activité. ción por los órganos de control. Sólo en este año, la En même temps, je tiens à remercier le Bureau in- Comisión de Expertos en Aplicación de Convenios ternational du Travail, les bureaux de Budapest et y Recomendaciones ha formulado múltiples obser- de Bucarest pour le soutien et le guidage tout au vaciones al cumplimiento de los convenios interna- long de la période écoulée depuis la Conférence cionales, entre ellos, algunos fundamentales como précédente accordés à notre lutte pour promouvoir los relativos al trabajo forzoso, a la libertad sindical et soutenir dans la législation et la pratique rou- y la protección del derecho de sindicación, y a la maine les valeurs fondamentales de l’Organisation igualdad de remuneración. Como también sucede en internationale du Travail contenues dans les el resto del mundo, en el Perú aún existe trabajo conventions et recommandations. Nous sommes forzoso en la extracción de la madera, minas y otras convaincus du fait que cette coopération continuera actividades. Para el año 2005 se estimaba que uno après l’admission de notre pays dans les structures de cada tres niños trabajaba, y la mayor parte en européennes, où, ensemble, avec plus de 100 mil- actividades calificadas como peores formas del tra- lions de travailleurs, nous allons consolider l’édifice bajo infantil. Los despidos antisindicales se produ- de l’esprit du BIT en Europe. cen con frecuencia y el sindicalismo, por efecto de Puisque j’ai évoqué l’intégration européenne de leyes y prácticas restrictivas, es reducido a la em- notre pays, que l’on désire le plus tôt possible, per- presa y a la discusión del salario. Las reformas y mettez-moi de présenter brièvement quelques-uns políticas sociolaborales se definen sin participación des défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés. sindical. ¿Son éstas acaso condiciones aceptables Même si l’on a réussi par le dialogue et par des para ingresar en mercados internacionales? ¿Sólo es luttes acharnées à obtenir une législation concernant importante el precio del producto sin importar el les relations industrielles compatible, en principe, tipo de empleo y los derechos de quienes los elabo- avec les exigences de l’OIT et de l’Union euro- ran? péenne, il y a encore des obstacles. Con esto no queremos decir que existe una in- Le niveau du salaire minimum en Roumanie, qui compatibilidad natural entre la promoción del co- devrait assurer aux travailleurs un niveau de vie dé- mercio internacional y el trabajo decente. Sólo que- cent, est presque deux fois plus bas que celui prévu remos afirmar que resulta irresponsable la promo- dans la Charte sociale européenne. Il faut noter éga- ción de comercio internacional en países en los que lement que, pendant les cinq dernières années, il n’a no existe una voluntad decidida de los actores socia- augmenté que de 30 euros, c’est-à-dire qu’il est pas- les por generar trabajo decente. Por ello, un pacto sé de 75 à 105 euros. por el trabajo decente que comprometa en forma Malgré le fait que la Constitution roumaine, les inmediata y con acciones concretas a empresarios, conventions de l’OIT ratifiées et la législation perti- trabajadores y, sobre todo, a los gobiernos en la eje- nente confirment le droit de libre association pour cución de los planes nacionales de trabajo decente former des syndicats, dans de nombreux cas, consti- debe ser una condición indispensable para la apertu- tuer un syndicat dans une compagnie privée, surtout ra comercial. s’il s’agit d’une compagnie avec un capital étranger, El apoyo técnico de la OIT en este itinerario es représente une vraie aventure. Il y a encore des ma- trascendental, pero también es indispensable refor- gistrats qui ne considèrent pas que l’obstruction du zar el marco normativo internacional. Observamos droit de libre association et des actions syndicales

9/14 est un crime; il y a encore des inspecteurs du travail Pour toutes ces raisons, pour que la réponse à ces insensibles aux violations des droits syndicaux ga- défis soit une réponse européenne, basée sur les va- rantis par la loi. leurs fondamentales de la justice sociale et du tra- Et, puisque j’ai parlé des inspecteurs du travail, il vail décent, c’est-à-dire basée sur les valeurs de faut admettre que, malheureusement, leur activité l’OIT, en Roumanie la lutte continuera. est inefficace puisque le travail au noir existe encore Mr. KULUNDU (Minister of Labour and Human Resource et il est même prédominant dans plusieurs secteurs. Development, Kenya) Même s’il y a eu un certain progrès dans le déve- loppement et une amélioration de l’activité de The Kenyan delegation welcomes the Reports of l’inspection du travail, les résultats requis et atten- the Director-General and the Chairperson of the dus sont longs à venir. Nous avons eu des camara- Governing Body, which include the Changing pat- des qui ont été obligés de se substituer aux inspec- terns in the world of work, ILO Programme imple- teurs du travail pour prouver l’évidence, ce qui n’est mentation 2004-05, and The situation of workers of pas du tout naturel quand on a des institutions habi- the occupied Arab territories. litées pour cela. Turning to the Changing patterns in the world of En ce qui concerne le droit aux actions collecti- work, the Report is very educative and it sheds light ves, surtout à la grève, on se trouve dans une situa- on the concept of work and, lastly, it provides in- tion paradoxale. Même si ce droit est garanti par la formed insights into developments in this domain. Constitution roumaine, et malgré le fait que la Work has meant different things to different peo- Roumanie a ratifié les conventions fondamentales ple in different parts of the world, and even at dif- de l’OIT, l’interprétation courante de la loi sur les ferent times. One universal undeniable reality, how- conflits du travail, en raison de certains excès admi- ever, is the value of work as a source of dignity. In nistratifs, nie pratiquement aux travailleurs rou- every society or community we derive our relative mains la possibilité de déclencher une grève de ma- economic and social worth from the type of work, nière légale même si les négociations salariales an- craft or profession we engage in. Kenya, therefore, nuelles échouent. Seule l’absence d’accord collectif subscribes to the message in the Report that work is de travail ou un accord périmé permettrait cela. Le for a living. fait que, depuis quelques jours, il y a un espoir de This Report makes a significant contribution by pouvoir résoudre ces problèmes du fait que la broadening the understanding of the term “work”. Chambre des députés a accepté une proposition Of particular importance is the unpaid work in the d’amendement de la loi représente un timide espoir family, in the community and work done by et non pas une solution de fond. Nous vous tien- women. Though not paid for financially, this social drons au courant de l’évolution de ce processus et, productivity contributes a great deal to the devel- s’il y a un échec, nous demanderons l’intervention opment and the well-being of society. The inclusion du Comité de la liberté syndicale et de la Commis- of this segment of work in the definition proves sion pour l’application des normes. that, given its privilege of regular exchange with Je vais utiliser cette occasion pour affirmer encore governments, workers, employers and other social une fois notre détermination de voir chez nous, éta- actors, the ILO remains the major repository of blis et opérationnels, les tribunaux du travail. Nous knowledge on labour issues. les désirons en tant qu’institutions distinctes, spé- It is against the foregoing that we once again en- cialisées, professionnalisées, capables de donner dorse the Decent Work Agenda which addresses the aux travailleurs confiance dans l’indépendance de la challenges of the globalization process while guar- justice, dans l’accès sans obstacles à un jugement anteeing fairness. Decent work in the words of Mr. équitable, par des procédures simples et caractéri- Juan Somavia, the Director-General, is, and I quote: sées par la célérité. Nous en sommes encore au dé- “Work on which I can raise my family and send my but, à un stade certes prometteur, mais ce n’est children to school. Work in which I am respected, qu’un début. can organize and have a voice. Work, which will Tout Etat démocratique qui respecte ses citoyens provide a reasonable pension at the end of a work- devrait fonder ses politiques sur un niveau de vie ing life.” décent et digne, la garantie des droits et libertés It will be recalled that the summit of world lead- fondamentales, des chances égales de progrès et de ers at the United Nations in September 2005 en- développement individuel et communautaire. La dorsed the ILO’s vision of decent work as a global Roumanie est un Etat qui a opté définitivement pour goal. The United Nations, in addition, resolved to la démocratie et qui sera bientôt dans la grande fa- ensure full respect for fundamental principles and mille des Etats européens, mais, selon nous, il faut rights at work. encore faire quelques pas, et très vite. La paupérisa- The Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and tion de larges couches de la population, la persis- Government of the African Union on Employment tance de la polarisation sociale, l’absence de politi- and Poverty Alleviation in Africa, sitting in Ouaga- que cohérente pour l’accès à des services publics de dougou in September 2004 and the African Union qualité April meeting in Cairo have all declared employ- – suite au caractère excessivement mercantile des ment creation as the number one goal for Africa. solutions adoptées – sont toute une série de problè- We are aware that the high-level segment United mes dont les solutions appartiennent au parlement et Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) au gouvernement roumain. meeting in July this year has again put decent work Nous, les travailleurs roumains, sommes profon- on the international political agenda of the United dément engagés pour atteindre ces buts. Nous vou- Nations. There is also evidence everywhere which lons être des partenaires responsables, respectant suggests that employment creation is at the heart of nos partenaires et, en même temps, demandant du the ILO’s work and government policies. The respect. Nous voulons entrer dans la famille euro- ECOSOC meeting should provide us with an oppor- péenne avec dignité en tant que partenaires et non tunity to call on international financial and other pas comme une nation d’assistés. institutions to support the ILO’s decent work coun-

9/15 try programmes. I hope that this will be the stand- ture of accountability in the utilization of resources. point of social partners who bring real voices to the It is expected to have a positive impact on the lives discussions on employment and decent work. of Kenyans by providing employment opportunities Given the changes that are being witnessed in the and decent work across the country labour markets, we feel that the ILO can and should The PRESIDENT develop appropriate norms for a global market, norms that would balance the need for flexibility Ladies and gentlemen, we have completed our list and guarantee security of work. Kenya, therefore, of speakers for this morning but I have to inform supports initiatives towards a strong rights-based that the right of reply has been requested so I would approach to the governance of labour markets that like to ask Mr. Apitonian, Government representa- foster social dialogue. tive of Armenia, who wishes to make use of the The February 2006 Maritime Labour Convention, right of reply to the statement of Minister Alak- 2006 is a perfect example of what the ILO can do in barov, to take the floor. In accordance with the de- creativity and consensus-building in modern stan- cision of the Officers of the Conference, the reply dard setting. We need to develop institutional must not exceed two minutes; it must refer only to frameworks that facilitate management of change so the point under debate; and it must be delivered in as to be seen as a source of opportunities and less as correct parliamentary language. It must on no ac- a risk. This calls for all-inclusive action in planning, count give rise to a new speech. As agreed by the adapting and shaping the process of decent work, as Conference, there will be no right of reply to a re- well as technical cooperation. ply. My delegation welcomes the proposal for a new Mr. APITONIAN (Government, Armenia) tool – an integrated policy framework for imple- My delegation would like to make the following mentation of decent work programmes suitable to statement in response to the accusations made each country. Such policy options would enable against my country in the statement of the distin- member states to make choices that suit their unique guished Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of situations. Azerbaijan concerning alleged occupation of an- In order to be successful, Kenya calls for stronger other country’s territory. We would like to empha- links between national economic policies and pre- size that this has nothing to do with the reality on scribed Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers the ground, and the current status quo is the result (PRSPs), as well as genuine partnerships with mul- of the self-defence of the people of Nagorno- tilateral and financial institutions. Karabach against the aggression launched against Governments, on our part, should play the role of the population of that small enclave. providing a conducive investment climate by put- We also fail to understand the link between this ting in place infrastructure in the energy and com- conflict and the Arab-Israeli conflict raised in the munication sectors, especially in the rural areas, as statement of the distinguished Minister. It is most well as ensuring maintenance of law and order for ironic that the distinguished Minister mentioned the business, growth and development. Arab-Israeli conflict, which has at its core a peo- Kenya has established the Constituency Devel- ple’s right of self-determination, whilst denying that opment Fund which currently receives 2.5 per cent same right to the people of Nagorno-Karabach. of the budget with the objective of raising it to 7 per We would encourage the Azerbaijani side to re- cent in this year’s budget. It is a model that provides frain from misleading statements at different forums for a practical approach to the implementation of hich have nothing to do with this particular con- the decent work agenda. flict, and instead to concentrate on peaceful negotia- The Constituency Development Fund is a model tions under the aegis of the existing formula. of participatory democracy which encourages a cul-

9/16

The transcript of statements made in a language other than English, French or Spanish is produced in the language chosen by the country concerned for the purpose of official correspondence with the ILO.

Les interventions prononcées dans une autre langue que l’anglais, l’espagnol ou le français sont transcrites dans la langue choisie par le pays concerné aux fins de la correspondance officielle avec le BIT.

Las intervenciones pronunciadas en un idioma distinto del español, el francés o el inglés se transcribirán en el idioma que el país interesado haya escogido a efectos de su correspondencia oficial con la OIT.

REPORTS OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE GOVERNING BODY AND OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL: DISCUSSION (CONT.)

RAPPORTS DU PRESIDENT DU CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION ET DU DIRECTEUR GENERAL: DISCUSSION (SUITE)

DISCUSIÓN DEL INFORME DEL PRESIDENTE DEL CONSEJO DE ADMINISTRACIÓN Y DE LA MEMORIA Y LOS INFORMES DEL DIRECTOR GENERAL: DISCUSIÓN (CONTINUACIÓN)

Mr. SUPARNO (Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights Indonesia) at Work and its Follow-up. The development of human rights at work in In- First of all, on behalf of the Government of Indo- donesia is emerging in line with our economic nesia, let me echo previous speakers in congratulat- growth and decentralization of authority. ing Mr Sajda of the Czech Republic on his election This principle has been accorded higher tripartite as the President of the 95th Session of the Interna- priority, as reflected in our legislation. tional Labour Conference. I am sure, under his able The impact of economic globalization is a never- chairmanship, this session will result in excellent ending concern, especially in relation to income achievements for the betterment of employment generation and people’s welfare. However, unem- around the world. I am also pleased to convey the ployment is still a major concern. For this reason, best wishes of President Yudhoyono of the Repub- Indonesia encourages strong dynamic relations with lic of Indonesia for the success of this session of the international communities to tackle this issue International Labour Conference. through a better investment climate. Indonesia, as a country which has undergone a As reported by the Director-General of the ILO, meaningful transformation in becoming a fully de- Indonesia is pleased to be involved in eliminating mocratic society, will always commit to interna- the worst forms of child labour of about 111 million tional endeavours that encourage a strong and dy- children around the world. I am of the opinion that namic social partnership. For this reason, President the world of work should be freed from the exploi- Yudhoyono encourages frequent social dialogue in tation of children and that the International Pro- resolving employment issues, as well as labour and gramme for the Elimination of Child Labour’s pro- industrial relations. ject in Indonesia is a good example. I would like also to take this opportunity on be- In order to promote occupational safety and half of the Government of Indonesia to bestow our health, since 1996 Indonesia has adopted an occupa- most sincere gratitude and appreciation to the inter- tional safety and health management system and, by national community for the many expressions of the adoption of Manpower Act No. 13, in 2003, it sympathy and condolence and emergency assistance has become compulsory for every enterprise. Indo- and efforts we have received following the terrible nesia welcomes the ILO initiative to discuss the earthquake which rocked the provinces of Yogya- proposed Convention on the Promotional Frame- karta and Central Java, Indonesia, on 27 May 2006. work for Occupational Safety and Health. However, For the last decade, Indonesia has been making we should discuss this initiative firmly. To develop considerable progress regarding the ILO’s 1998

9/17 sound employment relations at the company level, cial reforms. Since their realization requires coher- we need a strong commitment among the social ac- ent action of various ministers, a coordinating body, tors, and Indonesia is keen to strengthen social dia- the Government Office for Development, was es- logue and empowerment of workers on these issues tablished. as well. This year we have also started negotiations with On the other hand, training programmes, certifica- social partners for concluding a social agreement tion and placement of human resources should be that will represent the commitment of social part- integrated to improve the capacity of human re- ners for the key projects that are to be implemented sources and to obtain proper jobs. Therefore, an by 2009. Among them the realization of manage- integrated three-in-one concept of training, certifi- ment reforms represents its core which, as we be- cation and placement will, I believe, be able to cre- lieve, will secure the basic values and solidarity. ate job opportunities to eradicate poverty. All these measures are aimed: firstly, at respond- I think that, to enhance our mutual recognition, ing successfully to the emerging challenges of glob- the ILO should work closely in its technical coop- alization and increased competitiveness on the la- eration with other international agencies, such as the bour market; secondly, at reducing the disparities International Organization for Migration and the among regions in terms of the level of development World Trade Organization. and the labour market performance; and, thirdly, to In conclusion, although we support the role assure more jobs and, therefore, better social inclu- played by the ILO in improving the situation of sion and higher labour standards. Namely, labour workers in the occupied Arab territories, we are still markets in Slovenia are facing a lack of flexibility deeply concerned by the situation in those territo- and low-level of adaptability and mobility of work- ries. Therefore I strongly encourage the ILO to con- ers. Our priority, therefore, is to develop a frame- tinue assisting the Palestinian Authority to develop work where people would be able to find work a Decent Work Agenda. quickly and easily, where employers would be en- Mr. DROBNIC (Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, couraged to employ more workers, especially young Slovenia) and elderly people, people with disabilities and those with family responsibilities, where employed It is a great honour for me to address this session and recipients of social transfers would be properly of the International Labour Conference. First of all, motivated to seek work more actively and where I would like to congratulate the President on his factory employment and incentives for investment election. I also want to congratulate the Director- in knowledge and skills will be introduced. General, Mr. Somavia, on the extremely compre- At the same time, special attention should con- hensive Report addressing the emerging opportuni- tinue to be paid to the improvement of the existing ties and uncertainties in the changing world of social security system in terms of greater efficiency work. It is again confirming the adequacy of the and transparency. ILO’s strategic objectives and calls for the im- I believe that the optimal policy response to the proved ability of the Organization to adapt con- changing patterns in the global markets can be best stantly to new trends and to make “decent work for defined through the dialogue with social partners. all” a reality. Also, at the international level, the tripartite struc- In line with this, allow me first to point out the ture of the ILO represents the main competitive ad- aim of the ILO to achieve the universal ratification vantage that the ILO should take advantage of when of the eight fundamental Conventions. Due to the facing the mentioned challenges. globalization process, the subject has gained addi- In conclusion, I would like to say that many of the tional value in recent years. In this context, the im- necessary measures are not easy to carry out since plementation of the core ILO Conventions repre- the results are only visible after a certain time; yet, sents the minimum that needs to be ensured and it is we have to bear in mind that the situation today is not only the responsibility of the governments, but the outcome of the measures implemented in the also of the private sector that can contribute impor- past and that only strong will for the introduction of tantly with its socially responsible behaviour in the required measures today can guarantee a better to- global markets. morrow. Slovenia has already ratified all of the core ILO Conventions, nevertheless we consider the recent Sr. MORALES CARTAYA (Ministro de Trabajo y Seguridad ratification of the Collective Bargaining Conven- Social, Cuba) tion, 1981 and the adoption of the Collective Reducir la pobreza mediante el trabajo en el con- Agreements Act as an important step forward. To- texto de la globalización neoliberal es una quimera. gether with other implemented changes in recent La escalofriante tragedia del desempleo y la des- years, we have gained important experiences which protección social descrita en la Memoria del Direc- we would gladly share with countries with similar tor General, que afecta fundamentalmente a millo- social and political backgrounds undergoing the nes de seres humanos del llamado tercer mundo y a transition process or acceding to the European Un- los migrantes y minorías en los bolsones de pobreza ion. del mundo rico y desarrollado, constituye un nuevo Minimum standards at the workplace can only be testimonio para ganar más conciencia sobre las cau- respected when enough jobs are being created so sas que generan esta pobreza y quiénes son sus res- everyone can have access to decent work. How can ponsables. El reconocimiento de tal situación, lejos we create new productive jobs? de promover la frustración, es un acicate para redo- I am well aware that it is mainly the responsibility blar las acciones a emprender hasta acabar con tales of governments to create an environment that will males. stimulate investments, and consequently also create En el actual escenario internacional es más nece- new jobs and speed up economic development. sario que nunca fortalecer el multilateralismo y, de- Having this in mind, the Slovenian Government has ntro de ello, es clave el papel que le corresponde recently adopted a framework of economic and so- asumir a la OIT para que se cumplan por todos los

9/18 Estados las normas internacionales del trabajo, se bour Organization and the European Union in order erradiquen las peores formas del trabajo infantil, el to ensure an adequate level of protection (security). trabajo forzoso y las desigualdades, y se fortalezca Latvia this year has made a great step forward as el diálogo social y la plena participación de los tra- an ILO Member by ratifying three major Conven- bajadores. tions. These are the Forced Labour Convention, La OIT requiere también reformar y democratizar 1930 (No. 29), the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 sus estructuras y métodos de trabajo para estar a la (No. 138) and also the Worst Forms of Child La- altura de los nuevos tiempos. Debería también fo- bour Convention, 1999 (No. 182). calizar su atención, desde su estructura tripartita, en Considering the new strategic challenges of today, la promoción y apoyo al cumplimiento de los Ob- such as globalization and competitive pressures, the jetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. transition to knowledge-based economy, the ageing Vivimos también un momento de cambios signa- population, new family models and European inte- dos por la lucha de los eternos oprimidos y margi- gration, flexible security – “flexicurity”, as it is nados frente a la opulencia del capital, como ocurre called – plays a crucial role. en América Latina, donde el fracasado modelo neo- Flexicurity is now becoming a main feature of a liberal está siendo barrido por los pueblos para, society that is prepared and able to take account of desde el gobierno, enfrentar la pobreza en que fue- globalization and benefit from it without losing its ron sumidos durante siglos. internal cohesion, integrity and quality of life. En todas las latitudes del planeta crece la Flexicurity is not only a two-dimensional issue – esperanza de un mundo mejor. La Alternativa Boli- flexibility and security – it must be closely inter- variana para las Américas, encabezada por Vene- twined with an active labour market policy, espe- zuela, Bolivia y Cuba, demuestra lo que se puede cially with regard to issues of access to employ- alcanzar con voluntad política y solidaridad. A ment, jobseeking and vocational training. Here, I través de lo que se conoce como Operación Mi- would like to place particular emphasis on flexitime lagro, más de 220.000 personas con escasos recur- and flexible work arrangements, since, when em- sos de diferentes países de América Latina y el ployers pay due respect to the individual needs of Caribe ya han recuperado la visión gratuitamente. employees, employees are better motivated and La alfabetización de otros miles con el método cu- more willing to remain loyal to their employers in bano, la creación de Petrocaribe y los acuerdos fir- the long term. mados para la industrialización de los hidrocarburos All parties must contribute to optimizing the im- y el desarrollo de la agricultura en Bolivia redundan provement of methods applied in managing indi- en la creación de nuevos empleos. viduals’ working lives, from the moment a person La resistencia del pueblo cubano durante más de leaves school, and whenever she/he changes job or cuatro décadas a la política hostil dirigida a rendirlo occupation, moves from one country to another or por hambre y enfermedades prueba que vale la pena retires. It is important to develop a model that is el sacrificio de defender el camino escogido. Ello flexible enough to increase productivity at work and permite afirmar aquí que Cuba mantiene el pleno at the same time maintain the balance necessary to empleo, garantiza la seguridad social para todos los ensure social security and welfare for families and ciudadanos y desarrolla programas que la consoli- society as a whole. dan como potencia mundial en salud, educación, In a period of rapid social change, both social deporte, cultura e investigación científica. La eco- partners and regional representatives should take nomía de Cuba creció en un 11,8 por ciento en 2005 active part in various activities as good results can y su ritmo actual avanza a más de 12,5 por ciento, only be achieved through synergy and cooperation. sin renunciar a su obligación de prestar ayuda soli- Social dialogue is the cornerstone of economic daria a los hermanos pueblos de Asia, Africa, Amé- growth, as employers, employees and the govern- rica Latina y el Caribe, siendo un símbolo la cifra ment all share interest in the stable growth of enter- de 1.743.244 personas atendidas en consultas médi- prises and in improving the overall social climate. cas en Pakistán, víctimas del catastrófico terremoto In addition to tripartite social dialogue, it is crucial ocurrido el pasado año. Todo ello como to facilitate dialogue between employees and em- demostración de que un mundo mejor es posible y ployers in order to ensure smoothly functioning que la lucha nos dará la victoria. employment relations, balancing social security and Original German: Mrs. STAKE (Minister of Welfare, Latvia) flexibility on this basis of mutual compromise and thus providing the necessary incentives in entrepre- At the outset, I would like to congratulate you, Mr neurship. Well-developed social dialogue ensures President, on your appointment and wish you every stability and promotes social peace. success in your efforts. I would also like to wel- In conclusion, I would like to wish all of us suffi- come all other delegates to this distinguished Con- cient energy, endurance, determination and focus to ference. achieve the objectives in a speedy and efficient The subjects of the Conference this year are par- way. ticularly important, since the world, and Europe in particular, faces major political and macroeconomic Mr. SULKA (Government, Albania) challenges. It is my pleasure to participate in the 95th Session A major test for modern social and economic of the International Labour Conference and, on be- policies is their ability to be flexible to change. At half of the Albanian Government, to warmly con- the same time, however, these policies must provide gratulate Mr. Sajda for presiding over this working a selection of combinations of opportunities (flexi- session. bility) and protection (security) in order to enable Making use of this session, I would like to ac- individuals and the general public to opt for the knowledge Mr. Somavia’s performance and most suitable solutions for their particular circum- achievements as the Director-General of the Inter- stances. As a rule, special consideration must be national Labour Office and, at the same time, to given to the standards set by the International La-

9/19 convey my faith that such accomplishments will dards; and drafting and implementing national poli- grow in the future. cies against child labour and in favour of eradicat- The importance that this session is giving to the ing the worst forms of child labour. eradication of child labour, as an issue with a uni- This programme’s strategy consists of identifying versal dimension, whose management deals with and addressing straight away the problem at three ensuring basic human rights, remains also one of levels, through strengthening local- and national- the main things encouraging the Albanian Govern- level capacities, through piloting within three re- ment to intensify its struggles to ensure that chil- gions of the community, and through gathering and dren’s rights are respected, and especially that fun- analysing information in this field at national and damental human rights are respected in the work local levels that will help in improving practices and environment. policies. I would like to express my gratitude for giving me Expressing the gratitude of the Albanian Govern- the chance to provide the Conference with a concise ment, especially the Ministry of Labour, Social Af- account of the Albanian Government’s efforts. fairs and Equal Opportunities, in this address to the Child labour is a sensitive and complex issue, International Labour Conference for its support dur- relatively new as a phenomenon within the Alba- ing the implementation of the project to eradicate nian reality. Many economic and social factors, child labour in Albania through the IPEC pro- such as poverty, unrestrained demographic move- gramme, I would like to express once again the will, ment of the population within the territory of the and assure you of the commitment, of the Ministry country, insignificant prospects for unemployment of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the low level of education of most families, are to continue to support this cooperation. Keeping the basis of this phenomenon. The family economic always in mind the Albanian Government’s priori- sector, marketing, services, transportation, road ties, we will very much appreciate the presence, as construction and the agricultural sector are the main well as further assistance, of IPEC in Albania, sectors where child labour is likely to be used. Most through a larger time-bound programme. of the children work within the informal labour sec- On behalf of the Albanian Government, allow me tor, where a considerable number of those children to express one more time my best compliments and are involved in activities and illegal actions such as wishes for success to the working sessions of this trafficking. Conference. The diminution of this phenomenon, as well as Mr. FARRUGIA (Employer, Malta) the abolition of the worst unsafe forms of child la- bour, will require multisectoral cooperation between The Report of the Director-General is tangible all the social actors involved in resolving this issue. proof of the increasing relevance and dynamism of The awareness of the Albanian Government to- the ILO in its efforts to spread the principle of de- wards the abolition of the worst unsafe forms of cent work throughout the world, in spite of the child labour has been focused on the process of im- many global and national forces that may impede plementing tangible programmes regarding this the Organization from reaching its goals. It is on matter. Albania has adopted legislation that protects this note that, on behalf of the Maltese employers, children and prohibits, as well as defines restrictions the Director-General is to be congratulated for the about, children’s employment according to ILO results that have been achieved in each of the major standards. Albania has ratified the United Nations strategic objectives that form part of the ILO’s De- Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as cent Work Agenda. It is indeed a positive develop- ILO Conventions such as the Minimum Age Con- ment to witness the implementation of decent work vention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of country programmes that are focused to tackle la- Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182). Impor- bour-related issues at national and regional levels tant steps have been made in terms of adopting na- through the practice of tripartite social dialogue that tional legislation in line with the international stan- enables strategies to be translated into concrete ac- dards defined in the Conventions. The Labour Code tion. of Albania is the main resource where such efforts The Report also lists as one of its objectives the are seen. provision of a context for debate about the institu- Under the framework of the project of the Interna- tions and policies required to create decent work for tional Programme on the Elimination of Child La- all and to diminish the uncertainty that rapid change bour (IPEC) to eradicate child labour, which has provokes. This aspect of the Report is certainly of been implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Social great relevance to Malta, as our country also is pass- Affairs and Equal Opportunities, work is focused ing through a phase of rapid economic restructuring. on: establishing and strengthening the institutional The pace of economic transformation has been the framework necessary for bodies such as the Na- result of accession to the European Union, the need tional Steering Committee for the Eradication of to meet fiscal criteria to introduce the euro as our Child Labour and the Unit of Child Labour within currency in the beginning of 2008, and is also due the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Equal to a pressing need to build a competitive economy Opportunities, which deal with child labour; that can survive and grow in an aggressive global strengthening the necessary capacities with a mul- competitive environment. tidisciplinary perspective in order to better address Indeed, Malta has been experiencing a significant child labour problems at all levels; increasing the reduction in jobs in areas of low value added manu- capacities of labour inspectors and other social ac- facturing, which has been balanced with a healthy tors involved in the process of monitoring child la- inflow of foreign investment during the last couple bour at national and regional levels in order to com- of years in sectors which demand a higher skill con- bat the worst forms of child labour throughout their tent. The success, or otherwise, of the strategy of training; reviewing national legislation concerning transition will depend on the input of all the social child labour issues to promote the improvements partners, and it is clear that social dialogue is the necessary for its conformity with international stan-

9/20 mechanism that reduces the friction that can be part form into significant plans at national and regional and parcel of social and economic change. levels. We fully support, and actively participate in, tri- In conclusion, it is the belief of Maltese employ- partite dialogue on key policy issues and believe ers that the ILO has a specialized function, and it that the Malta Council for Economic and Social must not detract from its primary role of encourag- Development, which is the Maltese institution ing enterprise and developing the infrastructure to where tripartite dialogue can be practised, can be generate productive and decent employment oppor- more influential in promoting the principles of de- tunities for all. The ILO mandate of dealing with the cent work in Malta. world of work and with the interaction of employers The essential precondition for decent work is job and employees is in itself ambitious. Rather than creation. Therefore, establishing an infrastructure widening its sphere of influence in a manner that that supports and encourages entrepreneurship is might overlap with other institutions, the ILO can crucial to achieve the objectives of the Millennium be more effective if it opts for depth in its core ac- Development Goals through fair globalization, full tivities in order to retain its distinguished identity and productive employment and decent work for all. and increase its effectiveness. In a world where national barriers are being eroded, Mr. SENEVIRATHNE (Minister of Labour Relations and investment invariably flows to countries and regions Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka) that offer the necessary flexibility and competitive conditions. Global competition in the market for We want to thank the Director General, Juan goods and services is also being reflected in compe- Somavia for the comprehensive presentation of the tition in the factor markets, including labour. Job three reports and support the recommendation for creation is thus becoming increasingly dependent on action. the price of labour and, more importantly, on the We should be proud of the achievement of the quality of labour, which is influenced by the degree ILO for innovating the vision of “decent work” and of flexibility and trainability of the labour force. taking it beyond the ILO into the United Nations This implies obligations not just on the part of em- system, making it a global goal recognized by our ployers, but also on employees. Perhaps the empha- leaders at the World Summit in September 2005. sis on employees’ rights in the Report needs to be The ILO programme implementation report for supplemented by an emphasis on the importance of the last biennium presented positive performance- fostering a flexible work environment and culture based results on the four strategic objectives even at that is more adaptable to changing situations. There a time of zero-growth budget. We also note with is also the need for national policies aimed at en- satisfaction the rising rate of ratification of the fun- couraging a higher participation in the labour force, damental Conventions, and urge the ILO to con- developing skills and retraining employees to fit tinue its advocacy in this regard. into new jobs. Education is a key element to ensure Sri Lanka has formulated both its national policy that the labour force is able to avail itself of decent and the National Plan of Action on Decent Work. work opportunities, and more resources need to be The national policy identifies the weaknesses in the channelled by the ILO into skills development pro- focus areas of decent work and sets out policies de- grammes, as these are essential tools in the fight signed to overcome them. The National Action Plan against poverty. Educational programmes should has been developed with tripartite and regional con- also focus on developing entrepreneurship skills as sultation to transform policy into action. His Excel- a means to generate productive employment. lency President Mahinda Rajapakse, who takes a Maltese employers have been advocating a higher personal interest in labour matters, having held the resource allocation to education, as well as to chan- labour portfolio for several years, will himself pre- nel structural funds from the European Union into sent the policy to the Cabinet of Ministers shortly upgrading the human resource as a means of avoid- for approval. ing structural unemployment, which can result in The Director-General’s Report, Changing pat- having a segment of the labour force facing worsen- terns in the world of work, takes up the challenge of ing working conditions. Labour market policies are achieving decent work as a global, regional and na- also needed to address the possibility of a brain tional reality based on the experience gained by the drain in sensitive areas like health, and to curb wage ILO of working with its constituents. Globalization inflation caused by labour shortages and expanding is driving rapid change affecting all sectors of eco- sectors of the economy. nomic activity, including labour markets and work- The global economic environment is also affect- places. ing the mobility of workers. Malta is witnessing an In this context, narrowing down income inequali- increasing flow of immigrants who risk their lives ties has become the major development imperative to cross the Mediterranean from African shores in for developing countries. In Sri Lanka, income ine- the hope of living in a place where their fundamen- quality has remained virtually unchanged during the tal rights are respected; where they may have job last half a century. The lowest 40 per cent of in- opportunities and access to social protection. This come households received 15 per cent, and the phenomenon is proof that there is still a long way to highest 20 per cent of households around 50 per go in many countries, and that a core aspect of the cent, of national income. Poverty afflicts nearly solution to such migrations is the design and im- one-quarter of the population, but varies considera- plementation of the decent work country pro- bly across the country. grammes. These are the means available to bring While we consider job creation is central to pov- the global debate down to country-specific frame- erty reduction, it is important to ensure that new works and policies and should be the main focus of jobs yield incomes above the poverty line and guar- the ILO. antee to workers certain minimum standards that Discussing issues like decent work, productivity enable them to obtain a better quality of life. and skills development from a global perspective is Sri Lanka has experienced mixed results follow- relevant only in so far that such discourse is given ing economic liberalization. On the one hand, the

9/21 country has recorded strong average annual growth generally forbidden and admitted as an exception of over 6 per cent. On the other hand, intensification solely in case of seasonal work, disasters and acci- of global competition has affected some workplaces dents. The State still interferes when determining either through lay-offs, closures of businesses or the specifics of labour remuneration. deterioration of working conditions. The Bulgarian employers realize the necessity of I believe that we need not be disheartened, as the new approach to human resources development there are ways and means of addressing these prob- under the conditions of the globalization of the lems. At the level of trade policy, Sri Lanka was world economy. Qualification of staff has already also able to gain from preferences granted on good become a principal factor for competitiveness. We governance and protection of labour rights. The support the efforts of the Bulgarian Government to drive for greater efficiency and higher productivity enlarge the scope of employment relationships and must be balanced with respect for the basic rights of the range of non-regulated employment. A consid- workers. For example, the ILO’s Factory Improve- erable reduction in unemployment has been re- ment Programme has achieved credibility with both corded thanks to the measures taken in employment the employers and the trade unions and should be promotion, which the social partners have fully extended. supported. One of the principal challenges to the The Director-General’s Report also discusses the employers in Bulgaria comprises the betterment of important issues of informal economy and migrant occupational safety and health. We think that the workers which continue to pose major challenges policy of the Government in this area should also be for Sri Lanka. Around 70 per cent of the workforce directed to encouraging the employers to invest in in the country is engaged in the informal economy, the improvement of labour conditions. In coopera- and around 1.5 million Sri Lankans, equivalent to tion with the ILO, the Bulgarian Industrial Associa- around one-seventh of the labour force, are working tion has been implementing two projects targeting overseas. Migrant workers provide the most impor- employers’ organizations in order to assist their tant source of foreign exchange for the country, and members to ensure occupational safety and health we are continuously upgrading promotional and while meeting their social insurance obligations. welfare programmes for decent employment in this The South East European Employers’ Forum takes sector. As Labour Minister, one of my main priori- great interest in these projects and we are ready to ties is to meet with my counterparts in labour- share our experience with them in the future joint receiving countries and concerned multilateral activities with the ILO. agencies for broad consultations, in order to find In conclusion, we declare our firm belief that the solutions for the many problems facing migrant resolution of the 95th Session of the International workers. We have also initiated new programmes to Labour Conference will be the new important step address the socio-economic and psychological prob- for adherence to fundamental principles and rights lems of migrant workers’ families. at work. I will be presenting to the committees Sri Lanka’s Mr. BUNWAREE (Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and special experience and the lessons learned on recon- Employment, Mauritius) struction after the devastating Tsunami. We take this opportunity once again to convey our The year 2005 has been an eventful year for Mau- deep appreciation to the international community ritius. General elections were held last July in con- for the continued generous support and assistance to formity with deeply entrenched democratic princi- Sri Lanka in our time of need. ples and tradition and a new government came into power with a clear mandate for change. Mr. DANEV (Employer, Bulgaria) Since independence, Mauritius has been relying Mr. President, I would like to extend my con- heavily on its preferential trade agreements in sugar gratulations on your appointment to this distin- and, later, textile, two main pillars of its economy, guished position and my wishes for successful and to create growth and sustain economic and social fruitful work. progress. In the year since the 93rd Session of the Interna- The loss of these trade preferences with the dis- tional Labour Conference, collaboration between mantling of the Multifibre Agreement, which has the organizations of Bulgarian employers has exposed the country to the full blast of competition, strengthened and joint positions have been taken up and the drastic review of the EU sugar regime, while participating in bi- and tripartite social dia- which translates into a significant shortfall in reve- logue. The social partners and the Government have nue, have compelled the Government of Mauritius united in preparing the drafts for changes in Bulgar- to review the way things have been done so far on ian labour and social legislation which fully reflect the economic front, all the more so in the present the requirements of European Union law. We con- context of the spiralling rise in the price of petrol. sider that, among the conditions for improving bi- We have to think and act differently in the interest partite dialogue, Bulgaria has to adjust its practice of the country and the nation as a whole. We are of dialogue to conform the Right to Organise and therefore putting in place a new economic model to Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98). cope with this unprecedented difficult situation. Bulgaria continues to violate the requirements of This new model calls for major reforms, if we are the Convention regarding voluntary bargaining for to achieve once again the 5 to 6 per cent growth rate signing collective labour agreements. we have known in the past and be in a position to The Employers think that the balance between sustain and consolidate our social policies and flexibility and security of the labour market is upset, strategies and check the steady rise in unemploy- with too much emphasis on security. It is necessary ment. to undertake measures to promote flexibility and For the reforms to be successful, it is imperative raise employment without affecting security. An that there be a common sense of purpose, discipline example in relation to this is that Bulgaria is the and solidarity on the part of all stakeholders, be it only country worldwide where overtime labour is the government or the employers, workers and civil

9/22 society. The Government has sent a clear message child labour. The Report of the Director-General to all, and we will ensure that the burden of the re- entitled The end of child labour: Within reach gives forms are equitably shared. Setting the example, the encouraging evidence that the situation, which was Government has imposed severe restrictions on disquieting some years back, has improved impres- public expenditure. This year it has also approved a sively. I concur fully with the UN Director-General, rate of compensation to workers for the rising cost Mr. Kofi Annan, when he said that child labour of living, in line with what the economy in general “has serious consequences that stay with the indi- can afford, ensuring, however, that those at the low- vidual and with society for far longer than the years est rung of the ladder obtain compensation com- of childhood”. More often than not, victims of child mensurate to the rate of inflation. The Government labour face an adulthood of illiteracy and unem- has exhorted those employers who can afford to pay ployment. more to do so, and a few enterprises have already Compulsory education being historically one of responded positively to this call. the most effective measures for eliminating child We are fully conscious of the significance of work labour, the Government of Mauritius has amended for all peoples of the world. There is no doubt that the Education Act to make schooling compulsory work is more than subsistence. It is a source of dig- up to the age of 16. An important provision of the nity, self worth, family stability and social peace. I law is the obligation placed on parents to send their am pleased to inform this Conference that, in the children to school. context of the reforms being undertaken, the Gov- The Government of Mauritius has also enacted ernment of Mauritius is implementing a number of legislation to establish the Office of the Ombuds- measures to promote investment in all sectors and to person for Children. The Ombudsperson has the facilitate the development of new sectors, such as duty to promote the rights and interests of children seafood and information communication technol- and is also empowered to investigate any suspected ogy, to support the economy. We are also promot- or reported case of child labour. ing self employment and the development of SMEs Ms. MENKERIOS (Minister of Labour and Human Welfare, and, through extensive training and multiskilling, Eritrea) greater employability of workers. We aim thus to protect workers, given the changing nature of jobs I would first of all like to congratulate the Direc- in the present context. tor-General Mr. Juan Somavia for the quality of his It is a fact that workers’ rights without work can- Report, which brings a message of hope to the not exist. It is therefore essential that we undertake world of work in its decent form. Without going comprehensive and far-reaching reforms built into details of the Report, I would like to refer to around the people and designed to reposition our- some of the messages that I believe are essential. selves for sustainable growth, stability and devel- The 2004-05 Programme implementation report opment. It is a fact that collaboration between the indicated that most of the ILO programmes were public and the private sector is a sine qua non re- reported to be implemented within the stated strate- quirement for economic growth and sustainable gies and are yielding the expected results. I believe livelihoods protection and development. I am happy that this can open the way to achieve the strategic to report that Mauritius has a long tradition of such dimensions of decent work. To make this hope sus- collaboration and well defined structures are in tainable, more decent work country programmes place for that purpose. need to be initiated and supported by dialogue as a I am also pleased to inform this august assembly new dimension of the programme process. that we have made great strides in the reform of our The Report declared a performance of encourag- industrial relations framework and our labour legis- ing reduction in child labour, especially its worst lation generally. The legislative reform is being un- forms in many areas of the world, and is supported dertaken with an involvement of all stakeholders in by the empirical results of the studies made in the the true spirit of social dialogue and tripartism. We different areas. However, in some regions of the shall be guided in this exercise by the distilled wis- world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, child labour dom of the ILO standards, taking into account eq- is reported to remain alarmingly high which calls uity and human dignity. for a continuous advocacy and technical assistance With a view to promote and advance the right of in this region to achieve the reported hope and con- workers to a safe and healthy environment, the tribute to its sustainability. Government of Mauritius enacted last year a new On the “changing patterns in the world of work”, Occupational Safety and Health Act. This new Act interesting messages for discussion are highlighted. is intended to consolidate the legal framework for To yield a great deal of varied insight on the ques- the provision of a safe and healthy workplace for tions and messages raised, there is a need to conduct one and all, and it addresses the changes occurring more studies and research, which will help us un- as a result of the introduction of new technologies, derstand the status of the world of work. new equipment, new production methods and new We do indeed share the conviction expressed in work patterns. The initiative of the ILO to adopt the Report of the Director-General that the strategy standards on the “Promotional framework for occu- of decent work is central to efforts to overcome pational safety and health” comes at an opportune poverty. moment for us. I would like to highlight here the My country Eritrea, as a new nation in its own ini- fact that we are also, in this context, giving due im- tiative and capacity, is taking steps to enhance the portance and consideration to the issue of quality level of workers that ensure social justice in HIV/AIDS at the workplace. the workplace. Its people are striving for collective The principles of decent work are at the heart of and individual well-being through work. our strategies for economic and social progress and To break through the food aid-dependent chain for creating a more inclusive society. and establish secure life by overcoming poverty, a I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the food security programme is the number one priority ILO for what it has achieved in its fight against of the Government of Eritrea. That includes con-

9/23 struction of roads, building of dams, diversion of L’un des résultats de ce consensus national sur le river courses, afforestation, and distribution of seeds plan politique a été la création d’un Comité national and agricultural equipment. This programme has indépendant pour les élections, chargé de superviser opened a wider opportunity of employment to all le processus de transition démocratique au cours des people, and for young people in particular to par- prochaines échéances, à partir du référendum sur la ticipate to its full implementation. Constitution jusqu’aux élections présidentielles. As part of social security activities, adequate sup- Sur le plan social, les salaires des travailleurs ont port is given to orphans, vulnerable households and augmenté de manière significative, de même que les disabled persons, in order to provide employment allocations familiales et les pensions des civils et opportunities through community-built develop- des militaires. Nous avons procédé aussi à une ment programmes. réduction des impôts sur les salaires. Des négocia- Furthermore, special support, care and treatment, tions se poursuivent avec les partenaires sociaux including distribution of retroviral drugs are given afin d’améliorer davantage les conditions des tra- to people living with HIV/AIDS, including at the vailleurs et d’augmenter leur pouvoir d’achat. workplace. We started a pension scheme in 2004 as Le gouvernement provisoire de Mauritanie est dé- part of a social security initiative which we believe terminé à poursuivre ses efforts en vue d’améliorer can furnish adequate old-age security. les conditions économiques et sociales du peuple With regard to human resource development, pro- mauritanien et de garantir la justice sociale. A cet gressive measures are being adopted: by opening égard, nous souhaitons féliciter l’OIT pour l’appui schools in many parts of the country, with priority qu’elle nous apporte et nous sommes convaincus given to rural areas, and making primary education que ce soutien va encore s’intensifier et se pour- free of charge and compulsory for all, as a measure suivre, en particulier dans cette phase de transition to discourage child labour. Several new colleges que traverse mon pays. have been opened. To enhance female education, Le rapport du Directeur général concernant la girls’ boarding schools have been opened, and are situation des travailleurs des territoires arabes oc- all functioning. This fits well with the new pattern cupés montre que les conditions de travail de ces of work opportunity for girls. As regards health ser- travailleurs se sont détériorées de manière significa- vices, health facilities at different levels are being tive. built, including referral hospitals, and are giving Mon pays appuie les recommandations qui fig- their services to ensure safe work. More reinforce- urent dans ce rapport et demande au Bureau ment activities are under way on occupational d’intensifier et de promouvoir ses programmes safety and health. visant à améliorer les conditions de vie de cette In our case tripartism has become a way of life. I catégorie importante de la société palestinienne. can proudly report that we have strengthened the Sr. RIVERA ESCUDERO (Ministro de Trabajo y Desarrollo tripartite voice by establishing a Labour Relations Laboral, Panamá) Board and in the process of establishing labour ad- visory boards, to facilitate tripartite guidance. We Panamá ha aprobado los convenios fundamentales are spearheading efforts to gather basic level market de la OIT y el Gobierno aprobará en los próximos information, including the labour force survey, child días el Decreto Ejecutivo que reglamenta los traba- labour survey and the employment survey, so as to jos peligrosos para la salud, la seguridad, la morali- objectively measure our labour situation, and de- dad y el desarrollo integral de las personas menores velop or revise our national policies if this is de edad, en conmemoración del 12 de junio, Día deemed necessary. mundial contra el trabajo infantil. En la reunión We are putting a great effort into the well-being celebrada en Panamá en marzo pasado, el Consejo of workers and provide them with a social safety net de Ministros de Trabajo de Centroamérica y Rep- as we intended. With proper implementation of our ública Dominicana declaró convertir esta región en economic and social development strategies, we the una «zona libre de trabajo infantil», con el apoyo de Government of Eritrea is committed to offering la OIT. decent work and a decent life to all Eritreans. En esta fecha el año pasado, el Gobierno que rep- resento tenía sólo nueve meses dirigiendo el país. Original arabe: M. OULD AHMED OULD DJEGUE (ministre de Encontramos grandes retos, en especial, generar la la Fonction publique et de l'Emploi, Mauritanie) confianza del ciudadano en sus gobernantes, lograr Le gouvernement provisoire de Mauritanie tra- la participación de los sectores laborales y empre- vaille fermement et sans relâche, sous la direction sariales en las áreas prioritarias del desarrollo du président du Comité militaire pour la démocratie económico y social, y rescatar la credibilidad y et la justice, le Chef de l’Etat, le colonel Ali Ould apoyo de la comunidad de naciones y los organis- mohamed Fal, pour améliorer les conditions de vie mos internacionales. des citoyens mauritaniens. No ha sido fácil el camino recorrido, pero avan- Au cours des dix derniers mois, le gouvernement zamos. Estamos fortaleciendo la inversión social mauritanien a eu des résultats importants dans les para el desarrollo y promoviendo la equidad y justi- secteurs vitaux de l’économie grâce à la volonté cia social en las relaciones laborales. politique et à un environnement propice apporté par Para nosotros, es necesario crear las bases para les changements du 3 août 2005. una nueva cultura laboral que tenga al diálogo y al Le gouvernement a mis en place trois comités tripartismo como su principal base de apoyo, al ministériels chargés d’examiner les principales pri- igual que el respeto por el derecho de los trabajado- orités telles que la transition vers la démocratie, la res y empleadores, el equilibrio en la administración justice et la bonne gouvernance. laboral y el compromiso de responsabilidad social Les rapports rédigés par ces comités ont débouché que el capital debe jugar en la desaparición de la sur des consultations qui ont eu lieu avec la partici- pobreza y las desigualdades. pation de tous les partis politiques ainsi que de la Algunas estrategias ejecutadas por mi Gobierno société civile. en esa dirección son: una reforma tributaria que

9/24 permite mayores recursos para invertir en los pro- further develop cooperation with European and in- gramas sociales; fortalecimiento de la transparencia ternational institutions and continue its active policy en la administración del Estado y sus recursos, of good neighbour relations and regional coopera- combatiendo la corrupción y la burocracia impro- tion in all areas. The Republic of Montenegro has ductiva; se impulsó de una reforma a la seguridad expressed a special interest in and commitment to social, con la participación de todos los sectores enhancing good and friendly relations with the Re- involucrados, que evitará el colapso financiero de la public of Serbia. institución que la administra; y fortalecimiento de In the context of this Conference, Montenegro los programas de intermediación laboral y de ins- will, in particular, continue to respect and further pección para el cumplimiento de la ley, la seguridad improve standards and good practices in the field of y salud en el trabajo y la inserción laboral de las employment and labour, through international, re- personas con discapacidad, entre otros. gional and bilateral cooperation and, of course, by Avanzamos en el desarrollo de políticas económi- respecting the principles of tripartism. cas y sociales, en especial de empleo, bajo un enfo- Montenegro has achieved macroeconomic stabil- que de integralidad y trabajo decente, cumpliendo ity and established a stable environment for busi- con los principios de las normas internacionales de ness, new investments and new job creation. This is trabajo y los convenios fundamentales de la OIT. confirmed by a recent report of Standard and Poor’s Prueba de ello son: el crecimiento de la economía showing improvement in the credit rating from BB al 6,5 por ciento anual; la disminución de la pobreza to BB+ in only a year, with the assessment of fur- estructural, del desempleo y la informalidad; la ther positive trends. I would like to confirm that, disminución de los índices de trabajo infantil y los following the definition of the State status, the Gov- avances hacia el logro de una equidad laboral en ernment of Montenegro will continue to carry out relación al género y la participación de la mujer en policy measures with regard to overall legislation el mercado de trabajo; y el fortalecimiento de los reform, which will further improve the economic mecanismos de participación ciudadana a través del environment in order to achieve three main objec- diálogo y la concertación. tives: growth of the standard of living and quality of En febrero pasado, por segunda vez en 50 años y life of all citizens, along with appropriate social, con el apoyo de trabajadores y empresarios, se ap- healthcare and education systems; fast, sustainable robó por consenso el salario mínimo. economic development through the increase of eco- Durante 92 años, el Canal de Panamá ha servido nomic freedoms, strengthening the impact of the al comercio marítimo mundial y es una de las prin- private sector, achieving a higher degree of macro- cipales actividades económicas del país, junto al economic stability; and building an institutional and turismo. legal framework in compliance with international El pueblo panameño emprenderá, previa aproba- standards and norms based on the rule of law. ción en un referéndum, el más grande proyecto eco- Through the application of government policy and nómico de los últimos 100 años, la construcción de measures, unemployment in Montenegro was re- un tercer juego de esclusas y la ampliación del Ca- duced from 76,000 in early 2003 to 45,000 in May nal Interoceánico, a un costo de 5.200 millones de 2006, which is a decrease of about 31,000, that is of dólares de los Estados Unidos. 40.79 per cent. Esta obra generará millares de trabajos decentes, Reform in the field of labour and employment is directa e indirectamente, y permitirá mejorar nues- part of overall economic reform which contributed tra competitividad en las rutas marítimas interna- to macroeconomic stability. In 2006, we have all cionales y ofrecer un mayor servicio en el desarrollo parameters planned for overall stabilization, which mundial del comercio. includes an increase in GDP by the rate of 4.5 per Reconocemos el valioso trabajo que la OIT ha re- cent and inflation not exceeding 3 per cent, together alizado para consolidar el Convenio refundido sobre with the growth of industrial production and a el trabajo marítimo. Nuestro Gobierno está anuente budget deficit decrease of 1.7 per cent. a ratificar el Convenio sobre el trabajo marítimo y I would like to reiterate that the unemployment se está preparando para ese objetivo. rate was reduced from 29.1 per cent in 2003 to the Como señaló hace unos años el General Omar current rate of 17 per cent. In the same period, the Torrijo, líder tercermundista que hizo posible el fin share of unemployed young people has decreased to del colonialismo en nuestro país, «cada pueblo tiene 21 per cent, and the share of unemployed women su propia aspirina para su problema». Por ello, su fell from 59 per cent in 2003 to 49.3 per cent. hijo, el actual Presidente de la República, ha dicho: Over the last few years, the employment of people «la globalización no es una opción, sino una reali- with disabilities, the Roma population and other dad, y estamos nosotros, los panameños, escogiendo vulnerable groups has been achieved. nuestra ruta para enfrentar los retos y desafíos que The World Travel and Tourism Council has pro- ella nos impone». claimed Montenegro, for the second year in a row, Original Serbian: Mr. STIJEPOVIC (Minister of Labour and the most rapid tourist economy in the world, with an Social Welfare, Republic of Montenegro, Serbia and annual growth rate of above 10 per cent. This is of Montenegro) utmost importance for employment, not only in Montenegro, but also in the region, bearing in mind Please allow me first to address this Conference that last year the number of non-residents employed by greeting you all on behalf of the Republic of in Montenegro was around 30,000. Montenegro, which officially proclaimed its inde- Montenegro is willing to solve the problem of un- pendence only two days ago on Saturday 3 June. employment as a global and, in our case, as an im- Montenegro is committed to continue to build itself portant regional problem, in partnership with rele- as a modern, open and civil society, respecting hu- vant national and international institutions. We will man rights and freedoms, the principles of democ- continue to be devoted to the process of regional racy, the rule of law, as well as the market econ- cooperation within employment, the labour market omy. As an independent State, Montenegro will and training for our future integration into the Euro-

9/25 pean Union, the implementation of standards in the opment in labour administration and labour statis- field of employment and so that the Global Em- tics. ployment Agenda of the International Labour Or- The people of Sudan are happy to have peace and ganization becomes operational in our country. enjoy stability. The historic Comprehensive Peace Please allow me to reaffirm that Montenegro, Agreement signed by the Government of Sudan and which is now an independent State, with its na- the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) tional, political and institutional stability, will guar- on 9 January 2005 in Nairobi has halted the war antee the follow-up to the cooperation within the completely in southern Sudan, Blue Nile and the region and a stronger impact on the democratization Numa Mountains. The Government of Sudan and process of the region. the SPLM have become partners in implementing We hope that Montenegro will soon become a the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. member of all relevant European and international A Government of National Unity was set up, a organizations, including the United Nations. This new National Assembly was composed and a new will also be a formal commitment for Montenegro Interim National Constitution was adopted which that will guarantee all the rights and standards also will cater for freedoms and human rights. The Con- promoted by the ILO. stitution of southern Sudan was approved and the The democratically organized referendum, as it Government of southern Sudan was formed. The was assessed by the European Union, is the confir- Minister of Labour of the Government of southern mation that Montenegro has the capacity to develop Sudan is a member of the delegation attending this a democratic and prosperous society. I do believe session and he will address the Conference at a later that member States of this Organization, as well as date. European international institutions, will support us Sudan now calls on the donor countries to honour in further reforms. the commitments which they made at the Oslo Do- Mr. MAGAYA (Minister of Labour, Public Service and Human nors’ Conference on Sudan, hosted by the Govern- Resources Development, Sudan) ment of Norway in April 2005, for recovery and development in all war-affected areas. It is my pleasure to express to the President, on It gives me great pleasure to bring to the attention behalf of the delegation of Sudan, our sincere con- of this august gathering that the Government of Su- gratulations on his election to the presidency of the dan concluded a peace agreement on 5 May this 95th Session of the International Labour Confer- year to put an end to the war in Darfur. The peace ence. We are confident that he will lead the delib- agreement covers security arrangements, power erations of this session to a successful conclusion. sharing, wealth sharing and the future administra- The Report of the Director-General on ILO pro- tion of Darfur. It also stresses the importance of gramme implementation 2004-05 is highly appreci- respecting basic human freedoms, including free- ated. It reflects the achievement and dialogue of the dom of worship, and the fair representation of Dar- previous biennium and ILO efforts to assist member fur’s people in all institutions. The Government of countries in need to create employment, alleviate Sudan will allocate funds for the reconstruction and poverty and ensure social protection. Therefore, the rehabilitation of the war-affected areas in Darfur. ILO is encouraged to develop policies and pro- We call on the international community to commit grammes with international financial institutions to financial resources to help the people of Darfur, respond to the needs of its constituents, especially especially in the humanitarian field, repatriation of in the areas of employment creation, poverty alle- refugees and displaced people, and development. viation and occupational safety and health. It is also We appreciate the decision of the Netherlands to encouraged to look for extra-budgetary resources to organize a donor’s conference on this issue. support technical cooperation programmes. Here, I take the opportunity to extend thanks and Sudan is now enjoying very cordial relations with gratitude, on behalf of the people and Government the ILO, reflected in the different areas of assistance of Sudan, to His Excellency the President of Nige- to the Government and the social partners. The as- ria, the African Union, the mediators and facilitators sistance covers such different areas as: firstly, the and friendly countries who spared no effort to help formulation of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strat- the parties to reach a peace agreement in Darfur. egy Papers (IPRSP) of northern Sudan, in collabora- To conclude, the Government of Sudan draws at- tion with the Ministry of Finance and other stake- tention to the sufferings of the people of the occu- holders. pied Arab territories and atrocities committed by the We are quite confident that the ILO will also help occupation authorities. We call on the ILO to in- the Government of southern Sudan in formulating crease assistance to the social partners in the occu- its Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP); sec- pied Arab territories so as to achieve decent work. ondly, in capacity building, the Government of Su- On the other hand, the international community is dan benefited in areas of child labour and interna- asked to respect the democratic right of the Palestin- tional labour standards; and thirdly, formulating ian people to choose their own government. programme proposals covering the areas of em- ployment recovery for poverty reduction and recon- (Mr. de Regil takes the Chair.) struction in Sudan. The programme will provide direct training and employment opportunities for Mr. ALLAM (Employer, Egypt) vulnerable populations through the provision of vo- On behalf of the employers and the Republic of cational training, training for self-employment and Egypt, it is my pleasure to congratulate the Presi- the rehabilitation of infrastructure through labour- dent on his election to the presidency of the 95th intensive schemes as part of the ILO’s local eco- Session of the International Labour Conference. I nomic development approach. The ILO will also hope, and am sure, that the work of this Conference provide technical assistance to the Ministry of La- will be crowned with success. bour, Public Service and Human Resources Devel- Decent work is a term which is recognized inter- nationally and which allows people to deal with

9/26 different situations. The programme to combat pov- Sr. ARTHUR ERRÁZURIZ (empleador, Chile) erty certainly involves the promotion of decent work. Everyone deserves decent work. The Direc- Para nosotros, la participación en la Conferencia tor-General of the International Labour Organiza- Internacional del Trabajo reviste una especial signi- tion, in his Report ILO programme implementation ficación, ya que representa la mejor instancia inter- 2004-05, comments on the efforts made by the ILO nacional para intercambiar ideas respecto a los te- to promote the four strategic objectives of decent mas laborales de actualidad, así como para trabajar work. The Report refers to fundamental principles de manera conjunta en la construcción de marcos and rights at work, which means creating possibili- normativos tendientes a garantizar las más sanas, ties for employment, ensuring revenue, decent work humanas y modernas relaciones del trabajo posi- and social protection for our workers, and recogniz- bles. ing the importance of social dialogue. The result of Nuestra participación viene a reafirmar a nivel in- these strategies is made clear by the Report for a ternacional lo que en el plano nacional hemos esti- number of countries which have made changes to mado fundamental: el diálogo social. their labour policies in order to incorporate these Hoy, vivimos en un mundo en el que se hace in- fundamental principles and rights at work, and dispensable ampliar los espacios de acción y cola- where very serious policies have been implemented boración para incrementar el crecimiento de las em- in order to fight poverty. During the 2005 World presas y el bienestar de los trabajadores. Nuestro Summit, we saw that decent work and productive aparato productivo se desenvuelve en el marco de work were made goals for all policies at interna- una economía abierta, donde se compite en base al tional level. conocimiento, las competencias técnicas, la organi- The ILO is now implementing practical solutions zación y la productividad. for decent work, solutions which are based on deal- Las relaciones laborales que en el pasado han ing with challenges, such as child labour and dis- estado marcadas por la desconfianza y el conflicto crimination between men and women, as well as on entre trabajadores y empresarios han ido dando paso the need for local development. International prepa- a unas que se fundan en el entendimiento y la co- ration is vital, and technical cooperation is the key, laboración. Para avanzar en este aspecto debemos along with national programmes, especially those vencer algunas resistencias. national technical cooperation programmes in Arab En definitiva, debemos ser capaces de alcanzar un countries where there are training programmes set nuevo trato en la empresa con la participación de up for small and medium-sized enterprises. Provid- actores sociales fuertes, renovados y representativos ing labour to qualified young people is also impor- de los distintos sectores. La alta y sostenida tasa de tant. The 65th Congress of the Arab Labour Organi- desempleo hace que fomentar la cultura del diálogo zation noted that investments in technical coopera- social sea una tarea prioritaria y urgente. tion are increasing, in keeping with the needs of the Y entendemos por diálogo social las relaciones social partners. que se producen entre actores sociales productivos As regards social protection and social security, a (empresarios, trabajadores y sus respectivas organi- number of systems of social security have been zaciones representativas) con la finalidad y voluntad promoted, thanks again to the efforts of the ILO. efectiva de abordar en conjunto la búsqueda de We should like to pay tribute to programmes deal- soluciones a problemas de interés mutuo. ing with small enterprises, especially local devel- En nuestro país hemos hecho permanentes esfuer- opment programmes, and those to improve labour zos en esta materia poniendo un especial énfasis conditions in small enterprises. durante el último tiempo. Desde hace poco más de Generally speaking, as regards the activities and un año, empresarios y trabajadores chilenos hemos performance of the ILO in the period covered by the participado en instancias de acercamiento que nos Director-General’s Report, we note that the ILO has han permitido llevar adelante un diálogo técnico in large part met its targets in implementing the sobre diversos temas, tales como educación, capaci- principles of decent work. Certainly, eliminating tación, seguridad social, acción gremial y sindical. child labour is a tremendous challenge, since this A pesar de las naturales y conocidas diferencias, practice exists in many countries. Since the Interna- ambas partes hemos procurado privilegiar una vi- tional Programme on the Elimination of Child La- sión de país con miras al bien común, por sobre los bour began, we have seen progress, thanks to con- intereses particulares de cada sector. stant efforts made to put an end to the use of child Coincidimos hoy en que en un mundo en el que la labour by the year 2016. economía social de mercado se ha consolidado co- We are concerned by the situation in the occupied mo la forma más eficiente de organizar las activida- Arab territories and we believe that greater efforts des productivas, la empresa privada constituye el should be made in order to ensure security, stability motor de la economía. Esta debe ser entendida and peace, as provided for in the ILO Constitution. como un espacio de cooperación y armonía entre Sustainable international peace will not be possible trabajadores y empresarios, donde ambos deben until social justice is provided, and employers’ or- trabajar juntos en el logro del bienestar mutuo y de ganizations and workers’ organizations in the occu- la sociedad. pied territories deserve greater support. We also Estamos inmersos en un proceso de globalización deplore the problems of access experienced by Pal- donde todo cambia rápido y existen cada vez menos estinian workers and we call on the ILO to increase barreras de todo tipo. Esto se aplica también al its technical training programmes in the occupied mundo de la empresa, donde ya no es común traba- Arab territories, given the increase of unemploy- jar durante toda la vida en un mismo lugar. Nuevos ment and the deterioration of living conditions sectores se han incorporado al mundo del trabajo, se there. Irrespective of one’s religion, or one’s gen- incrementan las relaciones por cuenta propia y cada der, everyone has a right to work and denying such vez más procesos productivos requieren de jornadas a right denies the equality of opportunities for all. de trabajo especiales.

9/27 Ante estos vertiginosos cambios, nuestro sistema perfeccionamientos que éste requiere a fin de asegu- de relaciones laborales y, por consiguiente, la legis- rar las mejores pensiones a los trabajadores. lación del trabajo deben adecuarse también rápida- Erróneamente, algunos sectores culpan a las ad- mente; ello significa que instituciones y normas más ministradoras de fondos de pensiones de problemas modernas y funcionales deban aplicarse a nuestro que, en realidad, no derivan del Sistema en sí sino mercado del trabajo. del mercado del trabajo. El desempleo, la discrimi- Estimamos que se requiere de un marco jurídico nación por género y por edad, y la informalidad, moderno que combine la necesaria flexibilización entre otros factores, atentan contra la cotización re- de las relaciones laborales que demanda el mercado, gular de los trabajadores afiliados a las administra- con los adecuados resguardos que eviten su precari- doras. zación. Todo ello hace necesario, otra vez, que la reforma En este sentido, los múltiples y fundamentales previsional vaya acompañada de cambios sustancia- cambios ocurridos en la economía y la sociedad les en las normas que regulan las relaciones de tra- durante los últimos años han hecho cada vez más bajo para hacerlas más flexibles y eficientes, a fin necesario disponer de sistemas de relaciones labora- de que promuevan el empleo y la formalidad. les alternativos, distintos del contrato de trabajo Mr. RACHMAN (Employer, Indonesia) tradicional. Dentro de esta dinámica, el trabajo en régimen de contratación y las empresas de servicios First of all, allow me on behalf of the delegation transitorios resultan claves. of the Employers’ Association of Indonesia Restringir estas formas de contratación puede ser (APINDO) to express our warmest congratulations perjudicial para la generación de empleo, así como to the President on his election at this 95th Session para la subsistencia de miles de empresas pequeñas of the International Labour Conference 2006. y medianas. La Confederación que represento siem- Secondly, I should also like to take this opportu- pre ha condenado y seguirá haciéndolo cualquier nity to convey our sincere gratitude and apprecia- violación de los derechos de los trabajadores, pero tion to you all, especially to the Director-General of siempre seguirá abogando por la primacía de la ra- the ILO, for your expressions of sympathy and con- cionalidad, el derecho al trabajo y el derecho al libre dolences to the sad and unexpected earthquake dis- emprendimiento privado. aster that happened in Yogyakarta and some parts of En este sentido, valoramos el protocolo de acuer- Central Java Provinces in Indonesia on 27 May do suscrito en el Congreso Nacional de Chile, me- 2006. To date, we have received confirmation of the diante el cual se precisan seis aspectos del proyecto death toll rising to more than 6,000, over 46,000 de ley sobre subcontratación y empresas de servi- injuries and around 200,000 persons are now dis- cios transitorios. placed. Esperamos que estas aclaraciones superen algunas Unemployment and poverty in Indonesia are cre- ambigüedades y restricciones excesivas que se po- ating great burdens to the development of our soci- drían haber producido en esta materia. Se debe estar ety. At the same time, there is lack of implementa- especialmente atento a las formas en que se limite el tion with respect to the national security system and concepto de subcontratación en la redacción del law enforcement. All these factors have in fact texto final. caused extra cost to the operation of enterprises. Otro tema que está discutiéndose en el mundo es Therefore, it is our view that investment can be a la reforma de los sistemas de previsión social. Los fundamental solution to these problems. With the cambios demográficos (el aumento en las expectati- flourishing investment, improving prosperity, qual- vas de vida y la disminución de la tasa de natalidad) ity of education, and preventing as well as eliminat- han hecho inviables los mecanismos de reparto (pay ing the worst forms of child labour can be effec- as you go) que, paulatinamente, han ido dando paso tively pursued. In addition, efforts to push and sus- a sistemas de capitalización en los que el trabajador tain the growth and development of investment can es dueño de sus aportes, que son administrados por be made through the following ways: good per- empresas privadas en un ambiente de competencia formance of production capacity to meet the grow- que fomenta la rentabilidad de los recursos. ing public demand; sustainable improvement of En Chile, la reforma del Sistema de Pensiones production appliances, management and manpower cumplió 25 años de existencia, período durante el employability; and/or new investment in formal and cual ha demostrado enorme fortaleza, tanto desde la informal sectors, particularly domestic and foreign perspectiva de su contribución al mejoramiento de investors. las pensiones de los trabajadores como desde su The market itself depends on supply and demand. contribución al desarrollo económico del país. Al Proper services and better competitive advantages efecto, la administración eficiente de estos recursos will be the basic platforms of sustainable invest- ha permitido que en estos 25 años los trabajadores ment. In these days, our business competitiveness is hayan obtenido rentabilidades superiores al 10 por relatively low to meet international as well as do- ciento como promedio real anual. mestic markets. El Sistema ha implicado también un importante In Indonesia, there has recently been a labour is- aporte a nuestro desarrollo económico en lo que se sue as the Government has a plan to revise certain refiere a la profundización del mercado de capitales, provisions in the Labor Act No. 13 of 2003. In this el impulso a la industria aseguradora, la contribu- regard, allow me to share with you regarding the ción a los proyectos de infraestructura y de vivien- development of this issue, as follows. da, y el aporte, en general, al crecimiento económi- As a follow-up of the national tripartite summit co de Chile. agreement in the beginning of 2005 and understand- Conscientes de estos beneficios, sabemos que el ing agreed at the national tripartite body, the Minis- Sistema de Pensiones debe enfrentar nuevos desafí- ter of Manpower and Transmigration of the Repub- os que lo perfeccionen. Para ello, se ha constituido lic of Indonesia launched a proposal of changes on en Chile una comisión de expertos para estudiar los certain articles of the Labor Act No. 13 of 2003 in February 2006. Unfortunately, the representatives

9/28 of trade unions refused the draft proposal, arguing ble mission. We are grateful for the ILO’s past and that this had never been discussed before. current efforts with regard to Palestine and the oc- After a month of postponement, consultation cupied Arab territories, especially in the light of the among the tripartite was restarted in March 2006. extremely difficult and unusual situation of workers Again, it ended up in deadlock and disappointment and peoples in Palestine. However, over the last to all parties. Trade unions refused the proposed years, we have noted a considerable decrease in as- draft definitely. Despite efforts by APINDO to sistance despite the fact that the recent develop- bring this matter into the priority agenda of the na- ments in our country make assistance even more tional tripartite body, this, in the end, found no suc- necessary. Given the current major challenges faced cess. by the social partners in Palestine, and given the After this deadlock, mass demonstrations and noble principles on which this Organization was strikes in several cities were held by trade unions at founded, we are convinced that the ILO is in a posi- both national and local levels. These badly created tion to step up its efforts considerably. serious business interruptions. Just like any people in the world, Palestinians In April 2006, the President of the Republic of In- seek social peace. The struggle for social peace and donesia initiated a meeting to facilitate a construc- better working conditions is inseparable from the tive dialogue between representatives of trade un- fight against war and racist occupation. It is there- ions and APINDO. The President asked all parties fore imperative that taking a stand on the Palestin- to remain restrained and propose academic interven- ian cause is a key criterion for the peoples of the tions in making an analysis for a solution. Five uni- world, who are represented by their States, govern- versities were asked to do this task and planned to ments and organizations, when it comes to achiev- submit their conclusions in two months. ing social peace. Despite this consultation, trade unions announced In this context, I would like to underline that the the Jakarta Declaration emphasizing their refusal to deadlock in the peace process in our region, con- the draft proposal. This was followed by mass dem- trary to what Israel and its allies allege, is not onstrations in various cities. In Jakarta, riots oc- caused by the current action of the Palestine Gov- curred in the area surrounding the National Parlia- ernment. Rather, it is a result of the policies and ment on 4 May 2006. Against this background, positions adopted by successive Israeli Govern- some business associations in certain sectors have ments that are based on a lack of respect for the planned to sue trade unions due to the serious losses Palestinian peoples’ fundamental rights, especially incurred during the mass demonstrations. the right to self-determination; the right to create an Let me reaffirm to you, APINDO has a good faith independent Palestinian State with Al-Qods as its to maintain the importance of social dialogue with capital; and the right of refugees who were driven social partners in solving all industrial relations from their homeland over 58 years ago to return problems. However, at this juncture, I would like to home. The current Palestinian Government, which take this good opportunity to bring to the attention was elected in transparent and democratic elections, of the leaders of trade unions, particularly in Indo- was preceded by nine governments, all of which nesia, that they show more consistency, in the spirit recognized Israel and its right to existence, in order of social dialogue within the bipartite procedure, in to find a comprehensive, peaceful settlement that dealing with the said industrial relations problems. would put an end to the bloody struggle, in the hope For our part, APINDO has in fact taken initiative to end Israeli occupation. However, these objectives in establishing a bipartite dialogue forum to discuss were not attained, because Israel’s concessions were all aspects that may affect the positive investment purely cosmetic and without effect, and at the be- climate in Indonesia. This bipartite forum was ginning of the Oslo process 12 years later, the situa- agreed by all parties concerned and served many tion of the Palestinian people was even more catas- dialogues, and did not merely focus on the issue of trophic. the revision of the Labor Act. Israeli mentality is the main obstacle to peace in In conclusion, I do hope that in this good oppor- our region; Israelis lay claims over Palestinian tunity of attending this 95th Session of the Interna- lands, under the pretext of baseless religious, his- tional Labour Conference, the delegations of torical, political and security issues that are based APINDO and the trade unions can continuously on rationale of force and occupation. The true prob- take positive action in the framework of bipartite lem is the policy of confiscating Palestinian land, dialogue forum, to concentrate on synergizing the either for the purpose of colonization – which was spirit of dialogue in favour of attaining a climate recognized worldwide as being illegal - or to build a conducive to the world of work and business. racist separation wall that has divided Palestinian On this basis I am convinced that by overcoming lands into isolated regions and cantons and that the problems of unemployment, poverty, as well as cre- International Court of Justice in the Hague has ating a conducive climate on investment and pros- found to be illegal and racist. perity for our nation can be better served. In addition, the separation of the Gaza Strip from Original Arabic: Mr. ALZAROO (Government, Palestine) the West Bank; the separation of Al-Qods from the West Bank; the hundreds of military checkpoints I would like to take this opportunity to convey the and roadblocks; the daily humiliation of Palestini- greetings of the Palestinian people – the President, ans passing those road blocks in the morning and at the Government and the people – and of the Pales- night; Israel’s continuing of attacks and assassina- tinian Minister of Labour, who is unable to attend tions; the presence of over 9,000 political prisoners this Conference, because the Israeli authorities pre- in Israeli detention centres; Israel’s withholding of vented him from leaving the Palestinian territories. revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority; the We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Director- blockade by Israel and other international parties General’s Report, which places emphasis on a set of after the new Government assumed power and the principles and strategic goals that are an integral resulting starvation of the population. All these part of the International Labour Organization’s no- policies and practices have increased the suffering

9/29 of our people in various areas; hampered the overall history have done so much to promote and defend and sustainable development in the Palestinian terri- the rights of working women and men, create social tories; and impeded efforts to rebuild the economy, justice and fight for equality, human rights and de- which was destroyed by the occupation and the at- mocracy. They have taught us that trade unions play tendant arbitrary measures. All these policies have a vital role in ensuring that we must continue to cre- led to a rise in unemployment and poverty in Pales- ate a tomorrow that our grandchildren will value. tine. The unemployment rate reached 33 per cent This involves keeping this planet alive, looking af- during the first quarter of 2006, and over 65 per ter each other and our natural resources. It means cent of Palestinians are living below the poverty workers must mobilize by applying a rights-based line. Not to mention the more than 165,000 civil approach that integrates the environmental and so- servants, representing some 23.7 per cent of all cial dimensions of sustainable development. workers and supporting over 1 million Palestinians, Trade unions understand the desire to create a sus- who are without any income because they have not tainable world and we understand that sustainability been paid for over three months. This situation por- is not just about how we use natural resources; it is tends a true humanitarian crisis in Palestine. also about our societal structures and relationships The lack of political perspective in the region and with each other. Maori people understand our duty the policy of blockade and political blackmail im- to live in balance and harmony with each other and posed by Israel against the Palestinian people for all living things. To do this we must have keen and having exercised its democratic right to choose its unhurried thinking which resides in good heart. The own government will no doubt further exacerbate sacredness of this is respect. The choices we make the feeling of despair among the population. If the affect our evolutionary process. If we live uncon- world remains silent in respect of those practices, it sciously we evolve unconsciously. If we live con- will bestow legitimacy on the Israeli occupation; sciously we evolve consciously. undermine international legitimacy and the credibil- The ILO’s evolving consciousness demonstrates ity of relevant decisions; and weaken the basis for global leadership in good heart. Commitment to the equitable peace. It will also make the Palestinian Decent Work Agenda is paramount to good heart Authority’s structures and institutions crumble, evolution. which were build over the past 12 years with donor Work is one of the most important avenues by support. All this will only serve the enemies of which we come to know ourselves as people. Work peace. It will doubtlessly fuel extremism, violence is the place and the activity in which we spend most and disorder and destroy the basis for fair and com- of our waking lives and must align with our sense of prehensive peace in the region. It will also have dis- ourselves as individuals and as members of our astrous consequences on the entire region that can communities and environments to achieve our aspi- spiral out of control. rations. We invite all peoples and governments to take the It is important to work together to achieve unity side of the Palestinian people and support their fair and purpose, to cooperate, to relate to one another and legitimate struggle to end Israeli occupation of in meaningful ways. The ILO leads the way in the the Palestinian and Arab territories, so they can es- world through tripartism. I am proud to be able to tablish a sovereign State with Al-Qods as its capital. say that in New Zealand, whilst we still have much Palestinians are determined to continue their strug- work to do, we promote an active approach to social gle and efforts to create fair and comprehensive and economic development, committing ourselves peace, which can only be achieved if Israel recog- to partnerships and promoting change that leads to nizes international legitimacy and the legitimate greater prosperity for all in Aotearoa – New Zea- rights of Palestinians, which are reaffirmed in doz- land – and the Pacific. ens of United Nations resolutions. A major priority for workers in New Zealand is Hope gives momentum to peace; justice engen- supporting joint union campaigns to increase wages, ders moderation; honesty calls for justice. Our mis- end low pay and improve training and skills and sion is to give our people hope; your mission is to investment in people because workers want a fair go help us by taking a sincere and courageous, bal- to decent work to achieve an end to poverty. anced and honest stance, thus preventing that our The war against children must end. Our young people and workers are abandoned to hunger, op- need to be able to have freedom from poverty so pression, deprivation and blockade. that they can be the leaders we will need tomorrow. Ms. CLAIR (Worker, New Zealand) Poverty and impoverishment must end so that a strong, healthy, dynamic workforce can blossom. I join the previous speakers in congratulating you In conclusion, I would like to share a message on your appointment, Mr President. I seek the in- from a very wise Maori priest the Rev. Maori Mars- dulgence of the plenary to begin with a greeting in den who said: “Man is the conscious mind of my language, the indigenous language of New Zea- Mother Earth and plays a vital part in the regulation land, Maori, and then I will continue in English for of her life support system and man’s duty is to en- the rest of my address: hance and sustain those systems.” Greeting follows in Maori language. Therefore, all workers, all employers and all Gov- Greetings to you all from the workers, Govern- ernment members of the ILO let us reaffirm our ment and employers of the New Zealand delegation commitment to a living planet where decent work is and also from the indigenous people of New Zea- enjoyed by everyone. land, the Maori. It is truly an honour and privilege for me to stand Original Vietnamese: Ms. CU (Worker, Viet Nam) here as an indigenous woman of New Zealand and We highly appreciate the reports presented by the as the first Maori Vice-President of the New Zea- Chairperson of the Governing Body and the Direc- land Council of Trade Unions, to share beliefs, con- tor-General of the ILO. We are proud of the efforts cerns and of course our connections to the environ- made and accomplishments achieved by the ILO ment. I pay homage to all those who throughout over the past year, especially on important issues

9/30 such as the Decent Work Agenda, the ILO Declara- cult phase of the world situation. Never before have tion on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the jobs of the workers and employees been so the elimination of child labour, and occupational jeopardized and the workers been rendered so com- health and safety. pletely insecure in respect of their jobs, economic After 20 years of renovation since 1986, Viet benefits, social security and trade union rights. Nam has recorded encouraging achievements in Social securities, pension benefits and other fi- socio-economic development. The average annual nancial gains are now being reversed, putting the GDP growth reached 7.5 per cent in the last five working class in grave insecurity. Hundreds of years. People’s lives have been improving day by thousands of workers are losing their jobs, unem- day. The development strategy of Viet Nam in the ployment has assumed formidable dimensions and coming period is to bring the country out of a less- poverty has increased. Statutory pension systems, developed status, creating momentum for a modern- which were in vogue for several decades for public oriented industrial country in the year 2020 and service employees in different countries, are threat- driving up the cause of national industrialization ened with privatization to boost the stock market and modernization for the goal of creating rich peo- and private companies in tune with the profit-only ple, a wealthy country, and a just, democratic and policy of globalization. All these are taking place civilized society. under the policy direction of the IMF and the World The Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, Bank. with a total membership of over 5 million in 19 in- In 2004, the Director-General’s Report confirmed dustrial unions and 64 provincial unions, is striving our contention that for many people the benefits of to better represent and protect the lawful and legiti- globalization are today a mirage. The World Com- mate rights and interests of Vietnamese workers. mission on Globalization also vindicates our con- The trade unions of Viet Nam over the past year tention against globalization when it says that have actively brought into full play the role of the “worldwide, many are convinced that the rights of representation and protection of workers’ rights and capital are better protected than the rights of work- interests. They have made every effort in member- ers!”. ship development and unionization in all economic ILO Director-General Juan Somavia warned of an sectors, especially in foreign direct investment en- “unprecedented job crisis” while addressing the last terprises and the private sector. They have also im- World Economic Forum held in Davos. proved the capacity of enterprise union activists in “Decent work is at the heart of the economic and negotiations and collective bargaining agreements, social concerns of all people”, Mr. Somavia said. labour dispute settlements and the promotion of The Director-General said the global jobs crisis sound industrial relations in the workplace. Much was illustrated by a number of factors. Firstly, half attention has been paid to awareness raising for of all the workers of the world – some 1.4 billion workers and enterprise unions on issues such as oc- working people – currently live in families that sur- cupational health and safety, HIV/AIDS prevention vive on less than US$2 a day per person. They work and child labour in the workplace. The trade unions in the vast informal sector – from farms to fishing, of Viet Nam have actively participated in the for- from agriculture to urban alleyways – without bene- mulation and completion of legislative systems, es- fits, social security or health care. Unemployment in pecially labour-related legislation and policies, with terms of actual people out of work is at its biggest a view to better safeguarding workers’ rights and point and the trend continues to rise. In the last ten interests. Vietnamese trade unions have also striven years, official unemployment has grown by more for international solidarity and unity of action with than 25 per cent and now stands at nearly 192 mil- trade unions all over the world in their common lion worldwide, or about 6 per cent of the global struggle for a better life for workers. workforce. Of these unemployed, the ILO estimates Over the past few years, the ILO and friendly that 86 million, or about half the global total, are trade union organizations the world over have pro- young people aged 15 to 24. When people cannot vided workers and Vietnamese trade unions with find work at home in their communities and socie- efficient support and assistance. Thanks to the ILO ties, they look elsewhere. In the present environ- technical cooperation, thousands of Vietnamese ment, labour migration easily becomes a source of trade unionists have been trained intensively to im- tension, not to speak of trafficking and other similar prove their skills in negotiation and collective bar- activities. gaining, labour dispute settlements, occupational “One might ask whether the recent global eco- health and safety, child labour and gender equality. nomic growth is sufficient to offset the job crisis”, We always highly value and sincerely thank the asked Mr. Somavia. His own answer is no. In the ILO for its productive support and technical coop- words of Mr. Somavia, “the global job crisis is one eration and wish to receive further support and as- of the biggest security risks we face today”. sistance from the ILO and friendly international While portraying this extremely grim picture of trade union organizations in order to overcome unemployment condition, the ILO Director-General challenges arising from Viet Nam’s integration into said that decent work was at the heart of the eco- the world economy and in the context of globaliza- nomic and social concern of all people, and rightly tion. so: In the Director-General’s Report to the 95th Mr. SEN (representative, Trade Unions International of Public Session of the International Labour Conference it is and Allied Employees) also stated that ILO has positioned decent work, with its relative and absolute components, as a At the outset I express my gratitude to you and the widely shared policy objective. ILO Governing Body for providing me with this But what is the reality? All over the capitalist opportunity to address the Plenary of the 95th Ses- world, workers are witnessing longer working sion of the International Labour Conference. hours, withdrawal of job protection, hire and fire The 95th Session of the International Labour Con- and drastic cuts in social security benefits, privatiza- ference is taking place in an unprecedentedly diffi- tion of pensions, etc.

9/31 The examples of one small country, Puerto Rico, the development of social peace, in harmony with are sufficient to reveal the stark reality. It is re- international labour standards. ported that 90,000 public employees filed unem- The Director-General’s Report for this year refers ployed benefit requests, which means a huge num- to the conditions of the workers in Palestine and the ber of public employees have been fired. More that occupied Arab territories, the Golan Heights and 95,000 teachers, maintenance workers and other Lebanon under Israeli occupation. Despite the im- public sector employees were laid off as a part of provement in the results indicated in this Report, the partial government shutdown in that country. situation is still less favourable than we would ex- In France, in April 2006, about 3 million workers pect and does not meet international labour stan- and students paralysed the country protesting dards. It is also not in conformity with the ILO reso- against a notorious labour law allowing employers lution. to dismiss new recruits within the first two years of It is of surprise to learn about the conditions of service. In Great Britain, 1.4 million government life and work for Arab workers living in occupied employees went on a complete strike protesting territories where Palestinian workers are being hu- against a pension scheme. In India also, against miliated and oppressed and incarcerated as a pun- pension privatization scheme and labour law viola- ishment for the democratic choice of their represen- tions, public employees and other workers organ- tatives carried out in democratic elections recog- ized the biggest of strike struggles in 2004 and nized by the international community. 2005. This has become a global struggle against the The same thing applies for Lebanese labour and anti-worker neo-liberal policies being pursued by the Syrian Golan where the workers are subjected to the governments concerned. all kinds of atrocities under the Israeli authorities. It is necessary that the ILO take these serious de- In Iraq, we see complete disaster. Children in Iraq velopments into account and direct its activities to are dying in their dozens, in their hundreds, under protect the workers from this ferocious onslaught. the military coalition under the aegis of the United The TUI recognizes the important role played by States and the United Kingdom, and from this po- the ILO at the present time and desires further dium I should like to urge the occupying forces to strengthening of its role in the formulation and im- leave and to give the Palestinian people their self- plementation of international labour standards de- determination. We would express our support for spite financial, political and other forms of pressure the workers in Syria and their efforts to liberate the by the dominant economic powers and neo-liberal territory. We also express our support with regard to forces who seek to impose their economic and mili- Sudan in protecting its sovereignty. We would urge tary hegemony. non-interference and an end to this terrorism im- On behalf of the Trade Unions International of posed by the United States and Israel, which just Public and Allied Employees, which represents 20 increased the rate of human disasters suffered by million public employees in different countries, we workers in the Arab region, which are deprived of strongly feel that there should be more consensus- decent life and decent work. based and non-discriminatory functioning and deci- This region will only see peace once the occupy- sion-making of the ILO with the involvement of all ing forces are removed and the territory is returned segments of the trade union movement so that the to its owners. ILO, with its Governing Body and ACTRAV, are Mr. ADILL (Worker, Afghanistan) able to properly deal with the fast-developing situa- tion that the world is witnessing today. I am very happy to be speaking to you at this ses- sion of the International Labour Conference. Com- Original Arabic: Mr. DJEMAM (representative, International ing from Afghanistan, I faced financial difficulties Confederation of Arab Trade Unions) to make it to this meeting. First, allow me to congratulate the President on The All Afghanistan Federation of Trade Unions his election. This sitting is taking place during times (AAFTU) is a strong and representative organiza- of difficulty where we are not able to have a decent tion uniting 24 different unions for Afghan workers, life, poverty has increased, and children are being men, women and children. The AAFTU has been deprived of education, despite all the efforts being working continuously to assist Afghan workers in made to eradicate or at least limit the problem. line with ILO policy since it was established on 23 I should also like to refer to the Report of the Di- May 1997 when Mr. Rueben Dudley was Director rector-General this year where he deals with ques- of the ILO Office in Pakistan. The AAFTU cele- tions of major importance concerning work and the brates United Nations days such as Labour Day, idea of decent work, given the very important role International Women’s Day, World Day Against played by the ILO and the work done in conjunction Child Labour and so on without any assistance from with the office in Beirut. We wish to ensure that this any sources. Several letters, documents and propos- cooperation can overcome the difficulties that these als have been sent to the ILO Office in Pakistan, the Arab countries are experiencing and that we can ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the apply the ILO standards and ensure dialogue among ICFTU Asia and Pacific Regional Organization and the partners. With this in mind we are determined to the ILO Office in Kabul asking for assistance. We continue strengthening this dialogue and that is why have also sent some photo albums and cassette tapes we have had this Arab dialogue since it is special of our activities to the ILO. We are working to im- and of great importance for the trade unions and prove workers’ rights for men and women, the employees. We wish to improve this dialogue and rights of child workers, education for very poor improve the fundamental freedoms and trade union children, and so on. rights. As is well known, Afghanistan is a country which Here I would like to refer to the positive steps has suffered two-and-a-half decades of war, and taken by Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Oman and Qatar in during the war everything, the formal and informal creating trade union institutions, and contributing to economy, was destroyed. Even though we have been waiting for a long time, unfortunately no aid

9/32 has been given to us. When Mr. Johannes Lokollo To all participants, the distinguished ladies and was Director of the ILO Office in Pakistan, he was gentlemen, I am pleased and grateful that today Dr. invited to our office and shown our programme at Muhammad Liaquat Adill, Senior Vice-President that time. After the defeat of the Taliban regime in and active member of the AAFTU, is presenting my Afghanistan, the AAFTU’s main office moved to message to the honourable participants, experts and Kabul and continues to fulfil its role there. When Members of the ILO at this 95th Session of the In- Mr. David Salter became the ILO Senior Coordina- ternational Labour Conference. First of all, I want to tor in Afghanistan (ILO-Kabul) he met our office submit my best wishes to all participants and par- staff and was shown our programmes. ticularly to the staff of the ILO and the Director- As yet, the Government of Afghanistan has no General for a healthy and comfortable life … Ministry of Labour. There is a Ministry of Martyrs [The President interrupts the speaker to say he is and Disabled and a Ministry of Labour and Social out of time.] Affairs, and these Ministries have the joint respon- It is a great pleasure for me that today, a represen- sibility of solving the social and economic issues of tative of the AAFTU can participate alongside rep- society. Until now the Ministries have not played a resentatives of other countries of the world in the positive role in all these issues which concern the work of this important body, discussing the rights of welfare of labourers and workers. labourers and workers and making decisions to im- The workers and labourers of Afghanistan lost prove their welfare and conditions of work. everything. There are no jobs, there are no good Original Arabic: Mr. HIJJAWI (Employer, Palestine) incomes, there is poverty among the people, par- ticularly labourers and workers. Now they need to It is an honour to address you all on behalf of the enhance their lives, which will be possible if the Palestinian private sector at the 95th Session of this international community and the ILO’s offices important annual Conference. It is my hope that the working all over the world can come together to Conference will adopt resolutions and recommenda- establish welfare and insurance projects in Afghani- tions which reflect the importance given to employ- stan. ers in the Palestinian private sector and employment As we know, trade unions are playing a very posi- in Palestine. tive and important role in the development and im- I should like to take this opportunity to express provement of our country, so we are kindly request- my respect for the Organization, which is repre- ing that the international community and the ILO sented by the Director-General. should assist Afghanistan and to enhance its infor- Reference should be made to the mission of the mal economy by sending funds and implementing International Labour Organization which visited projects all over Afghanistan. The AAFTU’s ad- Palestine, in accordance with the resolution adopted ministration costs are increasing and the AAFTU by the International Labour Conference in 1980, in cannot meet those costs without the help of the ILO, order to assess the difficult economic and social so we are in this case once again requesting the Di- situation of Palestinian employers and workers who rector-General of the ILO and other welfare institu- are subjected to the severe measures imposed by the tions to help and assist us economically and techni- occupation. The mission received our full coopera- cally. tion and we provided it with genuine information The text of 15 Conventions to which Afghanistan and facts. is party and those Conventions to which it is in the We should like to thank the Director-General for process of acceding have been studied by the the recommendations contained in his Report con- AAFTU. The president and members of the cerning the deterioration of the economic conditions AAFTU welcome all the Conventions and agree and situation of Palestinian workers. These recom- with them and their practical implementation in so- mendations emphasize the need to ensure that these ciety is the dream and aim of the AAFTU. The Min- workers have decent places of work, as well as the istry of Labour and Social Affairs has sent copies of freedom of movement and transportation. They also 138 Conventions to the AAFTU head office to ob- refer to the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian tain the views of the AAFTU, who have then re- territories; a situation which requires urgent and turned them to the Ministry. It is my contention to immediate intervention to prevent it from collaps- the Ministry and ILO-Kabul that this will ensure the ing. social rights of citizens and, in some cases, will On behalf of employers, before the Conference, I change the addressing of all related affairs. would like to express our regret that the mission did Thus, since the Government is sending the Con- not hold meetings with the Palestinian Minister for ventions to obtain the views of trade unions, we Labour. We consider this to be a political position have noted that page 3 includes a requirement that a adopted by the International Labour Organization social organization be registered with the frame- which is not in keeping with its regulations or la- work of the Ministry of Justice. We have no objec- bour standards. tion on this issue, but we have to say that, in this The Reports of the Director-General have played case, organizations may or may not be physically a fundamental role in raising public awareness of able to register of even inquire about registering, or the suffering of the Palestinian people; this role may register under some other category of organiza- stems from the responsibility which rests upon this tion. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Organization, namely that of protecting human ILO-Kabul should first solve these problems. rights relating to work and workers which are set Regarding the five articles that are mentioned on out in international instruments and Arab labour page 5, the AAFTU can play a very important role standards. We thank the Director-General for his in implementation and management. The Govern- Report and hope that he will take into account the ment must focus on it. observations of the Arab group in that respect, par- A message from Mr. Mohammad Zafar Quraishi, ticularly the observation emphasizing that we are President of the All Afghanistan Federation of citizens in our own territory, and not a population. Trade Union.

9/33 The Palestinian economy has been one of the sec- under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fun- tors most affected by the Israeli occupation during damental Principles and Rights at Work. the last 40 years. The Israeli occupation authorities The Report gives us useful information regarding have a great many measures and policies targeting the nature and the extent of the problem in the dif- the land and water resources of the West Bank and ferent countries and regions, although concerns the Gaza Strip. They are also aimed at making the have been raised by trade unions regarding the reli- Palestinian economy entirely dependent on the Is- ability of the figures. We continue to stress the im- raeli economy by creating a relationship of interde- portance of tackling together fundamental Conven- pendence (which still persists), in areas such as the tions Nos. 138 and 182. labour market, domestic and foreign trade, tax reve- It should be pointed out that significant progress nue, international communications, the currency, has only been made in Latin America, while in Asia energy sources, water and internal and external and Africa the problem remains very serious. In crossing points. particular in Asia, where in some countries eco- Before concluding, I should like to make the fol- nomic growth is very high, we would have expected lowing recommendations, in the hope that they will more visible results. Furthermore, we have to con- be taken into account in the resolutions and recom- sider that unemployment among adults is increasing mendations of this Conference: across the globe, which means that we need differ- (1) Intervene to remove the major obstacles facing ent strategies to encourage the creation of regular the private sector and the Palestinian workforce, and contract labour worldwide, assuring compliance in order to bring peace and stability to the re- with labour standards. gion. The elimination of child labour is one of the chal- (2) Request the donor countries and friends of Pales- lenges facing us, but we need coherent national tine to provide aid for us, the Palestinian people, policies and a system at the international level aid that was interrupted when the Palestinians working and striving for common priorities and ob- exercised their democratic right. A third of the jectives. Convergence between national and interna- population is living in a state of extreme anxiety tional policies is a key element for the achievement and difficult conditions, owing to the non- of positive results. payment of wages. This has had a negative im- We have pointed out on several occasions that it pact on the general Palestinian economic situa- is crucial for the ILO to build a constructive rela- tion. tionship and a common workplan with the interna- (3) The International Labour Organization must call tional financial institutions and the WTO, in order on the Government of Israel to transfer tax and to set up coherent national programmes based on customs revenues and other revenues owed to the ILO Decent Work Agenda, linking development the Palestinian Authority, because our people policies and governance. urgently require these funds which have become The first important occasion to discuss these is- a means of political pressure. sues is the ECOSOC High-level Segment on em- I should also like to point out that the non- ployment to be held in July. payment by the Palestinian Authority of the We also need to have an open discussion on the sums owed to the Palestinian private sector, as a reform of the UN and the particular role of the ILO. result of the non-receipt of foreign aid and the We welcome the proposal to organize a forum on retention by Israel of the revenues due, will lead decent work next year. We are convinced that we to the collapse of the economy and a potentially should go beyond the promotion of core labour catastrophic situation. standards. We must enlarge our working agenda. (4) Increase action regarding the support and devel- The forum should represent an occasion to set up a opment of Palestinian private sector firms, thus new partnership with governments, progressive em- contributing directly to the development of this ployers and the international organizations and fi- sector so that it may serve the Palestinian people nancial institutions, to promote the adoption of ac- and build their economy. tion programmes on a country-by-country basis. (5) Put pressure on Israel to open the Gaza Strip The available resources at international level have crossing points, remove the road blocks and ob- to be strategically allocated and not dispersed. stacles between the towns of the West Bank and ILO technical cooperation has a key role in ac- facilitate travel between the West Bank and the companying and supporting in a more consistent Gaza Strip, in order to ensure freedom of move- way the implementation of these national pro- ment and transport and to stimulate production grammes, provided that the social partners are fully which is approaching breakdown. The current involved and strengthened by the technical coopera- state of affairs makes it extremely difficult to tion projects. maintain industrial and commercial capacity, The Italian trade union confederations cannot but which in turn has a negative effect on employ- underline once again the key role of the Interna- ment in Palestine. tional Training Centre of the ILO in Turin in carry- (6) Finally, your Organization played a fundamental ing out targeted and better focused training pro- role in the creation of the Palestinian Fund for grammes, in line with the Decent Work Agenda. Employment and Social Protection, in aid of the But the Centre needs and deserves more concrete Palestinian workers and we hope that you will and convinced support from the ILO, with a policy continue to support this Fund and to call on based on the integration of the Centre with Geneva friendly countries and donors to provide the nec- and with the extensive use of the Centre for the im- essary assistance. plementation of technical cooperation projects. Mrs. DEL RIO (Worker, Italy) One final remark. We are deeply concerned by the continued violation of fundamental Conventions by The Italian trade union confederations, CGIL, a group of countries and we urge intervention by the CISL and UIL, welcome the ILO Global Report The ILO and Governments on the issue, in particular end of child labour: Within reach, issued this year regarding Belarus, Myanmar and Zimbabwe, while

9/34 we welcome the recent tripartite agreement signed les droits fondamentaux en matière de travail et de here during the Conference by the Colombian con- nous protéger contre toutes les formes de domina- stituents. tion et d’injustice. Original arabe: M. BENJELLOUN ANDALOUSSI (travailleur, Ces pratiques se répercutent sur la situation des Maroc) travailleurs migrants négligés et exploités et dont les conditions n’ont fait qu’empirer au cours des Plusieurs questions peuvent être posées qui appel- dernières années. Pour les deuxième et troisième lent une réponse responsable dont la question sur le générations de migrants, la vie est devenue encore rôle des syndicats, à l’ère de la mondialisation. En plus difficile bien qu’ils soient des citoyens à part ce qui nous concerne, notre syndicat a choisi la voie entière. La lutte contre l’immigration illégale ne du partenariat fondé sur une relation contractuelle doit pas se limiter à une approche sécuritaire. Il avec nos interlocuteurs, dans le gouvernement et les s’agit d’un problème plus profond qui touche au autres secteurs de l’économie, afin de développer rapport entre le Nord et le Sud, se traduit par l’entreprise citoyenne avec les syndicats citoyens. l’exode de cerveaux, l’exploitation effrénée des res- Ce choix nous est imposé par le désir d’associer la sources naturelles et devient un obstacle au protection des emplois avec la compétitivité, la développement et au progrès. qualité et la formation et d’encourager la participa- Des mesures doivent être prises pour corriger le tion de tous les partenaires au développement futur déséquilibre entre le Nord qui avance très rapide- de l’entreprise. ment et le Sud qui ne fait que reculer. C’est une Cette démarche pragmatique nous a amené à re- véritable guerre, même si elle n’est pas déclarée. considérer la façon dont nous formons les cadres Il est vrai que certains pays pauvres ont des syndicaux à de nouvelles formes de relations au problèmes très graves qui sont l’image du sous- travail et de les former également aux questions de développement, des problèmes qui trouvent leur la gestion et de l’esprit d’entreprise. Voilà l’option origine dans l’inégalité des chances, adoptée dans le dialogue avec les partenaires soci- l’analphabétisme, les drogues, les maladies graves, aux dans la préparation des lois du travail et de la notamment le VIH. Sans oublier la situation de la famille et dans les débats sur la législation concer- femme qui est le véritable moteur de tout change- nant la protection sociale et les grèves, ment positif. C’est ainsi qu’il ne faut pas considérer l’organisation des syndicats et les questions de re- la femme comme une simple machine démographi- traite. Nous considérons que cet ensemble législatif que, mais lui accorder son véritable rôle dans la so- peut être une base pour le dialogue social, et nous ciété. Des mesures doivent être prises pour assurer désirons institutionnaliser le dialogue social par sa formation sur les plans économique, social et l’application d’un article portant sur le commence- politique. ment des travaux du Conseil économique et social. Il faut également lutter contre le travail des en- Néanmoins, les syndicats se heurtent encore à de fants sous toutes ses formes car il renforce nombreux obstacles. Des violations quotidiennes l’analphabétisme et porte atteinte aux droits fonda- sont commises par des gens qui ne reconnaissent mentaux du travail. pas l’importance et la valeur des relations de A l’intérieur de notre Organisation, nous devons partenariat et la responsabilité de protéger le travail lutter contre toutes les formes de discrimination en- et d’assurer une protection sociale. Nous insistons tre les langues vivantes; nous réclamons ainsi une sur la nécessité pour notre gouvernement de ratifier o plus grande utilisation de la langue arabe car c’est la convention n 87, même si cela se faisait avec les une langue de civilisation qui a eu un rôle très im- réserves nécessaires sur certains points. portant dans le développement de la pensée hu- En même temps, nous remarquons que les pres- maine. sions que nous imposent les institutions internation- Je voudrais également parler de la délégation pal- ales et les mesures d’ouverture non justifiées des estinienne et des difficultés qu’elle a eues à se ren- marchés nous empêchent de protéger nos industries, dre à cette Conférence, et protester contre cette et nous amènent à nous poser la question: à quoi situation qui se répète chaque année. Je voudrais sert le dialogue social local lorsqu’il y a un tel également parler de la situation du peuple et des déséquilibre dans les relations entre le Nord et le travailleurs de Palestine qui subissent le blocus, le Sud et qu’il n’existe aucun dialogue positif entre les mur de séparation et les humiliations quotidiennes institutions financières créditrices et les pays dé- de l’occupation. biteurs? Comment peut-il y avoir un dialogue avec Il faut aussi signaler la situation terrible de la des puissances dominatrices? population iraquienne qui vit des massacres chaque L’OIT est notre refuge, l’endroit où nous pouvons jour. Toutes les excuses auront été utilisées pour venir réclamer justice pour les problèmes des tra- l’opprimer, comme celle des armes de destruction vailleurs face aux gouvernements et aux employeurs massive dont l’existence n’a pas été prouvée, et cela et nous n’accepterons jamais que sa responsabilité aurait dû être une raison suffisante pour que les ou sa mission soient réduites, car elle est la seule forces d’occupation se retirent de ce pays. tribune chargée de défendre les valeurs humaines et

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CONTENTS

Page

Second sitting

Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General: Discussion ...... 1

Rapports du Président du Conseil d’administration et du Directeur général: Discussion ...... 1

Discusión del Informe del Presidente del Consejo de Administración y de la Memoria y los informes del Director General...... 1 Speakers: Mr. Alsalim, Mr. Basesgioglu, Mr. Funes de Rioja, Mr. Trotman, Mr. Andrade Lara, Mr. Maslarova, Mr. Alka’Abi, Mr. Odonchimed, Mr. Alakbarov, Mr. Nkili, Mr. Martínez Molina, Mr. Guider, Mr. Mdladlana, Mr. Larcher, Mr. Betancourt, Mr. Mansouri, Mr. Huamán Rivera, Mr. Jurca, Mr. Kulundu, Mr. Apitonian

Third sitting

Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General: Discussion (cont.)...... 17

Rapports du Président du Conseil d’administration et du Directeur général: Discussion (suite)...... 17

Discusión del Informe del Presidente del Consejo de Administración y de la Memoria y los informes del Director General: Discusión (continuación) ...... 17 Speakers: Mr. Suparno, Mr. Drobnic, Mr. Morales Cartaya, Ms. Stake, Mr. Sulka, Mr. Farrugia, Mr. Senevirathne, Mr. Danev, Mr. Bunwaree, Ms. Menkerios, Mr. Ould Ahmed Ould Djegue, Mr. Rivera Escudero, Mr. Stijepovic, Mr. Magaya, Mr. Allam, Mr. Arthur Errázuriz, Mr. Rachman, Mr. Alzaroo, Mrs. Clair, Mrs. Cu, Mr. Sen, Mr. Djemam, Mr. Adill, Mr. Hijjawi, Mrs. Del Rio, Mr. Benjelloun Andaloussi

No. 9 – Tuesday, 6 June 2006