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 10

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. Fourth sitting Tuesday, 6 June 2006, 10.15 a.m. Presidents: Mr. Sajda and Mr. de Regil

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 (CONT.)

The PRESIDENT M. BOUGOUMA (ministre du Travail et de la Sécurité sociale, I declare open the fourth sitting of the 95th Ses- Burkina Faso) sion of the International Labour Conference. I wish Permettez-moi de saluer la qualité et la pertinence to inform the Conference that two communications des rapports du Directeur général du Bureau inter- were received late yesterday afternoon in relation to national du Travail et du Président du Conseil the delegation of Serbia and Montenegro which was d’administration. Ces rapports traduisent les préoc- accredited to the 95th Session of the International cupations essentielles des Etats Membres en défen- Labour Conference on 31 May 2006. dant les idéaux de l’Organisation internationale du The first communication provided the credentials Travail dans sa lutte pour un développement éco- of the delegation of Serbia, which are included in nomique et social durable de nos différents pays. the revised list of delegations available this morn- Nous notons avec plaisir que les sujets que vont ing. examiner les commissions pendant la présente ses- The second communication requested observer sion concernent la sécurité et la santé au travail, la status for a specified delegation of Montenegro relation de travail et le rôle de l’OIT en matière de from 6 June until the end of the Conference. With coopération technique. the agreement of the Conference, the Officers of the Concernant le premier thème, je voudrais rappeler Conference will decide upon this request. May I que mon pays est profondément attaché à la protec- take it that the Conference delegates this authority tion sociale des populations. En effet, nous avons to its Officers? besoin de croissance économique pour améliorer le bien-être de nos populations. Cependant, nous de- (It is so decided.) meurons convaincus que cette croissance ne pourra We shall now continue our general discussion the avoir un impact réel que si les mesures nécessaires reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body sont prises pour garantir le volet social. C’est dans and of the Director-General. cette dynamique que, depuis quelques années, le gouvernement du Burkina Faso a engagé un proces- sus d’élaboration d’une politique nationale de pro- tection sociale qui prenne en compte la nécessité

10/1 d’élargir la couverture sociale aux divers acteurs de Pour terminer, je voudrais lancer un vibrant appel la vie nationale. Les textes fondamentaux de cette en faveur des travailleurs du secteur du coton qui politique viennent d’être adoptés par l’Assemblée sont menacés de disparition si rien n’est fait pour nationale. plus d’équité en leur faveur. Mon pays est convain- Par ailleurs, l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre cu que le BIT peut apporter sa contribution à la ré- d’une politique nationale cohérente en matière de solution des problèmes des travailleurs des entrepri- sécurité et de santé au travail sont au cœur des pré- ses cotonnières d’Afrique qui méritent un travail occupations actuelles du gouvernement. Dans le décent. domaine de l’emploi, celui-ci a initié des réflexions Sr. MARTÍNEZ (trabajador, Argentina) en vue d’adopter de façon consensuelle des orienta- tions stratégiques et des plans d’action destinés à En primer lugar, en nombre de las trabajadoras y solutionner de manière significative cet important trabajadores de Argentina, quiero felicitarle a usted problème. por su nombramiento y al señor Director General Je voudrais souligner que les initiatives entrepri- por la Memoria 2005-2006 que, con un contenido ses en la matière par le gouvernement et les parte- realista y en forma precisa, marcó el modo en el naires sociaux de mon pays s’inscrivent dans la cual la OIT desarrolla sus objetivos estratégicos. mise en œuvre des orientations et des conclusions El trabajo decente es nuestra carta de navegación. du Sommet extraordinaire de l’Union africaine sur Los principios fundamentales, el empleo para todos, l’emploi et la lutte contre la pauvreté en Afrique la protección social y el diálogo social se han con- tenu en septembre 2004. vertido en un patrimonio que trasciende el ámbito Permettez-moi de saisir cette occasion pour re- de la OIT y se despliega en el sistema general de nouveler les remerciements des autorités et du peu- Naciones Unidas. ple du Burkina Faso au BIT et à son Directeur géné- Y esto ha sucedido porque son una respuesta real ral, M. Juan Somavia, pour leur importante contri- frente a las necesidades de todos los hombres y mu- bution au succès de ce sommet que mon pays a eu jeres del mundo. l’insigne honneur d’abriter. El apoyo logrado en la comunidad internacional Je voudrais réaffirmer la volonté du chef de l’Etat, está permitiendo ubicar al trabajo decente en el cen- S.E. M. Blaise Compaoré, et du gouvernement bur- tro de las políticas mundiales y nacionales. kinabé de soutenir les actions du BIT en vue de Hemos logrado que la agenda de la OIT sea parte promouvoir le travail décent. de la Agenda Global. La mondialisation de l’économie entraîne au- Esta Conferencia es relevante porque la relación jourd’hui des problèmes de plus en plus complexes, de trabajo, la salud y seguridad laboral y la coope- notamment en matière de relations du travail, pro- ración técnica son centrales en la temática del traba- blèmes qui ne peuvent trouver de solutions de par la jo decente. seule volonté d’un gouvernement mais dans le cadre Los trabajadores mantenemos una posición muy de consultations avec tous les acteurs du monde du clara sobre todos los temas al sostener que un mun- travail. Mon pays s’efforce d’y trouver des réponses do globalizado no puede ni debe ser la excusa para appropriées dans le cadre du dialogue social. que debilitemos la acción normativa de protección La Conférence aura à discuter également du rap- del trabajo, sino todo lo contrario. port du Directeur général du BIT sur les change- Entendemos que las discusiones en el ámbito de ments dans le monde du travail. Notre Organisation las comisiones deben ser fecundas, pero con una se doit de prendre en compte ces mutations pour meta: lograr fijar pisos o estándares superiores a los exécuter avec succès son mandat. que hoy se encuentran vigentes, ya que ello implica- Dans un contexte de mondialisation où la solidari- rá igualar para arriba, mejorando los actuales con- té internationale et le renforcement de la coopéra- venios y recomendaciones. tion technique sont plus que nécessaires, je voudrais Creemos que la cultura del trabajo decente es vital féliciter et remercier l’OIT pour les efforts qu’elle para nuestros países en desarrollo, para crear em- déploie pour accroître les capacités de nos pays. pleo para los que no lo tienen y mejorar la calidad A ce propos, il convient sans doute de saluer les del trabajo existente. progrès accomplis ces dernières années par notre En mi país estamos saliendo de una de las peores Organisation pour renforcer le dialogue, la coopéra- crisis: estábamos sin trabajo, sin moneda, sin eco- tion et la collaboration avec les autres organisations nomía, sin Estado, al borde del abismo. du système des Nations Unies, notamment la Ban- Estamos procurando reconstruir un país a partir de que mondiale et le FMI. Il y a lieu aussi de se ré- una enseñanza: el mercado y la mano invisible no jouir de l’accroissement des ressources extrabudgé- resuelven la desigualdad, ni la pobreza, ni la indi- taires bilatérales et multilatérales pour la mise en gencia. œuvre des programmes et actions de coopération Hemos recuperado un proyecto de país, con su technique du BIT. propia identidad, sin sometimientos ni monitoreos Néanmoins, il me paraît important d’en appeler à de organismos financieros internacionales que, ayer, notre vigilance et à notre perspicacité afin d’éviter con su accionar, fueron quienes estimularon la crisis que la construction de ce partenariat si nécessaire ne vivida y el empobrecimiento de nuestros pueblos. nous installe dans une dynamique qui conduise à Su fórmula de estimular el endeudamiento externo affaiblir le tripartisme et à diluer les valeurs fonda- para mantener el mercado interno está agotada. trices de l’OIT, éloignant ainsi l’Organisation de A pesar de ello, hemos dado pleno cumplimiento, son mandat originel. como país, a las obligaciones asumidas con los Dans le même ordre d’idées, il importe que des mismos. efforts soutenus soient déployés pour une plus Estamos tratando de que, en este proyecto de na- grande implication des ministères en charge du tra- ción, los trabajadores recuperemos la dignidad y la vail dans les instances où se discutent et se décident justicia social, y seamos protagonistas y partícipes les grandes orientations de politique économique. de una definición del modelo de sociedad que que- remos tener.

10/2 Pero es dura la realidad del desempleo y la exclu- El tripartismo y el diálogo social son componen- sión. Un desafío para todos los actores es que en el tes integrales del trabajo decente y vehículos esen- diálogo social ajustamos nuestras demandas y dife- ciales para alcanzar los objetivos del mismo, forta- rencias. Tenemos que hacer el esfuerzo para incluir lecer el sistema normativo, construir consenso y a los millones de trabajadores excluidos que todavía examinar diferentes aspectos del mundo laboral. esperan respuestas. En el marco del Consejo del En Argentina, mi país, estamos siendo partícipes Salario, del Empleo y de la Productividad, ámbito de una nueva etapa, estamos reconstruyendo un ca- de participación tripartita, hemos alcanzado una mino donde el pueblo es el principal protagonista, agenda de trabajo que incluye no sólo una redistri- donde los derechos humanos, la justicia social y la bución más equitativa de la riqueza sino temas que consolidación de las instituciones son políticas de son de fundamental importancia en la realidad de Estado. Desde esta nueva visión, sin duda, el papel nuestro país: la lucha contra el trabajo informal y no de las organizaciones sindicales será la voz de sus registrado; la recomposición del sistema de seguri- trabajadores y sus familias. dad social; la creación de políticas tributarias para Sr. CALDERA SÁNCHEZ-CAPITÁN (Ministro de Trabajo y lograr que paguen más los que más tienen. Asuntos Sociales, España) También tenemos como tema urgente el trata- miento de la modificación de la Ley de Accidentes Esta Conferencia nos permite abordar uno de los del Trabajo. A nuestro regreso, elevaremos al Par- problemas más graves que tiene la humanidad: el lamento argentino el proyecto de los trabajadores trabajo infantil. para su rápida aprobación, para lograr una norma El trabajo infantil es una cuestión clave para el que privilegie la prevención y que garantice la pro- desarrollo de la justicia social y para el desarrollo tección, el cuidado de la salud y la vida de los traba- de nuestras sociedades. Éste es un gravísimo pro- jadores. blema, España así lo ve. Pero al mismo tiempo te- Todos estos temas trascendentes se verían reafir- nemos esperanzas porque el informe que se nos pre- mados si se constituye lo que ambicionamos desde senta en esta Conferencia demuestra que se han el campo del trabajo: un Consejo del Desarrollo producido avances en la reducción del trabajo infan- Económico y Social. til. Si todos nos comprometemos, podremos hacer Aspiramos a que esta nueva realidad que vive la realidad la desaparición de esta lacra para la socie- Argentina haga posible que en un menor plazo pue- dad. Ese es el compromiso al que sin duda siempre dan concretarse acuerdos efectivos en la agenda estará sujeto el Gobierno de España. establecida y podamos establecer una rápida res- España viene participando activamente en el Pro- puesta que mejore las condiciones de trabajo y la grama IPEC desde su origen y por eso hemos podi- situación social de los trabajadores. do comprobar de forma directa la importancia que Esto se verá facilitado en la medida en que los tiene la ratificación de los convenios de la OIT co- empresarios se comprometan con hechos concretos, mo un elemento que dinamiza las políticas de los haciendo realidad su responsabilidad social. Esto Estados contra el trabajo infantil. También hemos implica asumir la concreción del trabajo decente visto la importancia que tiene la cooperación inter- desde un comienzo y no subordinarlo a ningún con- nacional para impulsar esos procesos políticos en dicionante que en los hechos lo anule. los Estados. Por eso es acertado que esta Conferen- Afirmamos que es posible crecer con equidad so- cia también se ocupe de la función de la OIT en la cial y que las paritarias y la negociación colectiva cooperación técnica. son el método más eficaz que la libertad sindical España está particularmente satisfecha de nuestra nos garantiza para la redistribución del ingreso. relación con la OIT para desarrollar programas de Pedimos políticas públicas que, en forma planifi- cooperación multilateral. El Gobierno español da cada, marquen con claridad una intervención del una enorme importancia a la cooperación interna- Estado, y que estén comprometidas con la agenda cional. Somos el país de la OCDE que más ha au- del trabajo decente y el diálogo tripartito, tal y como mentado su ayuda al desarrollo en los dos últimos fuera reafirmado en la Cumbre de las Américas rea- años y estamos orgullosos de ello; la mejor prueba lizada en Argentina en diciembre de 2005. es que hemos incrementado nuestra aportación a la Los trabajadores argentinos estamos convencidos OIT en un 25 por ciento en el año anterior. Nuestros de que la respuesta a estos problemas se vincula a la proyectos tienen evidentemente prioridades: Africa Agenda Global. Por ello, nuestras acciones se en- e Iberoamérica. También tenemos prioridades en marcan a nivel regional y subregional en la Plata- temas concretos: la promoción del trabajo decente, forma Laboral de las Américas elaborada por las el empleo y el apoyo a la autonomía colectiva de los trabajadoras y los trabajadores de nuestro continen- interlocutores sociales y a los procesos de concerta- te, que privilegia el desarrollo sostenible, las políti- ción o las acciones por la igualdad. cas de empleo y el trabajo digno y la integración Precisamente, con respecto a la igualdad de géne- americana. ro quiero informarles del impulso político que mi Coincidimos con el Director General de la OIT Gobierno está dando a este tema con un proyecto de cuando dice que lamentablemente, la equidad y la ley para la igualdad entre hombres y mujeres. Con justicia social no son el motor del crecimiento eco- él podremos poner en marcha nuevas acciones para nómico, y que éste es el principal desafío de princi- luchar contra todas las formas de discriminación pios de siglo. directas e indirectas. Ordenaremos las políticas pú- Por eso, estamos convencidos de que logrando la blicas con criterios de transversalidad por razón de justicia social se garantiza la paz. género (o gender mainstreaming) y actuaremos para En esta misma línea son las conclusiones obteni- que se dé una mayor y mejor presencia de las muje- das en la reciente Reunión Regional Americana de res en el mercado de trabajo. la OIT celebrada en Brasil en mayo pasado. Me alegra comparecer en estos días en un ámbito como la Conferencia de la OIT, en el cual el diálogo (El Presidente interrumpe al orador para recor- social tripartito constituye un elemento esencial, darle que se ha acabado su tiempo de palabra.)

10/3 para hacerles partícipes de los positivos avances de cuestiones de interés común para todos. Y por ello, este diálogo en España. el intercambio de experiencias ya es de por sí un El pasado 9 de mayo, el Gobierno español, las or- factor positivo. Pero debemos dar más pasos adelan- ganizaciones empresariales, Confederación Españo- te. Debemos intensificar la cooperación activa, so- la de Organizaciones Empresariales (CEOE) y Con- bre todo para afrontar aquellas cuestiones — como federación Española de la Pequeña y Mediana Em- hemos visto con el ejemplo del trabajo infantil — presa (CEPIME), y las organizaciones sindicales, en las que la práctica nos va mostrando ya las posi- Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.) y la Unión General bilidades de avances. Estos avances dependen de de Trabajadores (UGT), firmamos un acuerdo para que tengamos objetivos comunes, y los convenios la mejora del crecimiento y el empleo. Este acuerdo de la OIT nos muestran cuáles pueden ser estos ob- constituye una prueba más de los beneficios de la jetivos. Debemos tener además acciones comunes, concertación social. El acuerdo se basa en la idea de cooperación internacional, y las actuaciones de la impulsar un modelo de crecimiento económico OIT a favor de una dimensión social de la globali- equilibrado y duradero basado en la competitividad zación son los mejores ejemplos que pueden guiar de las empresas, el incremento de la productividad y estas acciones. también de la cohesión social. Permítanme que uti- Lo que los españoles queremos para nosotros lo lice estas palabras de la Memoria del Director Ge- deseamos también para el resto de los pueblos del neral de la OIT presentada en esta Conferencia: mundo. Con voluntad política y con el esfuerzo de «El principal medio para asegurarse de que el cre- todos podremos alcanzar un mundo social y demo- cimiento de la economía mundial tenga un carácter crático de derecho, situando en el horizonte de incluyente es la forma en que los mercados de tra- nuestras actuaciones el trabajo decente y la protec- bajo y de mano de obra están organizados y regi- ción social y contando como instrumento indispen- dos.» sable con el diálogo social permanente. En España, estos dos años, desde que estamos en Ms. JÄMTIN (Minister for International Development Co- el Gobierno, hemos conseguido crear casi dos mi- operation, Sweden) llones de empleos, a un ritmo de 2.700 diarios. Pero ello no es suficiente para nosotros. Queremos que I am very honoured to be here and speak among ese empleo sea de calidad, y el objetivo básico de friends who all share our conviction that jobs are a este acuerdo que hemos suscrito el mes pasado es, source of dignity as well as a way of making a liv- por ende, la mejora de la estabilidad en el empleo. ing. Crecimiento del empleo y calidad del empleo no The most fundamental challenge to humanity is to son incompatibles. Son perfectamente compatibles eradicate poverty, and in our efforts to achieve the si se refuerzan mutuamente. El acuerdo contiene Millennium Development Goals we need to depart medidas dirigidas a impulsar el empleo y la contra- from the perspective of the poor. tación indefinida con ayudas públicas a los contra- In terms of economic growth, this means consid- tos indefinidos que permitan reducir los costes no ering the poor as economic actors. It requires that salariales de estos contratos. También incluye me- we enhance the prospects of poor people to take didas para evitar la utilización abusiva o fraudulenta part in, and reap the benefits of, increased and more de modalidades de contratación como los tempora- efficient production of goods and services. les que, siendo un instrumento para la flexibilidad Special attention should be given to rural farmers de las empresas, no pueden ser realizadas o utiliza- and agricultural workers who deserve to become das para reducir la seguridad y la garantía de los partners in international markets and benefit from trabajadores. global demands. Some 1.3 billion people are ac- Nuestro foco de atención, como el de la OIT, son tively engaged in agriculture, of which at least 450 las personas. Preferentemente las que más lo necesi- million are waged agricultural workers. tan. Por ello, los presupuestos del Estado español I am pleased to announce that Sweden will sup- dedican más del 50 por ciento de sus dotaciones al port the establishment of the new Food Rights Insti- gasto social, y por ello también estamos tramitando tute, initiated by the International Union of Food, la ley de promoción de la autonomía personal y Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco atención a las personas en situación de dependencia. and Allied Workers’ Associations. En esta línea de fomento del empleo y la protección Change is positive. There is no contradiction be- social, España está actuando también en el terreno tween open and well-functioning markets and social de las migraciones. Hemos normalizado con éxito la protection for workers. On the contrary, the one situación de cientos de miles de inmigrantes que enforces the other. Thus, eradicating poverty re- operaban en la economía informal. Pero España, por quires both. A race to the bottom in civil rights and su situación geográfica, también enfrenta el fenó- social protection will never lift people out of pov- meno de la inmigración ilegal. Por ello, combatimos erty. los movimientos clandestinos de mano de obra, The idea of integrating the ILO’s Decent Work buscamos la cooperación con los países de origen y Agenda with strategies for poverty reduction, to también promovemos su desarrollo para ayudar a combine economic competitiveness, social dialogue superar las situaciones sociales que están en el ori- and social justice, is timely and helpful. It provides gen de estas migraciones. La OIT debería incremen- a balanced approach to globalization and equips the tar su esfuerzo en relación con las migraciones de ILO, as well as all of us, with instruments for acuerdo con su acertado propósito de liderar los change. cambios mundiales en el trabajo; para ello, las ac- The ILO has a clear comparative advantage tuaciones de asistencia y cooperación técnica pro- through its normative mandate, its tripartite struc- motoras del desarrollo deben tener un importante ture and its focus on social dialogue. papel. The decent work country programmes demon- A pesar de la gran diversidad en las características strate these characteristics and it is crucial that this de los países aquí presentes, fenómenos como la coherent and comprehensive strategy is carried for- globalización van haciendo aparecer cada vez más

10/4 ward as an important contribution to national pov- ized countries. Add in unparalleled technological erty reduction strategies. information, communication and transportation ad- We need to be very clear about giving the ILO a vancements, and you see why the challenges facing distinct role that it can perform effectively and effi- us all are so enormous. ciently. When the ILO works at national level, it Amidst these challenges, we welcome the Direc- must coordinate with the rest of the United Nations tor-General’s Report, Changing patterns in the system as well as with the international finance in- world of work. It is to be commended for its insight stitutions. But, the ILO is in need of good members and vision of how to make decent work for all an as well. It is our responsibility as governments and integrated and comprehensive goal. social partners to give precise mandates, adequate The imperative for decent work underpinned by resources and correct incentives. full freedom of association and collective bargain- This year a high-level panel on United Nations ing, sustainable job creation, genuine social protec- system-wide coherence in the areas of development, tion and wider, meaningful social dialogue has been humanitarian assistance and the environment is ex- moving up the agenda all around the world. pected to present proposals for improvement and As the Director-General’s Report notes, decent reform of how the United Nations functions at work was highlighted in the United Nations World country level. Summit last year. In the United States, the historic The aim of the panel is to enhance efficiency and relationship between higher productivity and real coherence of United Nations operational activities. I wage growth that powered rapid economic growth hope that this panel will be able to agree on ways and broadly shared prosperity in the boom years for all the United Nations, all agencies, funds and after the Second World War, has been broken over programmes, to work together and perform as one the past two decades. Even while the economy United Nations in the field. grows and overall productivity and profits surge, Will this weaken the ILO? Rather the contrary. American workers are suffering a generation-long Coordination requires distinct profiles among part- stagnation of wages and living standards. ners, because we need the ILO and we always will, When I talk to the working people we represent, and we will need a reinforced ILO, with clearer as well as many we do not represent, I hear how links between its normative and operational works, worried they are over the future. “I fear for my chil- to interact within the United Nations family and dren”, one working woman said this past week. beyond. The United States has lost 3.5 million good, mid- The inflow of youth into the labour market offers dle class manufacturing jobs since 1998, more than enormous potential for development and the promo- half of them to companies losing market share or tion of equality between young men and women offshoring production to cheaper places. should form an integral part of efforts to combat Alan Blinder, the distinguished American econo- poverty. The Youth Employment Network is a mist, estimates that as the challenge of offshoring unique and successful effort to learn across borders spreads to services, as many as 28 to 52 million and pursue coherent strategies that deal with struc- American jobs are currently at risk. tural problems and take advantage of individuals’ The OECD has produced similar estimates. The strengths. effects are already seen in many developing coun- Child labour: an appalling 218 million children tries as well, as companies threaten and actually are trapped in child labour. Sweden does support shift production to China where workers’ right to the ambition to develop a coherent ILO action plan organize is not respected. to abolish child labour, and to do so in close coop- Assuring the human rights of workers must be- eration with the social partners and non- come as important an objective of international governmental organizations. trade and investment agreements as protecting intel- In essence, the exploitation of children is a symp- lectual property rights and other corporate interests. tom of much more far-reaching problems, namely This is a job the ILO must take on to act on its the violation of human rights in the labour market commitment to human dignity in work. as well as of poverty. Globalization does not have to reduce living stan- The possibility of providing an enabling environ- dards, but when the policies are as unbalanced be- ment for decent and full employment and at the tween the interests of corporations and workers as same time eradicating poverty is, to some people, a they are today, a drop is inevitable. far-fetched idea. Developing countries must be given equitable ac- But it is not only doable, our conviction is that cess to the global economy to be sure, but we need good jobs and economic growth are intrinsically the right policies and the right rules for globaliza- linked and are a necessary combination to create tion to ensure a rise to the top and not a race to the justice and prosperity for all. bottom. Mr. SWEENEY (Worker, United States) The solution is not a secret. Governments every- where must ensure freedom of association, the right The ILO, with its foundation of international la- of workers to organize freely and promote collec- bour standards and its unique tripartite structure, is tive bargaining. International labour standards must simply all about defining and realising the value of be the foundation for sustainable economic and so- human dignity in work. Realizing that goal has cial cohesion. Companies must adopt new business never been more challenging, with accelerating and competitive strategies that focus on high quality globalization, rising worldwide poverty, dramatic products and customer service and continuous inno- income inequality within and among nations, ram- vation. pant outsourcing of work and increasing migration. Ordinary workers hold the key. Companies that The global labour force has effectively doubled in do not reward workers or fully provide incentives just 15 years and the 1.4 billion new entrants, many will not win the workers’ commitment to share the from China and India, work for wages and in condi- knowledge that only they possess. These companies tions far below those of workers in the industrial- will be unable to harness the unique firm-specific

10/5 knowledge needed to improve quality, productivity generalized and extended by the International La- and build sustained competitive advantage. bour Organization. Workers will respond positively to the challenges It is, of course, living standards that are most im- of change in return for a fair shake – basic respect portant in determining the level of economic devel- and loyalty and reasonable security and benefits opment. Today, international experts, including such as proper training, health insurance and pen- some from the World Bank, have noted that eco- sions. nomic growth in my country is broad-based and is We cannot afford to miss the opportunity to rebal- helping to create favourable conditions for remu- ance globalization for working families. The role neration, including a fair distribution of the results and the contribution of the ILO is crucial to make of workers’ labour. the world a better place for all. I would like to express thanks for the opportunity Original Russian: Mr. KOZIK (Worker, Belarus) to discuss the subject of changing patterns in the world of work. The Report is a very important re- The Workers’ delegate of my country wishes to view of the situation, and we fully share the conclu- emphasize the very important role and significance sions concerning the reduction and prohibition of of the Report presented to this session of the Con- child labour, although this is not actually a problem ference. that we have in our country. There is no question that this Report shows the The trade unions of my country represent 4 mil- positive work being done by the Organization in lion members and the entire economically active pursuit of the strategic tasks laid out in the ILO’s population. With a view to carrying out the aims of work programme. These remarks apply in particular the International Labour Organization, we seek to to the Director-General. join forces with all of those who seek the same ob- We share the principles and ideals of the Interna- jectives. tional Labour Organization. The ideas of our trade In conclusion I would like to say that all con- unions have greatly benefited from the strategic cerned are doing their utmost to achieve the earliest achievements of the ILO, including in our country. possible implementation of the recommendations of We look forward to doing even more in pursuit of the International Labour Organization, which are set these goals. for governments, workers and employers. Progress However, we are bound to remark that there is a is visible and by the end of the year will become certain degree of subjectivism and many minor in- even more so. accuracies, as well as a certain tendentiousness, The workers therefore consider that an organiza- nevertheless there have been considerable achieve- tion which is achieving social progress and social ments for the workers in accordance with the prin- dialogue should not take any decision of an eco- ciples set forth in this Report. nomic nature which might be harmful to the work- Belarus is carrying out the requirements of its ers, and I am sure that all these issues will be satis- trade unions and is ensuring stable growth in wages. factorily resolved. We regard this as an important achievement in solv- ing our social problems. There has been a twofold M. THYS (représentant, Confédération mondiale du travail) increase in wages in the last two years. Je voudrais vous remercier de me donner la pa- A second demand of the trade unions and workers role, d’autant plus que ce sera pour moi, Monsieur has been to lower the level of unemployment. It can le Président, la dernière fois que j’aurai cet honneur be said that today, unemployment has been brought en qualité de secrétaire général de la Confédération to a very low level of 1.5 per cent of the economi- mondiale du travail (CMT). Comme vous le savez cally active population, which means that new jobs peut-être, à l’occasion du 26e congrès de la CMT, have been created and workers in our country have qui a eu lieu en novembre dernier en Belgique, nos begun to live better as a result of carrying out the organisations membres ont décidé d’unir leurs for- ILO programmes. ces à celles de la Confédération internationale des Unfortunately, we have to carry out these pro- syndicats libres et d’autres organisations syndicales grammes with our own resources because the ILO indépendantes et démocratiques. Notre nouvelle budget does not contain any provision for technical organisation syndicale internationale verra donc le cooperation assistance to my country. jour avant la fin de cette année. In recent years, we have achieved considerable Par la création de notre nouvelle organisation, le improvement in protection of the rights of migrant mouvement syndical sera plus à même de répondre workers and we have, for practical purposes, solved aux besoins des travailleurs, mais aussi à la nécessi- the social issues involved. In practice, they now té de créer un front unique et solidaire face aux dé- enjoy the same rights as all other workers in the séquilibres sociaux, économiques et environnemen- country. taux. Dans ce monde, de plus en plus livré à la loi We would particularly like to thank the ILO lead- du plus fort, les déséquilibres sociaux deviennent de ership and the reporters for including in the Report plus en plus insoutenables pour l’humanité. La mal- the question of technical inspections. At three ses- traitance sociale de millions d’enfants dans le sions of the International Labour Conference there monde figure parmi ces défis sociaux. Nous ne has been discussion of the issue of labour inspection pouvons que nous réjouir d’apprendre, à l’occasion and improving occupational health. I would like to de cette Conférence, que l’éradication de ce fléau emphasize that the workers have secured progress est possible dans les dix prochaines années. from the Government of our country, a very consid- La discussion du rapport du Directeur général re- erable achievement. Today, this work has been vêt cette année un intérêt assez particulier pour nous brought to a high level and under full control of the en raison de son contenu essentiellement axé sur les workers represented in their trade unions, and I can changements dans le monde du travail, mais aussi confidently assert that the experience of work in this parce qu’il aborde la question des changements area in our country is something that could well be dans le monde du travail de manière horizontale.

10/6 Il s’agit pour nous d’une question importante dans ILO strategic objectives is essential in fighting pov- ce monde globalisé où le travail devrait permettre, erty and ensuring human rights at work, as well as tant à la femme qu’à l’homme, de se réaliser et contributing to the improvement of human welfare d’avoir une existence digne. Les politiques néolibé- in our countries. rales, principalement dans les pays du sud, mais The Thai Government is committed to ensuring aussi dans ceux du nord, ont des conséquences dé- that our workforce, whether in the informal or for- sastreuses pour les travailleurs, aussi bien aux ni- mal economy, engages in decent employment fol- veaux de la recherche du travail, de sa stabilité que lowing the principles adopted by the International de la sécurité sociale. Labour Organization. Il n’est pas un jour qui passe sans que des milliers We greatly appreciate the efforts of the ILO in as- de travailleurs perdent leur emploi sans être sûrs sisting the Government in its struggle to provide d’en retrouver un nouveau et que les jeunes, de leur decent work for all. côté, se voient proposer des emplois d’une précarité With the support of the ILO and other social part- manifeste, précarité dans laquelle ils seront plongés ners, a number of programmes have been imple- pendant longtemps. mented to realize fundamental principles and rights A cela, il faut ajouter toute la panoplie de person- at work and secure employment, especially for nes exclues du monde du travail en raison de leur those in the informal economy. One of the funda- handicap, de leur race, de leur sexe et/ou de leur mental principles and rights of work, the elimina- religion. tion of the worst forms of child labour, has been a Le monde du travail apparaît pour ces personnes- priority of our Government. From our point of view, là comme un domaine inaccessible et cette situation the idea that the end of child labour is within our doit être corrigée. grasp is a noble and groundbreaking one. En cela, il convient de réitérer, au nom de la In February of this year, the National Committee CMT, la nécessité de démocratiser les institutions on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child La- financières internationales d’où partent, la plupart bour under the ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour du temps, les décisions influençant le monde du Convention, 1999 (No. 182), chaired by the Minis- travail, hélas souvent négativement. ter of Labour, was appointed by the Cabinet to Il est vrai que le rapport porte sur les changements monitor a national plan of action on the worst forms dans le monde du travail. Mais cela ne saurait nous of child labour. faire oublier la réforme qui se fera au sein des Na- This year’s Conference is the moment for the pro- tions Unies à laquelle l’OIT devra attacher une at- posed Convention and Recommendation on a pro- tention particulière. motional framework for occupational safety and Dans l’une de ses interventions, lors du dernier health to be considered for adoption. The Thai Gov- Conseil d’administration du BIT, le Directeur géné- ernment shares the will expressed at the 19th ral nous a donné sa vision de la réforme, en insistant ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting in Singapore notamment sur la spécificité de l’OIT qui, bien évi- last month to support the principles of prevention demment, constitue un plus pour l’Organisation des and protection embodied in the Global OSH Strat- Nations Unies dans son ensemble. egy and acknowledges that the principles provide a L’apport de l’OIT dans le système des Nations useful basis for national policies and programmes. Unies n’est plus à démontrer. Je pense que bien des The new ILO instruments proposed under the Strat- organisations gagneraient à s’inspirer d’un modèle egy will be helpful in enhancing OSH standards for tripartie qui a permis de préserver la paix et la sécu- safer, healthier and more productive workplaces. rité, principal moteur pour le développement éco- We would like to express appreciation for the ILO’s nomique et social. A ce sujet, nous voulons deman- offer of support and assistance in strengthening der à l’OIT de ne ménager aucun effort pour la créa- OSH capacities and programmes in ASEAN and tion d’un instrument permettant la mesure de la pra- request the ILO to provide more resources to help tique du tripartisme par toutes les nations, outil per- raise OSH standards in ASEAN. tinent dans le cadre de la promotion du travail dé- As for the proposed Recommendation concerning cent et du développement. the employment relationship, we greatly hope that Monsieur le Président, pour terminer je voudrais the discussion will bear fruitful results for the de- mentionner la situation de nos camarades palesti- velopment of employment. Current Thai legislation niens et de leurs familles dans les territoires arabes on labour protection has been revised with regard to occupés. Leur situation – je ne le dirai jamais assez the employment security of workers who are in – est très préoccupante et mérite l’attention de la need of protection, in order to keep pace with rapid communauté internationale qui doit s’investir de changes in employment patterns. façon résolue dans le règlement du conflit dans le Finally, we would like to support the ILO’s vision respect des résolutions de l’ONU. of decent work as a global goal to help eradicate Mr. JAMASEVI (Government, Thailand) poverty and to achieve the Millennium Develop- ment Goals. The Thai Government has put every It is a pleasure and an honour for me to speak on effort and resource into overcoming poverty behalf of the Kingdom of Thailand to this important through the broader framework of the national pov- gathering and I would like to extend my sincere erty reduction strategies. In the auspicious year that congratulations to the President on his election to marks the 60th year of His Majesty, King Bhumibol preside over this year’s session of the Conference. I Adulyadej’s accession to the throne, we are deter- am confident that under your guidance the task be- mined to improve the quality of life of workers in fore us can be a success. Thailand. We are resolved to play our part in ending Mr. President, I support the views of the Director- child labour and reducing suffering and the exploi- General on the Report Changing patterns in the tation of labour. Much still remains to be done and world of work, that we have to use our knowledge we hope to work in cooperation with the ILO and and experience to move ahead for the dignity of social partners to achieve this goal. work. The promotion of decent work through the

10/7 I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the stretching the Government’s human and financial Government of Thailand, to express our heartfelt resources. Thousands are fleeing poverty, insecu- appreciation to the ILO for its commitment and con- rity, war, or underdevelopment. The tragic stories tinued support. carried in the media are only the tip of the iceberg Mr. GALEA (Minister of Education, Youth and Employment, of the gravest risks these people face to their human Malta) rights and fundamental freedoms when they are re- cruited, transported and employed in defiance of the Here in Geneva, over the span of these few days, law. the global village of work meets. But for what pur- The entrepreneurial spirit that is essential for so- pose and with what results some would ask? Would cial and economic development, is too often sapped this meeting make any relevant difference to hu- in the struggle of survival. When people cannot find manity? Or it could end up being yet another ritual- work at home in their communities and societies istic meeting of leaders, but not a coming together they look elsewhere. In the present environment of minds and souls, of vision and action, of concrete labour migration easily becomes a source of ten- solidarity backed by credible and exchangeable sion, not to speak of human trafficking and other commitments. similar criminal activities. Profound consequences Man has created the means for food, health, edu- have also emerged for receiving countries, includ- cation, peace and work for all and yet we still mis- ing strong demands for greater migration control, erably fail to put these effectively in the hands of sometimes with growing xenophobic undertones. each and every man and woman wherever they are Whilst international cooperation in providing hu- on this planet. manitarian assistance and implementing security So much of humanity looks up to us and depends programmes will continue to be important, devel- on us. It is true that we are here on behalf of our opment aid is the much more effective strategy in governments, union and employers, but in reality preventing violent conflict, promoting reconcilia- we are an assembly of individuals who have volun- tion and democratization and encouraging poverty- tarily assumed leadership responsibilities in our so- reducing development investments by migrant dias- cieties. And I believe we also have it in our power poras. to together make a substantial difference in the In this context it becomes even more urgent to wellbeing of our people and of the people in the sustain, with greater efforts and better results, the regions where we live. United Nations Millennium Development Goals When I reflected on the Report prepared for this which range from halving the current extreme pov- session of the Conference by the Director-General, erty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and provid- Mr. Juan Somavia, Changing patterns in the world ing universal primary education by 2015. of work, my attention was particularly drawn to two Malta and its Government will continue to ac- of the many important issues he raises. First the is- tively participate in the relevant international and sue of unpaid work, mainly by women. Secondly regional forums and we will do our best to give our the relevance of the phenomenon of migration to the contribution for the better management of the phe- changing pattern of the world of work. nomena of migration and for the eradication of the Allow me to focus for a second on the first issue, political and economic causes that force human be- which I also had the opportunity to touch upon in ings to abandon and flee the countries where they my first ever address to this Conference in its 73rd have been born and bred. Session in 1987, 19 years to the day. I completely agree with the Director-General, that we must do Mr. SILABAN (Worker, Indonesia) much better in valuing and analysing the commit- First of all, on behalf of the Indonesian Workers’ ment to raising a family, on helping people to age delegation and my union, the Confederation of In- with dignity and respect, or organizing voluntary donesian Prosperity Trade Union (KSBSI), let me community associations. praise the Global Report that the Director-General As the Director-General points out, what we call and the Conference presents. I refer particularly to economic productivity is in fact indirectly subsi- all the positive achievements that have been reached dized by the social productivity of unpaid work, and under the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Princi- not vice-versa. Therefore I applaud the Director- ples and Rights at Work and its Follow-up. The General’s invitation to explore and exhibit the fea- number of positive results which have been pre- tures and role of this largely unknown continent in sented in the Report are very useful to all delegates the world of labour, the mass of unpaid workers. and give Members the confidence to continue their The second point of my focus, which incidentally efforts to give better protection to workers. I had also touched upon in my first speech here, Since economic globalization has caused negative refers to the aptly called “development imperative”. effects for many workers, particularly vulnerable This emphasizes the most urgent reduction of pov- workers, namely those in the informal economy, erty and inequality within and among nations migrant workers, workers in export processing through effective multilateral approaches to the zones, and agricultural and non-skilled workers, we multiple problems arising out of the massive flux of think that the best way to protect them is through labour throughout the Mediterranean region and strengthening national laws, especially those which other regions of the world. relate to freedom of association and collective bar- Malta, from where thousands migrated during the gaining, social security and occupational safety and last century, is now becoming a transit and, to a health. At the same time, we also emphasize the lesser extent, a destination country. In a country importance of promoting social dialogue. We which amongst the most densely populated area in strongly believe that social dialogue is only fruitful the world, illegal migration has become one of the if trade unions, as the main partner of the bipartite most significant and complex policy challenges for and tripartite body, have a strong capacity to nego- the Maltese Government. The phenomenon is chal- tiate. Weak partners will lead to weak agreements lenging the texture of our values and culture and is and less commitment. It has been proven that the

10/8 promotion of freedom of association and collective world of work, the world of work is also changing bargaining is never an obstacle to business and at- rapidly. tracts foreign direct investment (FDI). Good labour In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity laws and strong collective agreements will be safe- to say that the Government of the Republic of Ko- guarded to prevent workers from being directly con- rea is in full support of making decent work a real- fronted with liberal working flexibility. ity, which has been pursued by the Director-General National laws should be adjusted to workers’ with his outstanding vision ever since his election. I needs, instead of being dictated by the needs of would also like to add that the Government will ac- market forces. This is why we very much welcome tively participate in these efforts. the importance given by the ILO Director-General’s Globalization has now become a universal phe- Report to continuing to achieve decent work oppor- nomenon in our daily lives. Thus, workers man- tunities for all. To achieve this aim, we, the trade agement and governments should cooperate and put unions in Indonesia, emphasize the urgent need to their heads together in order to turn globalization reform social security, particularly to improve its into an opportunity instead of a crisis, and minimize benefits and extend coverage to the informal econ- the negative aspects of globalization, while making omy and migrant and agricultural workers. At the sure that its benefits are distributed to everyone same time, it is also important to pay attention to fairly. In this respect, I believe that it is very timely strengthening the occupational safety and health to hold discussions on the issue of employment and tripartite body. These reforms are needed in relation occupational safety at this year’s session of the to the present situation, in which a very small num- Conference. Therefore, I hope we will have a fruit- ber of social security members are able to recruit. ful discussion, from which we can draw out a policy Workers in the informal sector make up a majority direction that can be implemented and effective in of 65 per cent, and the rest only receive a minimum many member countries. wage and often suffer because they do not have ac- The economic and labour environment is rapidly cess to hospitals when they fall sick and do not re- changing in the Republic of Korea as well. The ceive a pension. We will give our full support to the country is undergoing changes that are just as dra- Government in order to put forward this subject as a matic as the growth it has achieved. Yet the systems central concern for the future reform plan. As the and practices governing its labour market are not ILO Director-General said in his Report, there are a responding sufficiently to these changes. The Gov- number of countries using ILO advice and coopera- ernment still needs to tackle the issues of promotion tion on this matter, and we also request the ILO to of industrial relations, resolution of labour market continue this assistance in Indonesia. Because, as polarization and strengthening the social safety net. mentioned in the Report, we in Indonesia believe Thus, our Government is pursuing the fostering of that social security now has been recognized as a industrial relations together with easing of labour major means to combat poverty to raise the quality market polarization as key policies. of employment. For the advancement of industrial relations, both While we recognize that the presence of labour workers and management need to change their per- market flexibility has affected traditional relations ceptions and begin to see each other as partners. between workers and employers, this new phe- Businesses must expand the scope of dialogue by nomenon should not be translated to mean that all improving managerial transparency and ensuring workers will be free of a labour contract or free to workers’ participation in management. To this end, be out-sourced. The decent work programme would the Government is restoring the framework for so- not exist in a situation where workers have no abil- cial dialogue. After the Tripartite Representatives’ ity to keep their jobs or maintain income stability. Meeting reconvened in March, an agreement was KSBSI and other unions had overwhelmingly and reached on measures to reform the Tripartite Com- flatly rejected the intention to reform Labour Law mission and discussions are currently under way on No. 13/2003 only because we thought the revised various issues, including reform measures for ad- law would to create uncertainty in the future for a vanced industrial relations laws and systems. Al- majority of workers in the country. We will openly though difficulties may lie along the way towards discuss the best way forward to approach the chal- improving industrial relations laws and systems, we lenges of this market flexibility. are trying very hard to bring this effort to a conclu- In conclusion, as a representative of the Workers’ sion before the end of this year. We plan to promote delegation, I, on behalf of Indonesian Workers, of- not only dialogue at national level, but also multi- fer you our sincere thanks for all the support, soli- level consultations at the regional, sectoral and darity and help which has been given to our work- workplace levels. ers, who became victims of the Tsunami natural Next, I would like to talk about the polarization of disaster two years ago and of the earthquake which the labour market. The Government is making ef- occurred in Yogyakarta a week ago. Your contribu- forts to bring forth a labour market where flexibility tion has helped them rebuild their lives and again and security coexist in harmony. With the globaliza- has shown a strong sign that international solidarity tion of the world’s economy, flexibility is no longer remains strong for those who need it. a matter of choice but has become a prerequisite. Original Korean: Mr. LEE (Minister of Labour, Republic of Now we are faced with the important task of secur- Korea) ing measures to harmonize it. Reducing polarization in the labour market requires special attention and All of us are currently faced with dramatic care for the vulnerable working class. I believe this changes, namely globalization, the transition into a is one of the basic pillars of decent work. The Gov- knowledge- and information-based society and age- ernment is guaranteeing their basic rights and work- ing populations. These changes require a new para- ing conditions and is creating more and better jobs, digm. Also, as well indicated in this year’s Report while at the same time continuously expanding and by the Director-General, Changing patterns in the strengthening the social safety net. As part of these efforts, it has submitted relevant laws to the Na-

10/9 tional Assembly to ensure basic rights of contracted, and welfare for the people, and trusting that decent part-time and dispatched workers and to protect work will provide the grounds for the emergence of them from discrimination. A Bill is currently under talents and people’s spiritual promotion, the Islamic discussion. Republic of Iran has taken a number of measures to The Government is delighted to have the honour put into effect the Decent Work Agenda and to im- of hosting the Fourteenth Asian Regional Meeting plement its instruments. of the ILO and wishes to take this opportunity to These measures include adoption of a national in- express sincere gratitude to everyone who has sup- strument to control social vulnerability, establish- ported its efforts. The theme of the meeting, which ment of social health centres, identification of street will be held from 29 August to 1 September 2006, children and their sending to school. Our Govern- is making decent work a reality in the Asian region. ment, has in this respect, put into effect a regulation Considering the fact that the Asia-Pacific region banning 26 types of hazardous child labour identi- accounts for 60 per cent of the world’s labour force, fied so far. The report on the measures taken in this and is the most dynamically developing region in respect has been submitted to IPEC. the world, I expect that we will have a very useful Our Government, thanks to the promotion of and fruitful discussion. The Government is exerting technical and vocational training and constant la- its utmost efforts to make the meeting a success and bour inspection, has managed to reduce deaths and I ask for strong support from the representatives of injuries at work by 20 per cent during last year governments, workers and employers of member alone. A multi-million-dollar budget spent on la- States. bour inspection is another indication of the impor- Original Farsi: Mr. JAHROMI (Minister of Labour and Social tance we attach to the issue of the safety and health Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran) of our workers. To further promote social justice and to improve The 95th Session of the International Labour Con- the welfare of the low-income classes in Iran, par- ference has provided us with a unique chance to ticularly the workers, our Government has begun to attain, whilst seeking assistance and grace from Al- distribute justice shares among them. Stocks of the lah Almighty, the sublime humanistic and spiritual most lucrative government enterprises are thereby values envisaged in ILO Constitution through our sold to the workers at a very fair price without any consultation. interest and on long-term basis. Workers are ex- Child labour is a consequence of poverty, inade- pected only to pay the price of their shares from quate education, lack of productive job opportuni- their dividend, which is expected to earn them some ties and unfair and unbalanced economic growth further annual income as well. deriving from the immediate challenges of unfair To curb unemployment, the Government of the Is- globalization. The Islamic Republic of Iran, relying lamic Republic of Iran, in its Fourth Socio- on the sublime teachings of Islam and being com- Economic Five-Year Plan, has accorded significant mitted to its national and international obligations, importance to extensive entrepreneurial investment has attempted to eliminate the worst forms of child in small job-creating enterprises with a rapid return labour to ensure a more decent living for its chil- on their capital. Banks are also rendering service in dren. this respect. Today we witness an outstanding imbalance be- One of the biggest problems our world today is tween the rich North and the poor South. Many im- the issue of the occupied Arab territories whose pediments are erected in the path of technology and drastic condition is duly mirrored in the Director- know-how transfer from the rich and advanced General’s Report. The occupying Israeli forces, countries to the developing ones, affecting the la- while violating the basic rights of the people of Pal- bour market. In this respect, certain countries do not estine and breaching United Nations Security Coun- seem to even allow for the promotion of Iran’s lo- cil resolutions and ILO fundamental Conventions, cally developed nuclear energy programmes for continue to refuse the Palestinians their perfectly peaceful purposes and the ensuing promotion of the reasonable desire to work and earn a decent living, technical and scientific achievements, leading to a through systematic, brutal and inhuman suppression more decent life for our people. in daily killing of the innocent Palestinian people. Hundreds of innocent children are killed in wars In conclusion I would like to reiterate that real and genocide and thousands are forcefully dragged peace will never be achieved in Palestine unless all into labour markets so as to provide means of suste- legitimate rights of the people of Palestine are rec- nance for their hopeless families. Numerous exam- ognized and Palestinian displaced persons and refu- ples of such horrendous phenomena may be ob- gees are repatriated to their motherland. served these days in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and other occupied Arab territories in other corners M. BOTI (ministre de la Fonction publique, du Travail, de la of the globe. Sécurité sociale et de l’Insertion professionnelle des jeunes, As the world is now determined to eliminate the République centrafricaine) worst forms of child labour, I humbly recommend C’est avec un réel plaisir que je prends la parole that the Office also survey the dire consequences of au nom de mon pays, la République centrafricaine, contemporary wars around the globe and the life of à l’occasion de la 95e session de la Conférence in- children, so as to enable us to deal with this evil ternationale du Travail. phenomenon more appropriately. Je voudrais, avant d’aller plus loin dans mes pro- At this juncture, I would like to shed some light pos, adresser mes vives félicitations à vous-même, on what we have done in the Islamic Republic of Monsieur le Président du Conseil d’administration, Iran with respect to labour and social affairs. Real- et au Directeur général du Bureau international du izing that decent work parameters – including ob- Travail pour la bonne conduite des travaux de la servance of the ILO fundamental principles, promo- présente session. tion of productive jobs with adequate income and S’agissant de mon pays, j’annonçais, l’année der- promotion of social security – all aim at a better life nière, du haut de cette tribune, qu’après une brève

10/10 interruption de son processus démocratique du El mercado global necesita normas. Las reglas 15 mars 2003 au 8 mai 2005, interruption rendue que rigen los intercambios comerciales de bienes y nécessaire par l’histoire d’un peuple qui se cherche, servicios tienen que tener su corolario laboral. El la République centrafricaine est revenue à l’égalité diálogo comercial y los acuerdos bilaterales y multi- constitutionnelle en mai 2005. Depuis lors, un gou- laterales tienen que tener su correlato en el diálogo vernement constitué sur la base de l’inclusion a vu social internacional. le jour et s’est attaqué à l’œuvre de reconstruction No es aceptable el hecho de que haya una abun- nationale. A cet effet, tous les secteurs politique, dancia de normas que protegen los derechos eco- social, économique, administratif subissent des ré- nómicos — inversiones, propiedad intelectual, etc. formes. — mientras que los derechos de los trabajadores no En ce qui concerne le monde du travail centrafri- se protegen con normas que tengan un grado de cain dont j’ai la charge, le vaste chantier de la ré- exigibilidad equivalente. El escaso papel que en las forme entreprise par le gouvernement touche essen- negociaciones de la Serie de Doha de la Organiza- tiellement à quatre domaines: le cadre juridique ins- ción Mundial del Comercio tienen los derechos y titutionnel des actions à mener dans le monde du principios fundamentales en el Trabajo, proclama- travail, le renforcement des capacités techniques et dos por la OIT en 1998, así como el concepto del professionnelles des acteurs du monde du travail, la trabajo decente o el impacto de la liberalización lutte contre la pauvreté par le travail décent, qui comercial en el empleo, es el ejemplo más claro de constitue l’une des actions prioritaires du Sommet esta contradicción. La OIT debiera reforzar sus fun- des chefs d’Etat de Ouagadougou, et la lutte contre ciones en el gobierno de los procesos de la globali- le VIH/SIDA. zación, de acuerdo con las propuestas incluidas en S’agissant du cadre juridique institutionnel, la re- el Informe de la Comisión Mundial sobre la Dimen- lecture du Code du travail en cours, en partenariat sión Social de la Globalización, cuya vigencia es avec le Bureau sous-régional du BIT, l’UNICEF, le plena incluso después de las insuficientes reformas Bureau des Nations Unies pour la Centrafrique, qui recientemente introducidas en el funcionamiento de prend en compte les dix conventions de l’OIT que las Naciones Unidas. mon pays vient de ratifier, et l’adoption prochaine Si comercio justo y desarrollo sostenible son pila- du Code de sécurité sociale, actuellement à res del nuevo orden económico mundial que hay l’examen à l’Assemblée nationale, offriront au bout que construir, democracia y derechos humanos, in- du compte un cadre juridique institutionnel réformé, cluidos los laborales y sindicales, tienen que ser adapté au nouvel environnement socio-économique, siempre los fundamentos del orden político mun- favorable à la relance de l’économie nationale sur la dial. voie du développement durable et à la lutte contre La salud y la seguridad en el trabajo, que afectan les pires formes du travail des enfants. a un derecho fundamental como es el derecho a la En ce qui concerne le renforcement des capacités vida, deben encontrar en esta reunión de la Confe- techniques et professionnelles des acteurs du monde rencia una regulación armonizada y avanzada. du travail centrafricain, les cadres du travail et les En relación a los debates en la Comisión de la Re- partenaires sociaux ont été formés et/ou recyclés lación de Trabajo, nos preocupa que muchos go- dans divers domaines, notamment l’inspection du biernos y empleadores pretendan excluir del ámbito travail, la lutte contre le VIH/SIDA, la prévoyance de la relación de trabajo los servicios comerciales, sociale, la gestion des ressources humaines et le cuando en la Memoria del Director General, que, dialogue social. sin duda, aprobaremos, la relación de trabajo se de- C’est ici le lieu approprié pour saluer le partena- fine en su sentido más amplio. riat agissant entre le ministère du Travail dont j’ai la Hablando ahora de España, en nuestro país se ha charge et le BIT, son bureau sous-régional de continuado el desarrollo de la agenda del diálogo Yaoundé, la coopération française, les ministères du social tripartito suscrita en julio de 2004 por las or- Travail du Maroc, des sous-régions de l’Afrique ganizaciones sindicales y patronales representativas centrale, de l’Ouest et de l’Est. y por el Gobierno. Les actions déjà menées par le gouvernement cen- Como consecuencia de las negociaciones, se han trafricain dans le monde du travail et celles qu’il suscrito en este último período cuatro acuerdos so- mènera ont pour base le dialogue social et bre formación continua de los trabajadores, la Ley l’approche participative car il est question de re- de Protección a las Personas Dependientes y las construire dans l’entente mutuelle, donc durable- reformas de determinados aspectos de la legislación ment. laboral y del sistema público de pensiones. También Avant de terminer mon propos, permettez-moi se ha participado en la elaboración de la Ley de d’insister sur le renforcement de la solidarité uni- igualdad de trato entre hombres y mujeres. verselle et de la coopération internationale qui lient Por su trascendencia habría que destacar la ley le destin de l’humanité. La réduction de la pauvreté que establece el derecho subjetivo de todas las per- par le travail décent est à ce prix. En vous remer- sonas dependientes a recibir la atención requerida ciant au nom du gouvernement que dirige Son Ex- mediante el concierto entre la Seguridad Social del cellence Elie Dote, Premier ministre, Chef du gou- Estado, las administraciones regionales, locales y vernement, sous la très haute impulsion de Son Ex- las familias. cellence François Bozizé, Président de la Républi- El acuerdo de reforma laboral establece medidas que et Chef de l’Etat, pour la patience que vous tendentes a reducir la contratación temporal, que en avez mise à m’écouter. España afecta a un tercio de los empleos, fomentan- Sr. DOZ (trabajador, España) do la contratación indefinida, y a mejorar algunos aspectos de la protección por desempleo. Los ins- En primer lugar, quiero manifestar el acuerdo con trumentos son la incentivación económica a los em- situar el trabajo decente, como hace la Memoria del presarios, incluida la reducción de las cotizaciones Director General, como objetivo principal de una sociales a quienes contraten indefinidamente, y di- globalización justa. versas medidas — legales y de inspección laboral

10/11 — para combatir el fraude y los abusos en la contra- kets and social systems. It has been rightly noted tación temporal y en las cadenas de subcontratación. that between 1995 and 2000 there was a great in- Los cambios en el sistema público de pensiones, crease in the rate of global unemployment. There de alcance más limitado, tienen como objetivo más was also an increase in the number of those em- destacado la convergencia de los regímenes de los ployed. asalariados del campo y de los empleados de hogar There are three particular subjects I would like to con el régimen general de la seguridad social, de address here: “Flexicurity”, social dialogue and, acuerdo con las orientaciones del Pacto de Toledo very briefly, the question of sustainability. On the que desde hace más de 10 años orienta las reformas basis of these developments – globalization, techno- en este campo en España. logical change and demographic challenges – which El contenido de la reforma laboral no colma las also require ever greater flexibility from workers, demandas de los trabajadores en un mercado laboral Austria introduced the notion of “flexicurity”, and que ha conocido un fuerte aumento del empleo en la we have made this one of the key themes of our última década, pero de un empleo de baja calidad. presidency of the European Union. Earlier this year Sin embargo, el hecho de que sea fruto de la nego- an informal EU meeting was held on this subject in ciación y el acuerdo de los interlocutores sociales, y Austria, and this very afternoon I will be conducting no de la imposición gubernamental, supone un valor an informal exchange of views with my colleagues añadido que coadyuva al crecimiento económico y from the western Balkans on the subject. al mejor cumplimiento de los acuerdos adoptados. The idea here is to create flexibility through secu- En la pasada Conferencia, los delegados españo- rity. Adequate social support, as well as an active les informaron del acuerdo tripartito por el que se labour market policy, should make it possible for regularizaron unos 600.000 trabajadores inmigran- workers to display more flexibility. This means tes. Los resultados del acuerdo han sido positivos en striking a balance between labour market policy términos económicos, sociales y laborales. Pero no measures, lifelong learning, appropriate labour podemos dejar de mencionar que los problemas regulations and modern systems of social security. subsisten. La inmigración no legal ha continuado y This mix should facilitate companies’ flexibility in puede sumar hoy cerca de un millón de personas, a regulated environment and increase workers’ will- buena parte de las cuales trabajan en la economía ingness for geographic and occupational mobility. informal. El tráfico de personas se ha ido despla- One example is the progress report of the Austrian zando de las aguas del Estrecho de Gibraltar a las EU presidency on the state of the negotiations con- rutas que van de la región occidental del continente cerning a binding directive on the portability of ad- africano a las Islas Canarias. Miles de personas han ditional pension entitlements proposed by the Euro- utilizado estas rutas en las últimas semanas a bordo pean Commission, which was discussed at the most de barcazas y decenas de ellas han perdido la vida recent employment Council. en el camino. Es la vertiente más trágica del fenó- The ILO, too, needs to review its inventory of meno migratorio que nos mueve inmediatamente a standards. There might be need for greater flexibil- la solidaridad. ity – I am thinking here of working hours and pro- Los inmigrantes nos han proporcionado sobre to- tection against dismissal – on the other hand, there do la riqueza creada por su trabajo. Pero la mayoría might be a need for new regulations concerning the de la sociedad española es consciente de que la in- portability of entitlements. migración, que ha hecho ascender en una década del The tripartite social dialogue is the best means of 2 por ciento al 10 por ciento la población de origen securing broad acceptance of so-called “flexicu- extranjero, no puede seguir aumentando a este ritmo rity”; for this purpose, we need a spokesperson of sin crear graves desequilibrios económicos y socia- representative workers’ and employers’ organiza- les. tions at all levels. El sindicalismo español considera necesaria una In this respect, the Report contains some worrying acción nacional y supranacional concertada, que references to the weakening of the social partners implique compromisos firmes de los gobiernos y las on the global level, including a marked reduction in organizaciones internacionales para: garantizar la trade union membership. The social partners must igualdad de derechos de los trabajadores inmigran- be strengthened and, of course, structural reforms tes y su integración en las sociedades de acogida; are required to increase adaptability to the new chal- promover el desarrollo de los países de origen, a lenges of globalization. Here, there is need for sup- través de la cooperación internacional, reglas justas port from the ILO. Governments, too, are called para el comercio y solución al problema de la deuda upon to commit themselves publicly to social dia- externa; y regular a través de acuerdos internaciona- logue, thereby making their contribution to support- les los flujos migratorios, al mismo tiempo que se ing the pillars of social partnership. combate a las organizaciones criminales que trafi- On the EU level, we took an important decision can con personas. recently concerning a new services directive. With- Original German: Mr. BARTENSTEIN (Federal Minister of out the European social partners, this would not Economics and Labour, Austria) have been possible; particularly during our presi- dency, we have placed great emphasis on strength- The Report on Changing patterns in the world of ening social partnership. work provides an opportunity for a first reflection Finally, we would like to say a few words about on the further direction to be taken by the ILO in sustainability. I am glad that the Report mentions the twenty-first century which is going to be dis- this, within the context of energy requirements and cussed in detail at next year’s session of the General the dangers to the environment. The special envi- Conference. The final chapter opens a view on a ronmental concern of the ILO is, of course, a globalized future, in which the spirals of techno- healthy work environment, and I hope that this logical progress and pressure of competition will year’s negotiations on the promotional framework turn even more rapidly and present major chal- for occupational safety and health will lead to a lenges to the adaptability of economies, labour mar- worldwide ratification of a Convention on this sub-

10/12 ject. That would be a major success for the quality mobiliser les politiques et actions de l’Union euro- of life of all workers worldwide. péenne en faveur du travail décent. La communica- I welcome the message of success contained in tion souligne également la convergence entre the Global Report in respect of the considerable l’Agenda social européen et la stratégie de Lis- decrease in child labour, and I would like to con- bonne, d’une part, et l’Agenda du travail décent, gratulate all countries concerned, the International d’autre part. L’avenir du «modèle social européen» Labour Office and the IPEC Programme. se joue aussi à travers la promotion d’une mondiali- Another gratifying achievement of the ILO and its sation équilibrée et juste dont le travail décent cons- efforts to ensure political coherence in the interna- titue un élément clé. tional field, is the recognition by the United Nations La communication est le résultat d’une coopéra- Summit of Heads of State and Governments Sep- tion étroite entre moi-même et les commissaires en tember 2005 of decent work and productive em- charge du commerce, du développement et des rela- ployment as global objectives. However, our efforts tions extérieures, et elle s’appuie sur une coordina- must continue unabated, and we must use interna- tion entre un grand nombre de services de la Com- tional forums to give a social dimension to global- mission européenne. ization that integrates the objective of decent work La communication reflète également notre volon- and, in particular, the protection of core labour té de renforcer le dialogue avec les pays et régions standards. Every step that brings us closer to this partenaires, et de promouvoir l’appropriation de goal benefits humanity and peace. l’Agenda du travail décent par l’ensemble de ces partenaires. (Mr. de Regil takes the Chair.) Cette appropriation est un élément important du (M. de Regil prend place au fauteuil présidentiel.) consensus européen sur le développement adopté conjointement par le Parlement européen, le Conseil (Asume la presidencia el Sr. de Regil.) et la Commission en décembre dernier. Le consen- M. SPIDLA (commissaire chargé de l’Emploi, des Affaires sus européen mobilise à la fois les institutions euro- sociales et de l’Egalité des chances, Union européenne) péennes et les Etats membres de l’Union. Cette mo- bilisation est également pertinente dans le contexte J’ai apprécié le rapport du Directeur général inti- de la discussion en cours à la présente session de la tulé Changements dans le monde du travail car il Conférence sur l’avenir de la coopération technique nous donne un large éventail de perspectives sur les de l’OIT. évolutions dans le monde du travail et sur les pistes L’OIT a invité tous les pays à établir des pro- d’action. Sur bien des points, ce rapport rejoint les grammes nationaux de promotion du travail décent, débats européens relatifs à l’emploi et au travail, en et la Commission soutient cette initiative. particulier la nécessité de combiner la flexibilité et L’établissement de ces programmes constitue un la sécurité au bénéfice de tous. Le rapport nous rap- premier indicateur clé pour mesurer l’engagement pelle avec force les grands déficits que l’on constate en faveur du travail décent. Il devra faire partie des dans le monde au regard des principes majeurs du stratégies nationales et régionales de développement travail décent. Il n’est pas acceptable que la moitié et de réduction de la pauvreté. Il faut y assurer de la population dans le monde n’ait aucune protec- l’implication réelle des partenaires sociaux. tion sociale, que la moitié des travailleurs gagne La Commission européenne intensifiera sa coopé- moins de deux dollars par jour et que malgré la ration avec les partenaires sociaux, les entreprises et croissance économique forte, au niveau mondial, le les organisations internationales et régionales. Elle chômage et le sous-emploi continuent à croître. approfondira son partenariat avec l’OIT et elle coo- Je souscris également à l’appel lancé dans le rap- pérera avec les Nations Unies, notamment dans le port pour approfondir les connaissances, les statisti- cadre du débat de haut niveau du Conseil économi- ques et les données sur le travail décent. Il faut dé- que et social qui se tiendra à Genève début juillet. velopper des indicateurs permettant de suivre les La Commission européenne invite tous les pays à efforts de promotion du travail décent aux niveaux ratifier et à appliquer les conventions sur les droits national, régional et mondial. Une meilleure con- sociaux fondamentaux. Ceci constitue pour nous un naissance est indispensable pour mieux mobiliser deuxième indicateur clé pour mesurer les efforts en les efforts et pour atteindre des résultats tangibles et faveur du travail décent. Le rapport global sur le concrets. travail des enfants illustre bien qu’une action soute- La Commission européenne vient d’adopter, le 24 nue et cohérente peut en effet contribuer à éliminer mai dernier, une communication importante sur le les formes de travail qui sont à proprement parler travail décent. Elle est intitulée Promouvoir un tra- indécentes, comme le travail des enfants. vail décent pour tous – La contribution de l’Union à Je soutiens également les efforts de l’OIT pour la mise en œuvre de l’Agenda du travail décent améliorer la santé et la sécurité au travail. C’est un dans le monde. domaine où le dialogue social est essentiel et doit Elle constitue un signal politique fort de la volon- être renforcé. Chaque pays devrait mettre en œuvre té de la Commission de contribuer activement aux une stratégie et une politique sur la santé et la sécu- efforts nationaux et internationaux en faveur du tra- rité au travail, comme cela est prévu dans le projet vail décent dans le monde, et de la dimension so- de convention discuté à la présente session de la ciale de la mondialisation. La Commission affirme Conférence. que la promotion du travail décent pour tous consti- tue un objectif majeur pour les politiques internes et Sr. SALAZAR (Secretario del Trabajo y Previsión Social, externes de l’Union européenne. La Commission México) entend mobiliser ses politiques pour contribuer à la México coincide con que el trabajo decente es un mise en œuvre de l’objectif universel du travail dé- objetivo global para alcanzar una mundialización cent pour tous qui a été affirmé dans les conclusions más justa y humana, donde se logre la igualdad en du Sommet des Nations Unies de septembre dernier. el acceso a las oportunidades para todos. La communication fixe les orientations pour mieux

10/13 Los cuatro objetivos estratégicos que la Memoria social y a los créditos, apoyando los talleres familia- identifica, a saber: 1) la promoción de los principios res y promoviendo la simplificación fiscal. y derechos fundamentales del trabajo, 2) la creación La Decimocuarta Conferencia Interamericana de de mejores oportunidades de trabajo e ingreso para Ministros del Trabajo de la Organización de Esta- mujeres y hombres, 3) el fomento de una mayor dos Americanos, que me honro en presidir, recogió cobertura y efectividad de los sistemas de protec- en la Declaración de México los principios de traba- ción social y 4) el fortalecimiento del diálogo tripar- jo decente de la OIT, que se reprodujeron asimismo tito, son condiciones para el mejoramiento de las en la Declaración de la Cuarta Cumbre de Mar del condiciones de vida y la superación de la pobreza. Plata. Un punto importante es la clara expresión que Por ello, en nuestro país hemos promovido una se manifestó en ambos foros de la necesidad de res- nueva cultura laboral cuyo propósito es ofrecer petar los derechos laborales y sociales de los traba- oportunidades para que las mujeres y los hombres jadores sin importar su condición migratoria. accedan a empleos de calidad. La nueva cultura la- México reafirma su compromiso con la consoli- boral revalora el trabajo humano como expresión, dación de un Programa de Trabajo Decente y digno realización y desarrollo integral de las personas, para transformar a nuestras sociedades contemporá- promueve la capacitación de trabajadores y emplea- neas en sociedades más justas y equitativas. Sólo dores para elevar la productividad y la competitivi- mediante la creación de empleos dignos y de cali- dad, así como la distribución justa y equitativa de la dad, que promuevan el desarrollo integral de las riqueza generada. personas y de los pueblos, se podrán establecer De esta forma, la administración del Presidente condiciones para humanizar la globalización. Vicente Fox ha enfatizado una visión humanista del Original Korean: Mr. JO (Worker, Republic of Korea) trabajo que confirma la centralidad de la persona como origen y objetivo de toda actividad económi- I would like to start by paying tribute to the ef- ca, por encima del capital. forts of the International Labour Organization to Esta visión anima al Gobierno de México a apo- establish new standards in response to “changing yar los esfuerzos que la OIT ha hecho para convertir patterns in the world of work” and for the realiza- al trabajo decente en uno de los principios rectores tion of core principles of work, such as the eradica- de las estrategias nacionales e internacionales en tion of child labour, as described in the Director- materia política, económica y social. General’s Reports. Entre estos esfuerzos, en México hemos instituido The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions el reconocimiento oficial Empresa Incluyente para (KCTU) in 2002, on the occasion of the Korea- aquellas empresas que practican la política de ocu- Japan World Cup match, campaigned to oppose the par trabajadores con discapacidad y adultos mayo- exploitation of child labour with which transna- res, contratados de conformidad con la ley y bajo tional sporting goods companies, like Nike and las mismas condiciones que los demás empleados. Adidas, have been associated with. Through our Nuestro país otorga desde 2004 el Premio Nacio- efforts, the Korean people have begun to wake up to nal del Trabajo como una forma de promover el the reality of child labour, and have given impetus empleo digno y productivo. Esta buena práctica se to move forward to eradicate child labour from the está trabajando actualmente en el marco de la OEA, face of the earth in joint effort with the International con el reconocimiento interamericano. Reitero la Labour Organization community. disposición de México para colaborar con el esta- The rapid changes in the world of work have blecimiento del Premio de la OIT para la highlighted the need for an effective consolidation investigación sobre el trabajo decente. of the supervisory capacity of the International La- Asimismo, contamos con la experiencia exitosa bour Organization as the guardian of international del Consejo para el diálogo con los sectores produc- labour standards. The recommendations of the tivos, en el que participan trabajadores, empleadores Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) y gobiernos, y como innovación hemos incluido a la should not remain dead letters. Measures will have academia, diálogo que ha servido para apoyar la to be sought to strengthen implementation so that promoción del trabajo decente en nuestro país. each and every one of the recommendations is re- Esta dimensión de fortalecimiento del trabajo de- spected in all countries. cente me lleva a suscribir la Memoria del Director For example, the CFA has, since 1996, recom- General de la OIT, la cual vincula la creación de mended that the Korean Government on 11 occa- oportunidades de trabajo decente con el diseño de sions deal with certain key labour rights issues. estrategias de desarrollo locales, nacionales, regio- However, the Korean Government has repeatedly nales y mundiales. turned its back to them, to the extent of going El Gobierno de México considera que el tema del against them and challenging its authority, saying empleo debe ser un eje transversal que integre las that it regretted that the CFA had dared to speak so políticas económicas y sociales de la comunidad forcefully. internacional. Al ponerlo en práctica a nivel nacio- The International Labour Organization commu- nal, contribuimos a la meta del trabajo decente co- nity would need to impress on the Korean Govern- mo elemento fundamental de la economía global. ment the need to heed the conclusions of the CFA Convertir el empleo en el eje transversal o común and comply with its recommendations and end its a todas las políticas públicas, implica reconocer que campaign of repression against the Korean Gov- el crecimiento económico por sí solo no es suficien- ernment Employees’ Union. te para generar empleo. Es necesario complementar- Many examples of outright flaunting of the work lo con políticas públicas que propicien la creación of the International Labour Organization call on us de empleos de calidad. to devise and equip it with greater powers to take En México hemos avanzado hacia la regulariza- firmer measures to achieve the full guarantee of in- ción del trabajo informal, proveyendo a todas las ternational labour standards. personas de los medios para acceder a la seguridad The Korean Government, in contravention of the spirit of the International Labour Organization, is

10/14 unrepentant in its vicious campaign to destroy the Somos conscientes de las dificultades y la necesi- independent trade union of government employees, dad de actualización de una organización como la carry out abuse of compulsory arbitration against OIT. Por eso valoramos los esfuerzos realizados en railway workers’ strike, and imprisonment of union la Memoria del Director General para reforzar la activists of construction workers’ and irregular evaluación de sus actividades con indicadores vin- workers’ unions. culados a objetivos concretos. I convey formally to you the request of the Ko- Uno de los ámbitos donde se puede observar la rean workers to the International Labour Organiza- efectividad de las actividades de la OIT es el relati- tion to seek effective measures to bring an end to vo a la cooperación técnica. labour rights’ repression in the Republic of Korea. Me gustaría destacar el creciente papel que está An important discussion is taking place in the desempeñando el mundo empresarial español en Conference Committee on the Employment Rela- este campo. Sin ir más lejos, la CEOE ha canalizado tionship. The vital issues of irregular workers who, un ambicioso proyecto para la promoción del em- throughout the world, are deprived of labour and pleo joven en América Latina. human rights protection, are being deliberated in the Resulta crucial que este esfuerzo de un número Committee. The irregular workers of the Republic creciente de empresas no se vea entorpecido por of Korea look eagerly forward to the results of the recelos organizativos que desincentivan lo que pue- Committee’s work. In the Republic of Korea, ir- de constituir uno de sus mayores ámbitos de desa- regular workers, who make up more than half of the rrollo futuro. Los trabajos de la reunión de la Confe- entire workforce, are systematically deprived of rencia de este año, deben apoyar este objetivo. De basic labour rights and their human rights are under otro lado, el diálogo social constituye otro de los attack. puntos clave. In a most recent case, some 280 cabin crew of a En España hemos abordado materias de cierta high speed train had their contracts cancelled, and complejidad y logrado importantes objetivos, desde they were thus deprived of their jobs. In response to el respeto a la propia responsabilidad de cada inter- some 100 days of struggle demanding dialogue to locutor. secure their rights, the Korean Railway Company Los empresarios españoles comparecemos con la has consistently refused to negotiate in good faith. satisfacción de haber alcanzado recientemente un The Government, moreover, let loose the police to acuerdo con el Gobierno y con las organizaciones brutally attack these workers who were fighting to sindicales sobre el mercado de trabajo, que se une a secure their employment and their very survival. otros firmados en los últimos años. This is just one picture of the crisis of labour and Del mismo modo, está pendiente de ratificación human rights the Korean irregular workers find un acuerdo sobre seguridad social, que tiene que themselves in. The Korean Government will need to afrontar desafíos derivados de los cambios demo- take heed of the discussion and the spirit underlying gráficos. the recommendation of the Committee on the Em- Ninguno de estos resultados hubiera sido posible ployment Relationship, to ensure the labour rights sin la existencia de una tradición de diálogo social of all irregular workers, including those in indirect que facilita una reforma gradual y permanente de employment and disguised self-employment. nuestro marco regulador. Tampoco hubiera sido The Korean trade union movement will extend posible sin la existencia de un ejercicio de respon- full cooperation for the success of the Asia-Pacific sabilidad de las partes firmantes. Regional Meeting of the International Labour Or- Dentro del diálogo social, tenemos que promover ganization , being held in the Republic of Korea in un entorno favorable al cambio; la transición de un late August and we have agreed with the Interna- modelo de relaciones laborales basado en el conflic- tional Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the to hacia otro en el que la cooperación gana terreno y International Labour Organization Workers’ group, el trabajador goza, además, de mayor autonomía a so that it becomes a meaningful event for the work- cambio de mayor responsabilidad. ers in Asia-Pacific. En la reunión de la Conferencia de este año se Despite the seriousness of the repression of basic discute el futuro de la relación de empleo. Debe labour rights in the Republic of Korea, which is a abordarse superando cualquier desconfianza hacia source of serious concern to all of us, with less than la autonomía de los trabajadores. three months before the next Asian Regional Meet- Debemos aprovechar nuestros recursos en accio- ing, I assure you that the Korean trade unions will nes o instrumentos que se adapten a las exigencias extend full cooperation for the successful Asian Re- de los tiempos y respondan a demandas e intereses gional Meeting. reales de todos. I thank all of the ILO community gathered here in A pesar de ciertos elementos de tensión que per- this room to renew our commitment and efforts to sisten en distintas áreas del planeta, existen signos realize the basic labour rights and decent work claros de mejora que son consecuencia directa de through standard setting, technical assistance and los procesos de integración económica que no de- supervisory functions. ben ser cuestionados. Sr. JIMÉNEZ DE AGUILAR (empleador, España) Termino insistiendo sobre nuestra responsabilidad y la de la OIT para superar enfoques que promue- Quiero transmitir al Director General nuestro van esquemas proteccionistas ya superados, o situa- agradecimiento por su visita a España y a nuestra ciones de inseguridad jurídica, que amenazan las organización, en la que pudimos comentar los temas posibilidades de desarrollo de importantes zonas de socioeconómicos y reforzar nuestra cooperación nuestro planeta. con la OIT. Desde España, sepan que cuentan con nuestra ac- Hemos asumido un compromiso para mejorar la tiva colaboración y la más absoluta disponibilidad y eficacia de esta organización y evitar que la inercia lealtad para todo ello. lleve a nuestra actividad fuera de la realidad.

10/15 Mr. PHETO (Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Botswana) second time in three years is welcome. This is The Director-General’s Report this year: ILO clearly an indication that the employment relation- programme implementation 2004-05, presents the ship is at the heart of the efforts to realize decent Conference with an opportunity to discuss all as- work. pects of the ILO’s mandate. Botswana further supports efforts directed at The Report presents a challenge to us all, not only strengthening labour administration systems and the to take stock of the ILO’s performance, but also to elimination of child labour in all its forms. I am evaluate the relevance and impact of the Organiza- happy to report that, as part of the Improving La- tion. We should not lose sight of the fact that we bour Systems in Southern Africa (ILSSA) project, will need to establish priorities and trade-offs be- capacity building initiatives are being undertaken tween competing interests and demands, in view of for workers, employers and government officials the escalating demand for the ILO’s services and with a view to improving compliance with labour the diminishing resources at its disposal. There is a laws in Botswana. greater need for self-evaluation, criticism and de- Efforts to eliminate child labour in Botswana are bate on the choices which must be made and the also ongoing. The focus is on getting information process of these deliberations. on the worst forms of child labour and on develop- Undoubtedly, this exchange of ideas and views ing a country action plan or framework on the issue. will be beneficial to the process of rationalizing the Data collection in this respect has been going on as activities of this Organization and reaching the part of the labour force survey. The results are ex- quality of its work and maximizing the utilization of pected to provide comprehensive information on the the resources at its disposal. Only that way could status of child labour in Botswana and to give an the ILO be in a better position to live up to the ex- appreciation of the different categories of working pectations of its constituents. children who are at risk. Nothing can be more satisfying than the quantita- Finally, Botswana remains fully committed to the tive and qualitative improvement in the implemen- fundamental ILO ideals, namely freedom of asso- tation of the ILO’s activities. It is noteworthy that ciation, the right to organize and collective bargain- 55 out of the 81 targets that were set in the Pro- ing. Not only is the legal framework in place, but gramme and Budget for 2004-05 were met, repre- the systems are also in place to deal with differ- senting 67.9 per cent. These achievements may ences which may arise in the course of implementa- sound modest. What is essential, though, is that it is tion. becoming clear that we are making progress to- Original Arabic: Mr. MOUSA (Government, Iraq) wards the realization of the goal of decent work as On behalf of the Iraqi people and their Govern- ILO constituents. There is, however, a lot that still ment, it is an honour for me to express our sincere remains to be done. Developing countries in general wish to achieve progress and well-being. We hope still require substantial assistance to create em- that the Conference will be able to achieve its ob- ployment, alleviate poverty and to mitigate the im- jectives and adopt resolutions and recommendations pact of HIV and AIDS. aimed at promoting employment as a noble human Botswana, like other developing countries, is ex- value and developing its international standards, periencing growing unemployment. The growth in particularly given that this session of the Confer- the labour force, coupled with reduced economic ence is taking place at a time when the international growth and employment opportunities has resulted situation is becoming extremely serious and com- in an accentuated sense of deprivation as social plex owing to the proliferation of areas of tension well-being is impacted upon negatively. and unrest which threaten humanity as a whole. Without employment creation, poverty reduction Iraq has chosen a federal democracy by adopting strategies are doomed to failure. a modern constitutional framework in keeping with For the purpose of enhancing the employability of new global trends in governance which are based on workers, much more needs to be invested in the im- the wishes of the people, who have elected a par- provement of training to facilitate skills acquisition. liament which represents all components of Iraqi HIV and AIDS have also brought stigma and dis- society. Parliament recently approved a national crimination to the workplace. The war against these government on the basis of national requirements practices is far from over, despite extensive public and in accordance with the results of the democratic education. In Botswana, capacity building among elections. The consensus that this achieved was one the workers, employers and government officials of striking a balance between, on the one hand, se- continues and we are doing this in collaboration curity requirements for a new beginning following with the ILO/USDOL HIV/AIDS Workplace Edu- an ambitious national programme aimed at main- cation Programme. taining unity among the Iraqi people, strengthening Quite notably, the programme is also facilitating national dialogue, rejecting violence and shaping the adoption of the national policy on HIV and armed forces loyal only to Iraq, and, on the other AIDS and employment and I am happy to report hand, drawing up a plan for development and re- that work is at an advanced stage. construction which encourages investment, attracts The Conference agenda touches on issues of im- national and foreign capital and strives to develop mense importance to the ILO constituents. The sub- agricultural and industrial sectors and to rehabilitate ject of occupational safety and health is important in the electricity and oil sectors. the world of work. The protection of workers The employment sector is one of the priorities of against sickness, diseases and injury arising out of the constitutional Government’s national pro- employment is among the primary objectives of the gramme because of its major role in productivity ILO. I am looking forward to new but balanced in- and economic development. struments on this subject, which, no doubt, will I would like to take this opportunity to express my strengthen efforts to make workplaces safer. The gratitude to the ILO for the enormous support it has discussion on the employment relationship for the given, and continues to give, in the area of human

10/16 resources development and cooperation and coordi- En effet, l’être humain se mesure à son effort et à nation with national administrations to draft legisla- son action, comme le dit Al Imam Ali Bin Abi Ta- tion which encompasses the principles of human leb. rights and is based on international labour stan- La vision qu’a l’homme du travail équivaut à sa dards, while taking into account national specifici- vision de l’existence. L’activité de production, le ties. The Iraqi Presidency Council has just com- travail et l’exploitation de la nature et de ses res- pleted its first revision of a draft labour law which sources sont son lot quotidien et lui permettent brings together the fundamental principles and d’être qualifié de travailleur et d’être raisonnable. rights at work and eliminates all forms of discrimi- L’homme est raisonnable parce qu’il est travailleur nation, which will transform it into an important et travailleur parce qu’il est raisonnable. legal instrument for building the foundations of de- Au cours de cette Conférence internationale nous cent work. nous penchons sur la valeur, les effets et les pro- On the other hand, discussions continue in coor- blèmes de notre travail et nous désirons fournir des dination with the ILO to prepare draft legislation on réponses humaines aux problèmes actuels du tra- retirement and social security for workers based on vail. modern social protection systems. We hope to con- Le rapport du Directeur général du BIT analyse tinue this coordination and cooperation. les problèmes auxquels nous sommes confrontés en The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs em- cas de non-conformité aux valeurs du travail, bodies one of the best solidarity relationships with d’obstacles qui empêchent les femmes et les hom- the social partners, and contributes greatly to the mes de se réaliser sur le plan professionnel et de protection of the unity and independence of trade réduction des possibilités de travail, rendant ainsi unions and the Industrial Union. It also endeavours plus difficile la vie des travailleurs et ce, contraire- to foster an environment that is conducive to social ment au droit au travail et à la dignité du travailleur. dialogue and collective bargaining at all levels. We Nous sommes d’accord avec le Directeur général are convinced that investing in employment creation du BIT dans sa description de la réalité du travail and technology projects that ensure high employ- international et par rapport aux six questions dans ment density will play an important role in reducing lesquelles sont exposés les problèmes liés à cette unemployment and poverty. réalité. Cette Conférence a pour principal objectif We take the opportunity of this international Con- de fournir des réponses claires à ces questions qui ference to urge governments and organizations with nous préoccupent, telles que la réalité du marché international experience to help Iraq address inter- mondial du travail, les conditions de travail des national terrorism, which is a serious global threat. femmes, la poursuite du travail des enfants contrai- Thus, the condemnation of terrorism and those who rement à la loi et aux valeurs humaines, la baisse promote it would testify to humanity’s determina- des emplois et l’augmentation des risques en ma- tion to survive. International and regional coopera- tière de santé et de sécurité du travailleur sur le lieu tion to root out the pockets of terrorism in Iraq and de travail, dans un monde dominé par le capitalisme curb outside support would have a positive impact sauvage. on unemployment, which has reached unprece- Les politiques du ministère libanais du Travail ont dented levels. It comes as no surprise that terrorism pour principal objectif de traiter une grande partie in our country targets workers’ groups and their de ces questions. Nous avons tenté, au cours d’une places of work, just as it kills children, women and année, de réaliser des programmes de réforme en old people indiscriminately. Workers in Palestine matière d’organisation du marché du travail, and the other occupied Arab territories are in the d’amélioration des conditions de travail des femmes same situation. The content of the Secretary- et d’accès de celles-ci au travail, de lutte contre le General’s Report on The situation of workers of the travail des enfants et la traite des êtres humains, de occupied Arab territories depicts a tragic reality and promotion de la formation professionnelle et de la weighs on the conscience of humanity, calling us to formation continue, de collaboration avec les éta- work together to put an end to the policies of re- blissements économiques du secteur privé en vue pression, exploitation, discrimination and apartheid. d’assurer des emplois aux jeunes libanais, To conclude, I would like to express my apprecia- d’encouragement du dialogue social entre les parte- tion for the efforts of non-governmental organiza- naires sociaux et de soutien à la liberté et à tions; UNICEF and its support for the programme l’indépendance du mouvement syndical et du droit for the eradication of child labour; and the World de celui-ci de gérer ses affaires et de participer aux Bank, which provided technical assistance for the décisions politiques générales. establishment of a social security system. In 2006, Notre pays qui a pris part à la création des Nations the Iraqi Government earmarked 500 million Iraqi Unies et à l’édification de la paix mondiale a beau- dinar, which is equivalent to US$340 million, for coup souffert de la longue occupation sioniste, a this purpose. This is the first time in Iraq that re- récupéré sa liberté grâce à la résistance et a pu se sources were allocated for the protection of social relever grâce à sa résistance et aux efforts de ses categories with no income, low-income families, bâtisseurs. disabled persons and the unemployed. The system Nous avons besoin de développer la collaboration provides social security coverage for 1 million avec l’Organisation internationale du Travail et de families living below the poverty line and provides participer au dialogue continu en vue du travail dé- 5 million citizens with a monthly allowance of be- cent qui protège le droit et la dignité du travailleur tween 50,000 and 120,000 Iraqi dinar prevent their et supprime l’injustice dont sont victimes les tra- falling victim to begging, child labour and all other vailleurs palestiniens dans les territoires palestiniens forms of exploitation. occupés et dans la diaspora, travailleurs qui ont été Original arabe: M. HAMADEH (ministre du Travail, Liban) chassés illégalement de chez eux. Nous appelons à appuyer leur droit de retour en Palestine conformé- Le travail a une forte valeur humaine. ment aux décisions de la légalité internationale et à la Charte internationale des droits de l’homme.

10/17 Nous attirons l’attention sur l’importance d’une vé- started earlier. Young people should not be encour- ritable participation internationale à l’édification de aged to rush into working life at the expense of edu- l’avenir du travail; cela signifie le développement cation and trainin, however. Only workers with a du rôle des travailleurs arabes dans les tribunes in- broad enough general and vocational education and ternationales et de leur droit d’exprimer leurs inté- training will have the adequate basis for today’s rêts et leurs valeurs dans cette belle langue arabe, working life with its rapid changes. Attention langue qui possède de grandes qualités d’expression should be paid to risk groups: young people whose et d’évolution et qui a été l’une des langues des ré- chances of obtaining adequate education and train- vélations divines et dans lesquelles se sont construi- ing are poor due to financial reasons or lack of mo- tes les civilisations. tivation. Ms. FILATOV (Minister of Labour, Finland) By creating standards, the ILO has helped to har- monize working conditions around the world, in- Let me congratulate the Director-General for the crease solidarity and promote opportunities for de- Report outlining the comprehensive and challenging cent work under different social conditions. In my work of the ILO. The significance of the ILO is in- opinion, standards-related activities should be fur- creasing especially the last few years as the world ther strengthened and developed. In today’s condi- undergoes the process of globalization, companies tions, creating viable standards is more demanding are becoming more international and jobs are relo- than ever. In this respect, we can learn from the cated from one country to another. The ILO has, successful exercise of the new Maritime Labour with distinction, underscored the social dimension Convention. of globalization. We can and should turn globaliza- But creating standards alone is not enough: the tion into an advantage for people and prevent the member States should be encouraged and assisted in problems posed by it. ratifying ILO Conventions and implementing them. Success has been achieved within the ILO’s In- In order to promote employment and abolish pov- ternational Programme on the Elimination of Child erty the strong contribution of the ILO is needed. Labour. Lowering the birth-rate and educating girls But goals cannot be reached without close collabo- and women has in many countries had a positive ration with other international organizations, nor effect on the development of society and the econ- should we forget the input of workers and employ- omy and also helped to prevent child labour. ers. Tripartite cooperation is a special feature of the The ILO has done much to emphasize gender ILO and at the same time one of its undisputed equality. It is clear that the contribution of both strengths. sexes is needed on the labour market and in deci- sion-making in society. Methods are also needed to Mr. PLASKITT (Parliamentary Undersecretary, Department for reconcile work and family life for the benefit of Work and Pensions, United Kingdom) both women and men. The 2005 United Nations World Summit showed In the fight against poverty, the ILO has very ap- that there is at last a clear international acknowl- propriately stressed the role of decent work. It is edgement that full employment and decent work seen in a new light as a factor increasing productiv- play a key role in combating poverty. This year’s ity and competitiveness. Conference discussion on the role of the ILO in The interdependence of employment, productivity technical cooperation, set against a gathering pace and economic growth will be addressed at European of United Nations reform, will be crucial in deter- Union level under the Finnish EU presidency. We mining how the ILO responds in helping countries believe that we can increase productivity by devel- to achieve decent work. oping working life: by better organizing work, by The ILO’s move towards decent work country encouraging and motivating people, by using new programmes is a welcome step in consolidating technologies in an innovative way and by updating work at country level. These programmes will serve skills and competencies. Fair distribution of pros- as the ILO’s contribution to the United Nations de- perity and social inclusion are equally important in velopment assistance frameworks. If effective, they generating peace, trust and cohesion, both locally will increase participation by the ILO’s constituents and universally. at local level and allow greater collaboration with Decent and safe work has proven to be a success- other partners. Such changes can present a chal- ful concept. However, we need to further specify it, lenge, but they also present an opportunity and I including in the developed countries. To this end, I very much hope that the ILO will maximize its po- would like to raise three specific points. tential in the United Nations system. Firstly, it is important to ensure that workers have I want to stress again the importance of looking at the possibility to influence working conditions, plan the ILO’s internal organization as encouraged by and develop their own work and learn in it. It is im- the United Nations reform agenda led by its Secre- portant to draw on workers’ creative potential. Only tary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. That has been given in this way can decent work promote competitive- a new impetus following the recent report on invest- ness and create new jobs. Companies that have se- ing in the United Nations, which sets out bold, far- lected a strategy of this type have achieved success, ranging proposals for management reform. Now, setting a good example for others. the ILO does, of course, have unique governance Secondly, in many developed countries the popu- structures, but these do not exempt it from the drive lation is ageing, reducing the supply of labour. If to improve the delivery of its services and pro- work is meaningful and employees feel appreciated, grammes and we, as ILO constituents, have a re- they will cope longer in working life. But they also sponsibility to spell out specifically what we expect need education and training that maintains their vo- from the Organization in terms of delivering reform cational skills. Learning has become a lifelong and what improvements we expect reform to process. achieve. Thirdly, because of the anticipated shortage of la- For my Government’s part, last year’s review by bour, careers should be extended or work life the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations sys-

10/18 tem provided clear advice on the way forward for Mr. HJORT FREDERIKSEN (Minister for Employment, the ILO in the context of a results-based manage- Denmark) ment framework, which is increasingly becoming The social dimension of globalization is more standard across the United Nations system. Im- than ever very high on our agenda at the ILO and a provements are needed in areas such as: an effective topic for discussion around the world. In Denmark, human resources strategy; monitoring progress to- we are holding important discussions among social wards results; ensuring that objectives are specific, partners and other important players on this topic at measurable and time bound; moving away from the moment. defining objectives in a “top-down” manner to a Over the last year, the so-called Globalisation process which fully engages and secures the com- Council, under the leadership of the Danish Prime mitment of senior managers; a comprehensive re- Minister, has been discussing Denmark’s role in view of the field structure; and, finally, an accom- globalization. The Council was composed of gov- modation strategy. ernment ministers, social partner representatives I appreciate that such a list can seem daunting, but and researchers. these management practices demand no more than On the basis of the Danish Globalisation Coun- those embedded in many other large organizations, cil’s findings in April this year, the Government including United Kingdom government departments presented its strategy for Denmark’s role in the such as my own. They will give the ILO and its global economy, a strategy containing more than constituents a far greater clarity about the resources 330 concrete proposals which focuses largely on at their disposal, how best to utilize those resources education, research, entrepreneurship and innova- and how to monitor achievements to ensure that tion in Denmark. But, of course, it also focuses on resources are better utilized most effectively. Re- the global challenges the international community form presents a unique opportunity to reinvigorate has to tackle jointly. the Organization so the pace should accelerate over Globalization – and not least its social dimension the coming years. – calls for and highlights the importance of interna- The Director-General’s Report, Changing pat- tional cooperation through organizations like the terns in the world of work, rightly places its empha- ILO. ILO actions to promote decent work and sis on skills and on addressing youth unemploy- eliminate child labour are key to ensuring a fair ment. The United Kingdom was the first industrial- globalization for all. ized country to join the Youth Employment Net- In many western countries globalization is per- work. We are providing a grant towards the estab- ceived as a threat to job security and welfare. In lishment of a youth employment unit in Dakar. Denmark we see also some concern, but a recent The United Kingdom is also working with a range study showed that a large majority of Danes have a of businesses through the Business Action for Af- positive attitude towards globalization and see it as rica initiative, which brings diverse interests under a possibility for national enterprises. one banner to promote Africa’s development. A And why is that? Is it because we have strict rules number of businesses involved are supporting the on employment protection? Is it because we legis- development of a skills centre in Ghana. If this is late firmly on minimum pay at high levels? Is it be- successful, we hope it can be replicated in other cause we protect our businesses from competition countries. from abroad? Why does all of this matter so much to us? We No. On the contrary, we do none of these things. can, I think, all recall recent pictures of people The Danish labour market is characterized by a packed on small fishing boats making the treacher- high degree of flexibility and we have a positive ous journey between Africa and the Canary Islands. attitude towards free trade. We also choose to con- Why are they risking their lives? To find jobs. sider restructuring of businesses on account of Given the context in many African countries, we globalization and mobility of the workforce as posi- can at one level understand their determination to tive challenges. get to Europe to access to jobs. But there is an obvi- But, of course, we have not solved all the prob- ous challenge here for this Organization. We be- lems of the social dimension of globalization. Our lieve the initiatives we are supporting will lead to challenge is to make sure that all Danes stand to more and better jobs in Africa and that the Youth gain from globalization. One of my Government’s Employment Network has a key role in sharing most important goals is to make the Danish popula- what works. tion feel confident and safe about the challenges of Senegal launched a youth employment pro- globalization. Ensuring an appropriate level of secu- gramme in 2001. Since then over 25,000 young rity in both working and private lives is essential. people have been helped with jobseeking and over We have come a long way. The key to our success 12,000 jobs have been created through the support is not only high flexibility combined with high so- of a national fund for youth micro-enterprise. These cial security; investment in an active labour market initiatives are making a real difference to young policy and lifelong learning is also essential. An- people’s lives, so fewer have to risk their life in or- other key factor is continuous reforms of and im- der to make something of their life. provements to our systems, in close dialogue with I have highlighted a number of challenges for the our social partners – a continuous process which ILO, both in terms of its response to the decent keeps supporting the generally positive attitude vis- work deficit and its own organization, and I hope à-vis globalization. that I have shown that the two are intimately con- As I stated at the outset, the social dimension of nected. I very much hope that, by next year’s ses- globalization is not only about one’s own nation’s sion of the Conference, we will have seen signifi- preparedness for change and competition. It is a cant progress on all these fronts. challenge for the international community to help ensure that all countries benefit from globalization. In this, the ILO plays a central role.

10/19 As an ILO donor, Denmark focuses, among other problems and ensure respect for human rights is things, on the elimination of child labour through also closely related to these issues. the IPEC programme. The ILO’s contribution to Only together can we ensure a fair globalization eliminating child labour is indispensable and, as we for all, including decent work, and the absence of have learned, very successful. We commend the child labour and forced labour. ILO on its work and we welcome the very positive I already welcome and look forward to the discus- prospects for coming to grips with the problem, as sions on next year’s Conference on the ILO’s role this year’s Global Report documents. in globalization. This agenda item has come to stay The Danish Government’s globalization strategy with us. highlights the common challenge to include the poor countries in global development and to ensure (The Conference adjourned at 1 p.m.) global framework conditions to promote free trade (La séance est levée à 13 heures.) and oppose protectionism. In this respect, the ILO has a key role to play, together with the WTO. Our (Se levanta la sesión a las 13 horas.) common challenge to solve global environment

10/20

Fifth sitting Tuesday, 6 June 2006, 3.20 p.m. Presidents: Mr. Adyanthaya and Mr. Sajda

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 (CONT.)

The PRESIDENT (Mr. ADYANTHAYA) cal cooperation programme for 2004-06 signed with the International Labour Organization in 2004, to Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to open the fifth ensure that we are on the right track in following sitting of this session of the International Labour through activities implemented to improve our op- Conference. portunities for employment and our social policy. Mr. MINASYAN (Government, Armenia) The main activities implemented are reforms in the It is a great honour and pleasure for me to have employment sector setting up tripartite partnership the opportunity to address this august Conference and ensuring future assistance for its development, and greet you all today on behalf of the Government the spread of ILO employment rights, basic princi- of the Republic of Armenia. ples and standards, assistance for reforms in the I strongly believe that this annual event is of spe- employment sector envisaged by our Poverty Re- cial importance, promoting and consolidating future duction Strategy Paper, and implementation of spe- cooperation among all the member States of the cial technical cooperation programmes. International Labour Organization. I do hope that A noteworthy accomplishment has also been the this session of the Conference will shed light on the establishment of a national institute in Armenia achievements made so far, current challenges and aimed at fostering better liaisons between our Gov- issues and the plans and policies still to be imple- ernment, ILO headquarters and the ILO Regional mented. It is also an opportunity for us to discuss Office for Europe and Central Asia, and facilitate procedural issues concerning how to continue more fast exchange of information, training materials and efficient application of Conventions and Recom- other documentation. With ILO cooperation, an in- mendations, as well as prospects for bilateral and/or formation resource centre has been established un- multilateral technical cooperation and the role of the der the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues. We ILO in it. are ready to realize our educational and resource Today I am especially pleased to speak on the ac- potential, particularly through our National Institute tivities and events which are shining examples of for Labour and Social Research, in promoting ILO keeping our horizons broad and building better ideology, principles and standards. bridges of cooperation and partnership. Becoming a Further efforts have been taken to harmonize cur- member State of the International Labour Organiza- rent legislation with the standards provided by rele- tion in 1992, Armenia made a commitment to im- vant global and regional legal instruments. Aiming prove employment and social policies in conformity to improve the legislative framework for employ- with internationally recognized standards. ment and labour, the Government has initiated a The Republic of Armenia has been consistent in number of legislative acts, an act on state labour meeting its obligations and has so far ratified 32 inspection and an act on employment and social ILO Conventions. Currently, a wide range of activi- protection for unemployed people among them. In ties is under way, aimed at the future fulfilment of this regard, we would like to express our apprecia- obligations by the Republic of Armenia in coopera- tion for the cooperation we have had with ILO legal tion with the ILO, and the latter’s technical, meth- experts and we look forward to its continuation. odological and practical assistance in this regard. My Government attaches great importance to co- In 2005, the Seventh ILO European Regional operation with the ILO in order to improve the so- Meeting, which provided a platform to review pro- cial and labour spheres in Armenia. In this context, gress and identify future directions in ILO activities sustainable assistance for decent work policy devel- in the region, made it possible for Armenian dele- opment is regarded as a key factor to achieve full gates to raise and discuss issues with a view to employment and reduce the poverty of the popula- strengthening social partnership and dialogue, im- tion in low-income areas. Therefore, in the light of proving general employment relationships and la- ILO policy and its initiative to implement decent bour market conditions, making necessary amend- work programmes, the relevant document is due to ments in our legislation, and promoting the ILO’s be signed this autumn. basic principles, standards and methods for decent I would like to thank you for your attention and work. once more highlight the crucial role of the ILO in In particular, actions have been initiated in con- bringing together governments, trade unions and formity with the directions set by Armenia’s techni- stakeholders and coordinating their efforts and aspi-

10/21 rations to improve social frameworks and employ- importation of child labour from outside of Turkey, ment conditions. I believe that this constructive tra- especially some developing countries to Turkey’s dition will be forged by setting more aggressive east. So we care very much about this particular goals and striving to reach them in order to create a problem, which we believe is in contravention of all safer world, free from labour abuse, social inequal- existing ILO norms. ity and poverty. Before concluding my remarks, I would like to re- Mr. KUDATGOBILIK (Employer, Turkey) iterate Turkish employers’ conviction that we need to tackle all these issues within the framework of It is my pleasure to represent the Turkish Confed- globalization, which we believe promises gains for eration of Employers’ Associations and all the all actors, provided that fair play rules. In this con- Turkish delegates and I wish great success for the nection, it is of utmost importance that the ILO fo- 95th Session of the International Labour Confer- cus on providing a level playing field for all players ence. as far as social standards are concerned. This year, the Director-General has provided us with two comprehensive Reports which are the out- M. KEIRA (ministre de l'Emploi et de la Fonction publique, come of meticulous studies and research work con- Guinée) ducted by the ILO’s diligent experts. We need to La Conférence internationale du Travail, instance carefully examine all those Reports for the future. suprême de l’OIT, est l’occasion, pour l’ensemble The first Report of the Director-General, Chang- de ses mandants, de jeter un regard rétrospectif sur ing patterns in the world of work, highlights the key le chemin parcouru et de définir les nouvelles orien- issues of life and work in today’s world. One of tations qu’ils assignent à leur organisation. these issues, which all need to be addressed and L’OIT, notre Organisation commune, s’est illus- tackled not only at national levels but also on an trée comme le fer de lance du développement de international level, is the creation of employment in politiques en matière d’emploi. the sense of the decent work concept mentioned by S’acheminant inexorablement vers sa quatre- the Director-General. Therefore, employment crea- vingt-dixième année, jour après jour, elle met son tion should be the top agenda item at the ILO and intelligence, sa compétence et sa foi au service de other related international bodies. All organizations l’humanité pour la réalisation d’une paix universelle must accord great importance to employment. durable établie sur la base de la justice sociale et du In this connection, I would like to mention a cou- bien-être collectif. ple of figures regarding the situation in our country. Cependant, si l’œuvre accomplie est remarquable, Employment is rising every day but not enough; il y a lieu de noter que beaucoup reste à faire au re- moreover, the young generation is also facing a gard de l’ampleur des défis qui attendent d’être re- very difficult situation vis-à-vis employment fig- levés. ures. According to our own calculations, the unem- En effet, la crise de l’emploi touche tous les pays ployment rate in Turkey may be as high as 20 per quel que soit leur niveau de développement écono- cent, which is very high for Turkey. We are now mique et social, mais particulièrement ceux du creating new jobs, but job creation is not fulfilling continent africain. the needs of the coming young generation. As you Dans son rapport du Sommet mondial pour le dé- may know, more than half of the population of Tur- veloppement social, le BIT indiquait qu’un travail- key is under 20 years old so this is a very high pro- leur sur trois dans le monde était au chômage. portion. Nevertheless, we are not at all discouraged En ce qui concerne l’Afrique, pour différentes rai- by the figures, and we are convinced we will over- sons, dont celles résultant des contraintes auxquel- come difficulties if we continue our reform with the les nos Etats ont été soumis dans le cadre de la participation of all segments in the social system. mondialisation, des milliers de jeunes gens sont au This is also true for the employment of women. chômage. We as an employer’s association organized an em- Pour faire face à ce fléau, il faudra créer en Afri- ployment summit and invited more than 135 differ- que plus de dix millions de nouveaux emplois par ent women’s organizations and NGOs together to an. Ceci nécessite naturellement beaucoup plus de discuss how we might create new development for solidarité de la part de la communauté internatio- women in the workplace. nale pour financer les programmes et les projets de The second Report of the Director-General, on création d’emplois décents. child labour, entitled The end of child labour: S’agissant des perturbations que connaît au- Within reach encourages all of us concerned with jourd’hui le monde du travail, il faut relever que this global problem. In this connection I shall con- celles-ci résultent des mutations économiques, so- tent myself with referring only to the information ciales et technologiques qui ont affecté en profon- contained in the Report regarding how child labour deur la structure du travail, ainsi que le système de is to be addressed in our country. According to the protection sociale dans leur ensemble. La rapidité Report, Turkey has achieved a very significant re- de ces mutations a occasionné des bouleversements duction in child labour, from 1 million children in qui ont eu pour effets, entre autres, la perturbation 1994 to half of that figure now. In addition to the du monde du travail et la marginalisation de certai- service provided by the Child Labour Bureau, and nes couches vulnérables. together with our Turkish counterparts, the workers Concernant les relations du travail, ma délégation and all related organizations, we have done very apprécie l’intérêt que suscite cette question. En ef- good things. That is why I should mention the Turk- fet, si les relations professionnelles ont pour objectif ish name, especially in connection with the South de créer, entre les partenaires, les conditions propi- Eastern Anatolia Project, which we implemented ces pour la restauration de la paix, la nécessité together. s’impose de mettre en place des structures de dialo- Despite positive developments regarding the gue et de concertation, en vue d’une participation de eradication of child labour in Turkey, the Turkish tous les acteurs à la gestion de la chose publique. employers and industrialists are unhappy about the

10/22 Dans cette perspective, le gouvernement guinéen de l’instauration de la paix, de la promotion de la vient de relancer le fonctionnement de la Commis- justice sociale et de la lutte contre toutes les formes sion consultative du travail et des lois sociales pour d’inégalité. des solutions concertées et partagées aux problèmes La République de Guinée, Membre de l’OIT de- du monde du travail. puis son indépendance, continuera à œuvrer et à Dans le domaine de la sécurité et la santé au tra- apporter son soutien et pour la réalisation des nobles vail, ma délégation félicite le Bureau d’avoir inscrit objectifs de l’Organisation internationale du Tra- ce sujet à l’ordre du jour de la présente session, car vail. Vive l’OIT, vive la coopération internationale. les risques liés au travail humain, en dépit des pro- Original Russian: Mr. SAKHAN (Government, Ukraine) grès technologiques, font payer à l’homme un tribut parfois lourd. Allow me, on behalf of the Ukrainian Govern- C’est pourquoi notre gouvernement a placé ment, to greet you on the occasion of the opening of l’amélioration des conditions de vie et de travail de the 95th Session of the International Labour Con- tous les travailleurs au cœur de sa stratégie de déve- ference and to wish you every success and produc- loppement. tive work. En matière de coopération technique, ma déléga- The very substantial Report of the Director- tion voudrait ici saluer les immenses efforts de General, Mr. Juan Somavia, has demonstrated the l’OIT dont la Guinée a constamment bénéficié, no- tangible progress made in implementing the Decent tamment à travers son bureau sous-régional pour le Work Agenda. Full and productive employment and Sahel basé à Dakar. decent work for all are the primary challenges both Néanmoins, il est souhaitable que cette assistance for international policy and for national develop- soit renforcée, afin d’impulser la mise en œuvre de ment strategy in Ukraine, where the President and nos différents programmes. the Government are making these aims a reality. En ce qui concerne l’abolition effective du travail Achieving these goals is the purpose of the com- des enfants, la volonté politique de mon pays prehensive cooperation programme on decent work d’assurer les droits et la protection des enfants s’est between Ukraine and the ILO, which was signed in traduite par son adhésion à plusieurs cadres de réfé- March this year. The Government and social part- rence internationale. ners of Ukraine, together with the ILO, have de- La République de Guinée est partie prenante aux fined and are following three main guiding princi- principaux instruments internationaux et régionaux ples: supporting the democratization of society and de protection et de promotion des droits humains, developing social dialogue; promoting decent em- notamment ceux des femmes et des enfants. ployment; and harmonizing Ukrainian legislation Elle fut le quatorzième pays à ratifier la Conven- with international and European standards. There is tion des Nations Unies relative aux droits de a reason to claim that these efforts are already bear- l’enfant. En décembre 2001, elle a ratifié les ing fruit. The President of Ukraine’s programme for conventions nos 138 et 182 de l’Organisation inter- the creation of 1 million additional jobs each year in nationale du Travail, s’engageant ainsi à inscrire Ukraine is being implemented. There has been a l’abolition du travail des enfants au nombre des significant decrease in unemployment, which is priorités nationales. now at 7.2 per cent, while real wages in 2005 grew Le gouvernement guinéen a, en outre, élaboré un by more than 20 per cent and, in the first quarter of projet de loi sur le travail des enfants et un code de 2006, were 23.6 per cent higher than in the same la famille. period last year. Il a également installé des structures ou comités The President has repeatedly drawn attention to pour l’enfant dans toutes les communes urbaines the fact that, in its activities, Ukraine is guided by qui contribuent à la décentralisation des activités the European social model and the concept of de- liées à l’abolition du travail des enfants. cent work. And Ukraine, like many other countries, Par ailleurs, nous entretenons une coopération is interested in objectively measuring the situation fructueuse avec les pays et les organisations interna- in this area. We should like to suggest that the ILO tionales qui luttent contre le travail des enfants. move more rapidly towards completing the formula- Dans ce contexte, mon pays bénéficie de l’appui tion of indicators of decent work, and also to sug- technique et financier de l’OIT dans le cadre du gest that Ukraine be included among those countries Programme ouest-africain pour l’abolition du travail in which monitoring and measurement of decent des enfants (travaux dangereux et exploitation), le work could be regularly carried out using such indi- secteur du cacao et l’agriculture commerciale cators. (IPEC/WACAP). The activities of the Ukrainian Government and S’agissant de la situation des travailleurs des terri- the social partners, with the help of the ILO, have toires arabes occupés, ma délégation estime qu’il been focused in recent years on solving such prob- s’agit là d’un défi que la communauté internationale lems as regulating labour migration policy and de- doit relever. En effet, l’OIT consacre le droit du fending the rights of labour migrants, with the goal travail pour toutes les personnes en leur garantissant of eliminating forced labour and human trafficking. des conditions de travail justes et satisfaisantes. In order to draw up an appropriate migration policy Pour sa part, la République de Guinée a adopté and to determine priorities in this area, it is very une position de solidarité envers les travailleurs des important for us to have a good quantity of high- territoires arabes occupés et opte pour la démarche quality information on the magnitude of labour mi- visant à prendre des mesures nécessaires permettant gration, and on changes which are taking place in aux travailleurs de ces Etats de jouir de tous leurs this area. In this connection, it is extremely impor- droits. tant for us that the ILO continue to support us and Pour conclure, vous me permettrez de remercier carry out national monitoring of labour migration in une fois de plus le Bureau international du Travail, Ukraine. sous la conduite de son Directeur général, M. Juan We note the important role played by the ILO In- Somavia, pour toutes les actions menées en faveur ternational Programme on the Elimination of Child

10/23 Labour (IPEC) in supporting initiatives of the only through the creation of productive employment Ukrainian Government and its social partners in that the objectives of the ILO can be achieved, formulating programmes to eliminate child labour among them poverty reduction. And productive and protect children from economic exploitation. In employment comes mainly through enterprise de- 2005, the Act on the Protection of Children velopment and job creation. This approach is also amended the definition of and the prohibition of the necessary in order to keep up the interest of the use of the worst forms of child labour. With the as- business community for the ILO. sistance of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental To this end the ILO also must bring relevant ex- Rights and Principles at Work, we have prepared a pertise to its constituents within this field. Key skill draft Ukrainian Labour Code which includes an ar- areas and skilled staff are missing. Today too many ticle prohibiting the worst forms of child labour. vacancies within the Office await filling. We there- In Ukraine, we understand very well the impor- fore welcome the idea at the end of the Report that tance and necessity of strengthening social dialogue the ILO should strengthen the technical advisory for the successful development of our society. We and information/research services and focus on ca- have already accumulated much experience in meet- pacity building of constituents. ing this challenge, through the General Agreement, Whilst globalization is a reality, labour markets collective agreements and joint work in developing remain largely national. Hence, the labour market and administering social insurance. conditions around the world differ immensely. In In order to further increase the role of trade un- my country, Sweden, we have had free markets and ions and employers’ organizations in formulating trade, independent social partners, freedom of asso- economic and social policy, the President recently ciation and collective bargaining for more than 100 issued a Decree on the Development of Social Dia- years, whereas many of the ILO countries are still logue in Ukraine. The National Tripartite Socio- developing in these areas, in some cases from a very economic Council has also been created and we are low level. now working with the social partners on a new bill Therefore, instead of elevating issues to a global on social dialogue and this will certainly help us debate, the ILO should be assessing national condi- make great progress in this area. tions and propose country-specific frameworks and I should like here to emphasize the tremendous policies to address each country’s specific needs. significance for Ukraine of the ILO international Any ILO responses should be relevant to the need labour standards. The 62 ILO Conventions ratified of constituents. This is what decent work country by Ukraine are the very foundation of our national programmes should be based upon in discussions labour law and provide our Government with im- with the national social partners. portant guidelines for the European integration of More is needed in terms of following up on what Ukraine. We are extremely grateful to the ILO for is agreed upon at the Conference. Issues like the its technical assistance. informal economy and youth employment have Mr. TROGEN (Employer, Sweden) been discussed and action points have been deter- mined, but the follow-up by the Office is still lack- The Report, Changing patterns in the world of ing. There is no need to be looking at new items to work, provides an interesting and valuable summary do, but instead we need to be doing our existing of what is going on around the world. work better. In other words, the ILO needs to focus Work patterns have always been changing, but the on doing things rather than just talking about them. development today goes much faster, mainly be- Finally, regarding ideas forwarded at the end of cause of the use of information and communications the Report we, the Employers, support tripartite dia- technology (ICT), which affects industry and trade logue on key policy themes, but such dialogue all over the world. Information is available to eve- should take place within the Governing Body. rybody around the clock and can be transferred eas- ily. ICT-based service industries, which provide an Ms. RADIČOVÁ (Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, increasing number of jobs around the world, can be Slovakia) moved easily, literally by strokes of a computer I would like to congratulate you personally, Mr. keyboard. These changes in turn put demands on President, on your election as the President of this governments, companies and trade unions to act or marvellous Conference and wish you and the Vice- react much faster and also smarter than earlier. And Presidents a really successful meeting. of course it raises questions as to the role of the In the Report of the Director-General of the ILO ILO. on Changing patterns in the world of work lots of The change and development cannot be stopped. information and facts may be found which show, Globalization is here to stay. We, and the ILO, need inter alia, a need for the development imperative, a to look to the future with new eyes rather than try- technological transformation, trends in the global ing merely to apply old thinking and approaches. labour market, as well as a call for decent work. The ILO needs to focus its limited resources on Allow me to react to that part of the Director- the world of work. The ILO should be seen as a General’s Report which refers to rising dependency specialized United Nations agency that is focused factors and to the need for rebalancing labour mar- on enterprise and employment development. The ket flexibility and decent work. I would like to say, ILO needs to improve its relevance to the real world first of all, how these components interact in the of work and, in particular, to the business commu- policy of the Slovak Government, on the one hand, nity by addressing, inter alia, key areas of entrepre- and what we consider to be our current key priori- neurship, skills development, human resources ties and future orientations, because the future is our management and industrial relations practice. task. The push in the Report for a rights-based ap- Over the past four years, the Government of the proach should also reflect the need for productivity Slovak Republic has adopted a number of reform and flexibility to enable business to be able to oper- measures for decreasing unemployment through ate in the increasingly changing environment. It is flexibility and motivation. The most important from

10/24 my point of view are, first of all, support for em- along with a better chance to get a more stable ployment through the labour code amendment, in- job in future, through practical experiences and volving flexible measures related to working time, skills development. which provide for safety, steady production and These are good measures for long-term unem- working processes, while increasing labour effi- ployed and unskilled workers. ciency and better satisfying the needs of employers I believe that these priorities will be strongly un- and employees. I hope that my social dialogue part- derlined in governmental policy proposals after our ners will stress the same points. parliamentary elections on 17 June. Such measures include even and uneven distribu- Continuing integration into Europe and world- tion of working time, part-time work, work on wide globalization processes bring new challenges standby, overtime work and so on. The introduction in labour-law relations, labour markets and EU of flexible measures related to working time in the member States’ social policies. Based on our own Slovak Republic, in accordance with the new La- experiences of implementing complex structural bour Code, has allowed entrepreneurs to create new reforms and utilizing other equally important in- jobs and increase employment, while respecting the struments of social policy, I can state that the best maximum working time of 48 hours per week, in- and most effective way to respond to the current cluding overtime work. challenges is through labour market flexibility, Secondly, alongside rebalancing labour market combined with a modern type of work, involving flexibility and security of workers, due attention motivation, security and skills development, based was also paid, within reform measures in the Slovak on Motivating, Acting, and Saving. This creates the Republic, to labour protection when the new Act on proper preconditions for a successful business envi- Safety and Health Protection at Work and the Act ronment for employers, fair and decent conditions on Labour Inspection were adopted. for employees and, last but not least, the wealth and Third, the introduction of the flat rate 19 per cent prosperity of nations. tax which has led to the simplification of our tax Mr. LEVANON (Government, Israel) system, on the one hand, as well as the attraction of new investment and, therefore, the creation of new The new Israeli Government, set up less than a jobs. Fourth, lowering unemployment through new month ago, has set its primordial targets as the fight active labour policy measures and, last but not least, against poverty, unemployment, minimum wages, the introduction of the new multi-pillar pension sys- retirement funds, foreign labour and decent work. tem involving the capitalization saving component All these items are included in the Director- as a part of the mandatory system. Future pensions General’s Report presented to our assembly, and I will be thus covered by the public pay-as-you-go would like to commend him for the impeccable system, along with the capitalization saving pillar. preparation of our Conference, as well as the Report All these changes are based on the new principles of in front of us. social justice and the value system of the modern The question is one of how to tackle all these social justice system in Europe, which we can call heavy items and to succeed in bringing genuine so- “MAS” (Motivating, Acting, Saving). All these lutions in the light of globalization, whose main principles are included in our new social protection components are competitiveness and open markets. system, which I hope will be introduced in the fu- I believe that the Government, and workers’ and ture. employers’ organizations, have a key role to play as There are several programmes which need to be they aim to overcome the difficulties based on the covered in the future. Let me highlight some of recommendations of the World Commission on the them and some solutions connected with this new Social Dimension of Globalization of the Interna- orientation of social justice. tional Labour Organization. We cannot expect to The Government is convinced that modern social have answers to all the questions in our world of policy solutions have to involve a triangle: family – open competitiveness and market vectors. Global- job – education. In his Report, the Director-General ization should be fair. Wherever there is market de- calls for the rebalancing of flexibility and social ficiency, the Government should intervene. security. To accomplish that, we need to enforce Poverty in Israel is an issue of the utmost concern models supporting stability of jobs through better to the Israeli Government. Unfortunately, we have security for working families on the one hand, and reached the stage where even those who are em- through active employment policies for the unem- ployed may be considered poor, and, to my regret, ployed and disadvantaged on the other hand. The we have many such workers. Therefore, the Israeli Slovak Government is considering such policies. Government, even before its establishment, decided Now we come to the most important measures re- to gradually increase income from work by increas- garding the Slovak Government’s policy orienta- ing gradually, and with measure, the minimum tion. wage, in collaboration with the social partners. The – first, broader development of family services, Israeli Government intends to increase allocations supporting reconciliation between job and child- to the poorer and more vulnerable population in care; order to allow them to live decently. – second, better accessibility of rental flats as an Finding a workable solution for pensions is one of assumption of good labour mobility; the items of the Government’s guidelines. First, to – third, wider support for the knowledge-based increase allocations by social security to the elderly economy and competition based on workers’ in the first tier; and second, to have a law for a skills rather than low cost of labour; mandatory pension in the second tier. A productive – fourth, creation of a secondary labour market ongoing discussion between workers’ and employ- enabling unemployed people to get a paid job by ers’ organizations has led to collective agreement in sustaining the provision of social support. The the different working branches for pensions. The secondary labour market is lowering the cost of Government of Israel welcomes and encourages labour, increasing overall employee income, such cooperation.

10/25 The Government of Israel will do all in its power ing for all children. Economic policies must be to ensure decent working conditions and avoid by adopted to pursue national economic self-reliance, all means prejudice against workers. The Govern- where industrial and agricultural output is increased ment will also enforce all workers’ privileges such through cordial industrial relations, respect for as minimum wages, working hours, annual vaca- workers’ rights to freedom of association, the pro- tions and security at work, while also addressing motion of public welfare, increased productivity child labour, and so on – all with one purpose: to and the adoption of austerity policies in all spheres. have real decent work. Feudal systems must be abolished and the irrational To my regret, in some of the statements that have gap between rich and poor must be closed, thus in- preceded me, starting yesterday, speakers have de- creasing the dignity of the working man and woman viated from the professional approach which char- instead of wealth and authority, and policies must acterizes our assembly. Instead, they have spread be adopted to ensure fair wages, strengthen public distorted facts, false allegations and polemic. Al- services and guarantee social security coverage for though I have all the answers, out of respect for our workers. august assembly, I will refrain from answering these Recently, a national tripartite seminar on em- allegations. ployment and skills development was held in Paki- We in Israel extend our hand for peace to all our stan, in cooperation with the ILO. Mr. Salazar- neighbours. Our deep aspiration is for a genuine and Xirinachs, Executive Director of the ILO, and his lasting peace. But things in our area look different. excellent team, made a commendable contribution. The Palestinian Government is led by a movement Our national direct integration policy group also whose public covenant calls for the destruction of played a seminal role in the debate on employment Israel and supports violent acts to reach that objec- and decent work. tive. Such a Government cannot be an interlocutor Our country has formulated a decent work pro- for peace unless it meets the requested benchmarks gramme through tripartite consultation. We hope set by the international community, namely, to re- that ILO will assist the programme through techni- nounce all kinds of violence, recognize the right of cal cooperation, including capacity building for Israel to exist and accept previous agreements workers’ organizations. signed between Israel and the Palestinians. In order to strengthen the process of social dia- Personally, I pray for a comprehensive peace in logue, three national trade union centres have our region based on a healthy economy, prosperity merged into one organization, namely Pakistan for all people in the region and the fulfilment of the Workers’ Federation. Its founding conference in prophetic vision, and I quote: “They will beat their September 2005 was attended by Brother Guy Ry- swords into plowshares and their spears into prun- der, General Secretary of the ICFTU, Brother Su- ing hooks. Nation will not take up sword against zuki, General Secretary of the ICFTU Asia and Pa- nation, nor will they train for war any more.” cific Regional Organization, Mr. Kari Tapiola, Ex- Mr. AHMED (Worker, Pakistan) ecutive Director of the ILO, Mr. Jim Baker, Direc- tor of ACTRAV and many other distinguished The Director-General of the ILO has chosen a guests and Worker members of the ILO Governing timely subject for his Report entitled Changing pat- Body. terns in the world of work and has stressed that bal- Our delegation has recently met with the Prime ancing the need for flexibility and security in a pe- Minister of Pakistan, who has promised to introduce riod of opportunity and uncertainty requires a strong welfare measures for Workers; amend the Industrial rights-based approach to the governance of labour Relations Ordinance, 2002; and raise the minimum markets that fosters social dialogue. He also pointed wage. The Government of Pakistan has raised the out that despite an increase in world output by some minimum wage for the unskilled workers by 25 per US$2.5 trillion, the global economy is failing to cent, while the wages of public sector employees deliver enough new jobs for those entering the job have been raised by 50 per cent with effect from 3 markets. July 2006, along with the old-age pension and other It also pointed out on pages 4 and 5 that, if the welfare measures. poverty line of US$2 is used, the number of ex- We in Pakistan play a leading role in the fight tremely poor people has increased from 2.5 to 2.7 against terrorism, although we suffer its backlash. billion. While citizens of rich countries earned on The working class has also urged the Government average 38 times as much as citizens of poor coun- to take more concrete measures to counteract cost tries in 1990, today they are 61 times richer than increase; raise employment opportunities; citizens from poor countries. Fifty-three countries – strengthen tripartite consultations; bring the laws with more than 80 per cent of the world’s popula- into conformity with ILO Conventions; ensure so- tion – have seen inequality rise. cial protection and safety nets in the face of deregu- We believe that promoting decent work requires, lation on the behest of the World Bank; and refrain on the one hand, the establishment of an equitable from privatizing national public utilities like elec- international economic order that grants developing tricity, oil, gas and ports. countries a fair share in international trade and ac- We are grateful to the ILO and international cess to up-to-date knowledge and technology to en- community for extending timely help to the victims able them to improve the lives of their people. It of the havoc wrought by earthquakes. We hope that also requires allocating funds to meet people’s basic the ILO will continue to make progress with its de- needs and guarantee decent work, instead of squan- cent work country programme and capacity building dering precious resources on a mad arms race, and of social partners. debt relief for poor nations. We convey our deep appreciation for ACTRAV, There is also a need for action at the national level IPEC, the Employment, Social Protection, Safety to establish democratic and transparent systems and Health, and Social Dialogue Sectors dealing based on social justice and to ensure free, compul- with international labour standards and the ILO’s sory, meaningful and scientific education and train-

10/26 regional and area office in Islamabad for carrying and the associated interest and its use for develop- out the mandate of the ILO. ment efforts, as well as efforts to encourage invest- We reiterate our support for justice and the rights ment, establish job creation projects, expand and of the Palestinian people to an independent home- develop training and technical knowledge, and re- land and urge the ILO to allocate more resources for move strict protective measures that hamper free- technical assistance to the workers in the occupied dom of trade and free movement of workers, are the Arab territories. first demands to which rich countries could respond In the end, we wish this historic Conference suc- to ensure development and the economic and social cess to strengthen and achieve ILO objectives and progress to which we ourselves aspire for the other bring about a better tomorrow for the working men developing countries and for the rest of humanity. and women, ensuring universal peace based on so- That is why we approve the decision to place on cial justice and dignity of work and proclaiming that the agenda of the next session of the International labour is not a commodity, long live the ILO. Labour Conference the item of “Strengthening the Original Arabic: Mr HUSSEIN MEGAWIR (Worker, Egypt) ILO’s capacity to assist its Members’ efforts to reach its objectives in the context of globalization” For the first time I am addressing this extraordi- as indicated in the Report of the Chairperson of the nary world forum in my capacity as the Egyptian ILO Governing Body. We consider this to be an Workers’ delegate and president of the Federation important stage in this process. of Egyptian Trade Unions. As to the other items on the agenda for this ses- The pride which I feel in participating in this sion of the Conference, we should like to highlight meeting comes from the fact that the ILO has al- in particular the chapter on technical cooperation ways been for our workers a centre of inspiration and we appreciate the care shown by the Organiza- for all those seeking justice and social peace within tion in carrying out a regular assessment of its role the context of this unique form of tripartite dia- in this field. Technical cooperation is a specific tool logue. Recognizing this important role and inspired which can help the Organization to achieve its ob- by these noble and wise objectives, Egypt organized jectives and to improve the working conditions and on 30 April, within the context of the celebrations the situation of workers in the member States, espe- of Labour Day, an unprecedented national event cially in developing countries. We therefore hope during which the social partners adopted the decla- that more funds will be made available for technical ration relating to the principles and fundamentals of cooperation, whether they originate from the Or- social dialogue and aiming to solve problems with ganization’s budget, from donor countries, or from social repercussions and relating to the situation of development funds and organizations. Furthermore, workers in complete compliance with the relevant this important activity needs to go hand-in-hand international and regional labour standards. with today’s extraordinary advances in information Our trade union hopes that this declaration will be and communications technology, in order to keep able to contribute, along with other practical and down costs and to ensure competence and effec- legislative measures, to providing the environment tiveness. Particular attention must be paid to the required for the economic process of reform that has development of human resources, which represent been ongoing for several years in our country and the most precious and lasting investment of all. reducing as far as possible the adverse effects it Finally, we should like to thank the Director- could have on our workers. General for presenting his annual Report on the On this occasion I would like to express my situation of workers of Palestine and of the other thanks to the ILO for the assistance it provides to occupied Arab territories. This Report has been pre- support the capacities of our trade union, in particu- sented annually for several years, but, despite this, lar, in terms of the training of trade union officials the situation of the workers has only worsened due in collective bargaining and trade union participa- to the continued occupation and the refusal by the tion, which has been heavily affected by privatiza- occupying authorities to apply international resolu- tion, and also to set up a database and an informa- tions. I think that you will all agree with me when I tion network at all levels of the organization. say that the Palestinian national liberation move- Egyptian workers, perhaps like many workers in ment, one of the world’s few remaining liberation developing countries, bear the costs of reform and movements at the beginning of the twenty-first cen- economic opening, and the consequences of privati- tury, deserves all the support and assistance of our zation and restructuring, in the hope of building a Organization and of all those forces which cam- better future for themselves and future generations. paign for peace in the world. In the meantime, the However, we have doubts about the possibility of workers and the people of Palestine are subjected to reducing unemployment and improving working various forms of political, economic, financial and conditions and the standard of living in view of un- security blockades which even prevent the arrival of fair globalization and the extra challenges it creates medicines and food, not to mention, of course, mak- which only increase the level of poverty and unem- ing it impossible to find work. ployment and give rise to marginalization and social Before concluding, I wish to express my surprise exclusion. at the lack, this year, of meetings of the Resolutions Maintaining stability and peace in our country and Committee and the absence of any valid reason for in the world in general clearly requires a rapid and this omission – although it is quite clear that this serious response by rich countries to the repeated Committee represents the very lungs of the Confer- demands of developing countries, and especially the ence, guaranteeing the dynamism and credibility of African countries. They have been asking for the the Organization thanks to its ability to adapt to the last two decades for globalization with a social and new social realities. human dimension that can control poverty and un- employment, especially among young people and women, ensure social protection and strengthen democracy. In this regard, the cancellation of debt

10/27 Original Chinese: Mr. WANG (representative, International need to improve the knowledge base of labourers Association of Economic and Social Councils and similar and their employability. Institutions) We must pay close attention to the protection of First of all, on behalf of the International Associa- workers’ rights, improve the labour contract system tion of Economic and Social Councils and similar and standardize and coordinate three-faceted coor- Institutions (IAESCSI) and in my own name, I dinating mechanism governing labour relations. In would like to extend warm congratulations upon the addition, we must provide the basic living condi- convening of the annual session of the International tions and employment allowances for groups of Labour Conference. I am confident that, under the people who are difficult to employ, such as older leadership of the President and the other Officers, unemployed workers, long-term unemployed per- the meeting will be a complete success. sons, certain female workers and workers with dis- The IAESCSI believes that the concept of decent abilities. We need to improve their self worth by work and employment proposed by the International giving them decent employment and allowing them Labour Organization is a balanced reflection of the to share equally with other workers in the fruits of various concerns of all the Members in terms of development. political rights, employment rights and social secu- It should be pointed out that the seriousness of the rity rights, and it is becoming a kind of mechanism unemployment problem varies from country to for helping to ensure social stability. country, which naturally means that the policies for We also believe that the concept of decent work promoting employment vary from country to coun- should be a universally recognized goal and every- try. The international community should take into one’s responsibility. All people need to have their full consideration the diversity in a state of devel- own occupation that respects their dignity and inter- opment and system in the countries of the world; ests and allows for full development of the individ- improve communication, dialogue, negotiation and ual. cooperation; and show mutual respect for the vari- As economic globalization continues to deepen ous means and ways adopted by different countries and rapid changes are taking place in the interna- to realize the goal of decent work and employment. tional industrial structure, all countries in the world In 2005, at the ninth international meeting of the should energetically respond to the global strategy IAESCSI, I was appointed with honour as the new formulated by the ILO for promoting employment president. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all par- and ensuring decent employment and implement ties, the IAESCSI has continued to make progress strong employment policies in line with local condi- for the past year. tions to bring about full, productive and free-choice To promote the reach of the United Nations Mil- employment. lennium Development Goals. worldwide, we To this end, I am proposing the following sugges- worked with related organizations and staged Mil- tions. First, all countries of the world should do lennium Development Goals, namely, education more to balance economic development and growth and training round-table conferences in Europe, Af- in employment. Expanding employment through rica, Latin America, and Asia successively. economic development can then promote further We approved new members so that the IAESCSI economic development, thus balancing each other is thus further developed and strengthened. At pre- and interacting in a beneficial way. Moreover, all sent the Russian Federation, Thailand, Viet Nam, sectors of society should be encouraged and guided the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mexico, to actively participate to establish the extensive Bolivia, Jordan, Togo and Niger have set up, or are partnership, so as to promote employment by bring- actively preparing to set up, similar organizations ing more resources into society, and even market and are considering joining the IAESCSI. forces. We set up two working groups to carefully study Secondly, countries and regions should strengthen major issues of concern to the international com- coordination and cooperation. Countries and regions munity and make comments and suggestions con- should learn from each other’s successful practices cerning the establishment of an international pov- and methods. Developed countries should provide erty assistance development fund and the realization effective aid to developing countries and help them of decent work and employment. provide productive and decent employment for their The IAESCSI has received a great deal of support people and appropriately develop and utilize their and assistance from many international organiza- human resources. Developing countries with large tions, including the ILO. labour forces should pick a development strategy in The IAESCSI enjoys observer status in the ILO, line with their particular advantages, encourage the and the ILO sends a representative to attend the an- development of small and medium-sized enterprises nual meeting of the IAESCSI. I would like to ex- and a tertiary industry, develop flexible employ- press my sincere gratitude for this. I would like to ment, improve the elasticity of employment, work take this opportunity to tell everyone that, in the hard to develop labour-intensive industries and cre- newly revised charter of the IAESCSI, the funda- ate as many employment opportunities and jobs as mental principles and rights at work approved by possible. the Members of the ILO, have been made part of Thirdly, more efforts need to be made to develop the working rules of the IAESCSI. the system of public employment services and de- The IAESCSI would like to continue developing velop education and training, and necessary policy extensive and deep exchange and cooperation with and legal measures should be adopted to help hard- the ILO and work together for a harmonious world to-employ persons. We must provide employment in which all countries live in harmony, share com- services to workers in a number of forms, including mon development, and all people have ample food introduction to occupations, guides to occupations, and clothing and enjoy a comfortable home and vocational training and small business loans. We good employment.

10/28 Original Russian: Ms. KARAGUSSOVA (Government, provisions to provide for the social protection of the Kazakhstan) disabled and their access to the world of work. I should like, on behalf of the Republic of Ka- In the Republic of Kazakhstan, unemployment is zakhstan, to congratulate the President on the open- currently decreasing. It is now 8 per cent and by ing of this 95th Session of the International Labour 2009 our intention is to decrease it to 7 per cent. Conference, which allows us to promote stability Increasing the level of social coverage is also a goal and development in all countries, and to wish him of the Republic of Kazakhstan and we are seeing a success in ensuring this social stability, which is great increase in the standard of living of the most certainly the foundation of any government. vulnerable sectors of our population. Along with the other countries, the Republic of We are certain that improving the labour situation Kazakhstan, in a context of positive changes in is one of the best ways in which to decrease pov- socio-economic conditions, the ongoing processes erty. There is an international audit ongoing in our of globalization, and integration into the world region on occupational safety and health, which is economy, is faced with the task of creating an ap- also one of the guarantors of decent work. The Re- propriate model for the legal regulation of labour public of Kazakhstan is open to continuing deeper relations. Changing patterns in the world of work, cooperation with the ILO in order to introduce a the Report of the Director-General, contains infor- pilot project on decent work. We have ratified the mation on the very important and topical issue of Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 regulating labour relations. As we all know, rela- (No. 182). tions between workers and employers are some- Allow me on behalf of the Government of the Re- times regulated not by contracts of employment, but public of Kazakhstan to express our gratitude to the by agreements for service provision made under International Labour Organization which has helped civil law, and such agreements are outside the scope us to achieve these successes in our country. I of labour legislation. In our view, part of the reason would like to wish you all the same active support for this is excessive government regulation of la- from the ILO as we have experienced in our country bour relations and the huge number of social obliga- in developing social dialogue and concluding useful tions placed upon employers, which consequently agreements in labour relations. force them to search for other means to strengthen Mr. ALI (Government, Bangladesh) labour relationships. The presence of such factors We have noted with interest the comprehensive also leads to a certain legal illiteracy on the part of Report of the Director-General. We appreciate his workers themselves who, when faced with the pos- dedication and sincere efforts in addressing the sibility of immediate earnings, do not pause to think challenges before us. what the consequences of such labour relationships Bangladesh is deeply committed to sound indus- may be. In this way they are being deprived of their trial relations. As a partner of the ILO, Bangladesh legally guaranteed rights. is steadfast in protecting labour rights. We are sig- In the current context, in order to bring the natories of the core Conventions that are the guiding shadow economy out of the shadows, a comprehen- principles of ILO activities. The Government has sive range of economic, budgetary, social and ad- taken major steps to enhance the quality of life of ministrative measures will be necessary. One of the the workers. measures to resolve this issue is the new draft la- Let me elaborate on new programmes. Last year bour code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is we drafted the Workers’ Welfare Foundation Act, currently under examination in Parliament. This designed to help workers in both formal and infor- draft code contains a clear definition of the areas of mal sectors. It is in the final stages of launching. labour relations which are subject to government The draft comprehensive Labour Code submitted by regulation, and it provides more scope for labour the National Labour Commission is now being re- relationships to be regulated by contracts. It pro- examined by a tripartite review commission. Sug- vides for the strengthening of tripartism and social gestions from different stakeholders are being in- dialogue, which entails for equal responsibility on corporated. We expect the draft to be finalized soon. the part of all parties. It also provides for clear regu- The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda is of special sig- lation, or rather definition, of the relationship be- nificance to us. The Government has constituted a tween employers and workers, as well as the devel- high-powered social compliance forum through par- opment of programmes for vocational training and ticipation of various stakeholders. Under it are two additional measures for the social security regime. specific task forces. One on occupational safety and One of the priorities of employers, while strictly the other on labour welfare. The forum and the two complying with and observing the fundamental task forces are working well. rights of workers, is increasing the role of social Let me turn to the Report on Changing patterns in dialogue in solving industrial and social problems. the world of work. It is vital that we give due atten- We believe that through stimulating workers to be tion to this important topic. The nature of work has more productive, we will encourage employers and changed. No longer do we consider work only in the legalize labour relations. I think that, just as em- context of political boundaries of the nationalities of ployers need continuity in their workforce and the workers. Millions move across borders in an workers who care about the fate of the company, so organized and approved form to work abroad, re- workers need permanent work which gives them an turning to their countries upon completion of their income today and a secure future. What is more, in assignment. We must remember that they are not order to provide for the possibility of inspection, the migrants. They are temporary service providers. draft labour code differentiates employment con- This is not a north-south issue. In it lies immense tracts from other types of agreement. The more the benefit to both receiving and sending States. I ex- sector is legally regulated, the stronger and more pect such labour mobility to increase rapidly in the effective it will be. We are also introducing new near future. We must give greater attention to regu-

10/29 lar movements and must stop irregular movements employment are rapidly increasing against a back- and trafficking. drop of globalization. Unfair distribution of wealth Perhaps the most significant part of the Report is among countries and regions results in increased Chapter E which looks ahead. This section has malnutrition, disease and mortality rates at birth in highlighted issues of the future. For instance, tech- poor countries. Oppressive policies causing exploi- nology and modern methods of work have dramati- tation must therefore be abandoned and social jus- cally changed the manner in which we perceive tice must be extended worldwide. work. I would urge the ILO to be innovative; to However, globalization must be formulated on the consider how we can position ourselves to benefit basis of social justice and democracy, and States from the new opportunities and to face the chal- should redefine their roles. At this point the interna- lenges that will inevitably come up. I would expect tional community bears a great responsibility. substantive research in this area. Current macroeconomic policies have led Turkey I now wish to take up the issue of child labour, into a downward trend in terms of job creation in another theme for which a Report has been pre- the public sector. As a result of the standby agree- pared. Like the ILO, I would like to think that the ment signed with the IMF, and of a lack of invest- end of child labour is in sight. Bangladesh has rati- ment and new recruitment to replace retired work- fied the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, ers, the number of workers employed by state- 1999 (No. 182). We have given high priority to owned enterprises has decreased. At the same time tackling child labour. Our initiatives have led to the the high unemployment rate has become a chronic end of child labour in agriculture. The ILO Report problem. The unemployment rate in Turkey stands recommends action on three pillars, covering both at 12 per cent. Unemployment not only creates the governments and the ILO. If the actions are to problems for production and income loss, but also be successful, they must be based on rapid eco- causes, and exists in parallel with, social problems, nomic growth which will enable countries to sustain social exclusion and poverty. One of the main prob- the policies being adopted. lems of the labour market is the high rate of unreg- Finally, I wish to reiterate in the strongest terms, istered employment of up to 53 per cent. Unregis- our concern at the situation of workers of the occu- tered employment also reduces the effectiveness of pied Arab territories, as discussed in the ILO Re- the social security system, and as a result social se- port. It is our duty as citizens of the world to find a curity institutions are unable to perform the services just and durable solution to the problems of such which they are expected to provide. Women’s par- workers. ticipation in the labour force decreased from 34 to Our workers must find decent jobs. We must pro- 24 per cent over the last decade, so that 65 per cent vide them with the opportunity to lift themselves of the female labour force in my country is not cov- out of the poverty trap. They and their dependent ered by the existing social security system. families must be able to lead a respectable life. A legal framework for the “right to organize and They also need a social safety net and security if bargain collectively” exists in my country, but the they should lose their jobs. This is the challenge number of dismissals due to trade union organizing before us. We are committed to doing our utmost to activities is increasing gradually. In addition to the help to achieve these goals. We look forward to obstacles created by employers, the legal deficien- close collaboration with the ILO in jointly working cies and relative administrative constraints make it for these lofty aims. difficult for workers to benefit from social protec- Original Turkish: Mr. KILIÇ (Worker, Turkey) tion, job protection and the right to organize and bargain collectively which are the fundamental pre- As a Workers’ delegate I extend to you the sin- requisites of a working life. Despite amendments to cere regards of all the workers in my country. I labour acts, obstacles relating to coverage for job would like to congratulate the Director-General and protection, its implementation and effectiveness, are the ILO on the successful programmes and activi- still on our agenda. Although our national legisla- ties they have carried out in member States within tion on occupational safety and health is sufficient, the framework of the four strategic objectives, with deficiencies in terms of its implementation are still the aim of improving and promoting labour stan- being experienced. dards and the concept of decent work. Within the context of the EU accession process, As a result of the programmes implemented in draft legislation concerning the approval of the cooperation with the ILO, significant improvements European Social Charter is on the agenda of our have been achieved in my country, particularly in National Assembly. However, the Government combating child labour. These improvements can should pay attention to the concerns stated in the serve as a model for many countries. The number of progress report of the European Commission and activities and programmes implemented by the ILO should not insist on its reservations regarding provi- must be increased and they should be intensified in sions concerning unionization, collective bargaining order to achieve the four strategic objectives identi- and the right to strike. The Public Servants’ Trades fied by the Organization. Union Act, No. 4688, still excludes public servants The importance and impact of the ILO are even from collective agreements and the right to strike. It more significant in the context of the globalization is necessary to undertake the required legislative process. The ILO’s standard-setting activity should arrangements which will enable public servants’ therefore be stepped up. Today the global market is trades unions to be represented more effectively. dominated by international monopolies, namely the The relevant national laws must be in line with ILO IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organi- Conventions. zation. Attempts to undermine trade union rights The developments in Palestine and Iraq are being and the welfare state have gained pace throughout observed with anxiety. War and terror are the great- the globalization process, bringing the era of nation est enemies of democracy and human rights. More States to an end. Statistics clearly prove that the important is the fact that they are the biggest ene- current unfair income distribution, poverty and un- mies of labour rights and freedoms. Turkish work-

10/30 ers hope that wars across the world, especially those Mon gouvernement a mis sur pied le programme in Palestine and Iraq, will soon come to an end. intégré de réforme de l’enseignement professionnel, I wish you every success throughout the 95th Ses- dont l’objectif consiste à garantir de meilleures qua- sion of the International Labour Conference, and lifications professionnelles aux candidats à hope that all member States will ratify the funda- l’emploi. De même, le gouvernement a décidé mental ILO Conventions and adopt them into their d’inclure dans les programmes scolaires, et cela à national legislation. compter de 2008, une discipline directement liée à la formation professionnelle. Toutes ces mesures (Mr. Sajda takes the Chair.) ont pour but d’inculquer de meilleures compétences (M. Sajda prend place au fauteuil présidentiel.) aux candidats à l’emploi et, en particulier, aux jeu- nes. (Asume la presidencia el Sr. Sajda.) Nous avons adopté une nouvelle loi de base pour Original portugais: Mme TAÍPO (ministre du Travail, la protection sociale et cela en prévoyant trois ni- Mozambique) veaux de protection sociale, à savoir la protection sociale de base, la protection sociale obligatoire et J’aimerais tout d’abord citer les paroles du Secré- la protection sociale complémentaire. taire général de l’Organisation des Nations Unies Afin d’améliorer les services rendus aux citoyens, qui sont reprises dans le rapport du Directeur géné- le ministère du Travail a adopté un ensemble de ral du BIT. «Le meilleur programme antipauvreté mesures à impact immédiat qui visent à assouplir est l’emploi, et la meilleure garantie du bien-être est les procédures d’accès aux services mais aussi à le travail décent.» Ces paroles résument clairement rendre le système plus facile à utiliser pour la popu- les propositions de celles et ceux qui ont la grande lation. responsabilité d’aider les citoyens à garantir un em- Nous refusons avec véhémence le travail des en- ploi sûr et décent. fants. Nous protégeons nos enfants, nous les appe- Dans le document intitulé Changements dans le lons «la sève de la nation», «les fleurs qui ne se fa- monde du travail, le Directeur général souligne le nent jamais». En 2003, nous avons ratifié les con- rôle de l’emploi dans la vie humaine et met en exer- ventions nos 138 et 182, rejoignant ainsi la commu- gue le rôle de la femme dans la vie de toute la fa- nauté internationale dans l’abolition du travail des mille, y compris celle de l’homme. Par conséquent, enfants et les 385 pays qui ont déjà ratifié ces textes il préconise la création de normes régissant le mar- pendant les sept années écoulées. ché du travail rural. Cependant, le phénomène du travail des enfants C’est la thèse que défend aussi le gouvernement au Mozambique est une conséquence directe de la du Mozambique. Ainsi, le Président du Mozambi- pauvreté et de l’incapacité des institutions à y faire que, Armando Emílio Guebuza, donne la priorité face, et cela surtout dans les zones rurales, où de dans son programme à un rôle plus important pour nombreux parents sont obligés de mettre au travail le district, le district qui est un pôle fondamental et leurs enfants dès l’âge de 7 ans. incontournable dans la lutte contre la pauvreté. Ce qui est encore plus préoccupant avec le fléau Au Mozambique, les zones rurales constituent un du VIH/SIDA, c’est que de très nombreux mineurs levier pour le développement du pays. A travers la orphelins, depuis un très jeune âge, assument la mise en place des conditions de base, c’est-à-dire fonction de chef de famille et sont donc obligés de des routes, un approvisionnement en énergie et en travailler pour subvenir aux besoins de leur famille. eau et la formation, on pourra garantir que les jeu- Nous estimons que les difficultés structurelles et nes restent dans les zones rurales pour relever les conjoncturelles qui ont été identifiées dans le rap- défis locaux en évitant un exode rural effréné et, port doivent constituer nos priorités, et nous som- surtout, on pourra assurer la fixation de profession- mes tous logés à la même enseigne de ce point de nels qualifiés pour mener le processus de dévelop- vue. Il est donc absolument impératif que nous tra- pement. vaillions en collaboration. Il faut donc, de toute urgence, en appeler aux Nous avons conclu avec succès le débat sur grands partenaires internationaux de la coopération l’avant-projet de révision de la loi sur le travail au et aux grandes sociétés multinationales, ainsi qu’à niveau de notre commission consultative du travail, d’autres acteurs, pour qu’ils ajustent leurs stratégies organe tripartite, et nous estimons que d’ici le d’investissement dans les pays en développement de deuxième semestre de cette année le Parlement aura manière à tenir compte des intérêts nationaux de approuvé cet instrument fondamental. lutte contre la pauvreté. La future loi du travail sera élaborée en tenant Le gouvernement du Mozambique a approuvé compte de la réalité du marché de l’emploi, et pas cette année la stratégie pour l’emploi et la formation seulement au Mozambique, car nous évoluons dans professionnelle, un instrument d’orientation et un une société de plus en plus mondialisée. Le consen- instrument visionnaire pour la politique de l’emploi sus qu’a obtenu cet organe consultatif a permis de et de la formation professionnelle. Il appartient au montrer qu’au Mozambique le dialogue tripartite est peuple du Mozambique et constitue une source une conquête qu’il s’agit aujourd’hui de consolider. d’inspiration collective pour l’Etat, les employeurs Pour conclure, j’aimerais dire que nous vivons et les syndicats dans la lutte contre la pauvreté abso- dans un village mondial où le rôle de cette Organi- lue par le biais de la promotion active de l’emploi, sation est de plus en plus important pour la garantie et il est prévu d’ici à 2015 un total de un million de des droits fondamentaux des travailleurs, et candidats à l’emploi. j’aimerais saisir cette occasion pour encourager Comme le dit le Directeur général dans ses rap- l’Organisation internationale du Travail à jouer un ports, l’autre problème dont souffre le marché du rôle plus interventionniste que dans le passé. Nous travail est la pénurie de qualifications. Le marché souhaiterions que les instruments adoptés par l’OIT, du travail aujourd’hui exige une main-d’œuvre plus notamment la recommandation importante sur la flexible, plus qualifiée et mieux adaptée au chan- relation de travail prévue pour cette année ainsi que gement. l’instrument sur la santé et la sécurité au travail,

10/31 soient appliqués effectivement dans l’intérêt de la REPORTS OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE GOVERNING dignité du travail et de la personne humaine et pour BODY AND OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL: DISCUSSION une culture du travail décent. (CONT.)

REQUEST BY THE REPUBLIC OF MONTENEGRO RAPPORTS DU PRESIDENT DU CONSEIL FOR OBSERVER STATUS AT THE 95TH SESSION D’ADMINISTRATION ET DU DIRECTEUR GENERAL: OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE DISCUSSION (SUITE)

DEMANDE DE STATUT D’OBSERVATEUR DISCUSIÓN DEL INFORME DEL PRESIDENTE DEL E A LA 95 SESSION DE LA CONFERENCE CONSEJO DE ADMINISTRACIÓN Y DE LA MEMORIA Y INTERNATIONALE DU TRAVAIL PRESENTEE PAR LOS INFORMES DEL DIRECTOR GENERAL: DISCUSIÓN LA REPUBLIQUE DU MONTENEGRO (CONT.) SOLICITUD DE CONDICIÓN DE OBSERVADORA EN Original Chinese: Mr. TIAN (Minister of Labour and Social LA 95A REUNIÓN DE LA CONFERENCIA INTERNACIONAL Security, China) DEL TRABAJO PRESENTADA POR Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr Presi- LA REPÚBLICA DE MONTENEGRO dent, on your election. I would also like to thank The PRESIDENT Mr. Juan Somavia, the Director-General of the ILO, for his Report, Changing patterns in the world of Before we continue the discussion, I have to make work, which is full of rich and realistic insights. an announcement. The goals pursued by the tripartite constituents of As the President of the Conference I have re- the ILO have always been to achieve social justice ceived a letter from Mr. Slavoljub Stijepovic, Min- and fairness, to ensure that all workers have equal ister of Labour and Social Welfare of the Republic work opportunities and security. However, poverty, of Montenegro, dated 5 June 2006, which was dis- unemployment, unsafe conditions and insecurity at patched after he addressed the plenary of this ses- work and a lack of social protection remain univer- sion of the Conference on that date. sal social problems faced by many developing In this letter he informs the Conference of the countries and regions. It is our common responsibil- Declaration of Independence of the Republic of ity to build a fairer society, to bring work opportuni- Montenegro in accordance with the Constitutional ties and basic social protection for all and to ensure Charter of the State Union of Serbia and Montene- all workers and their families feel safe and secure in gro, the results of a referendum held on 21 May their lives. 2006 and a decision by the Parliament of the Re- The Chinese Government holds that admitting the public of Montenegro on 3 June 2006. great differences in economic development stages in I have also been informed by the Legal Adviser of different countries and the corresponding differ- the Conference that the membership of Serbia and ences in social policies is the key to understanding Montenegro in the United Nations and other inter- and judging correctly the changing patterns of the national organizations is continued by the Republic world of work. The international community’s as- of Serbia. Thus, as of today, Montenegro is not a sistance to underdeveloped regions and the help and member State of the ILO. protection of disadvantaged groups by domestic The letter received from Mr. Stijepovic requested policies are the practical means to translate “a fair that the Montenegrin delegates from the former globalization” and “equal opportunities” from a slo- common delegation be granted observer status as gan into action. from 6 June 2006 up to the end of the Conference. China has the largest pool of labour resources, The Officers of the Conference, having consid- with a working-age population of 920 million. Over ered this request, have decided to invite the Repub- the past five years, China has taken the following lic of Montenegro to attend the sittings of the 95th measures to implement the Decent Work Agenda. Session of the Conference as an observer. This ac- Adopting active employment policies on the basis tion is taken in accordance with article 2, paragraph of maintaining rapid economic development, we 3(e), of the Standing Orders, which provides for adjust the economic structure so as to enhance the persons appointed as observers by a non-member employment promotion effect brought about by State of the ILO to be permitted to attend the sit- economic growth; we rigorously develop the voca- tings of the Conference. tional training system so as to improve the employ- If there are no objections, may I take it that the ability of workers and their ability to adapt to occu- Conference agrees to this course of action. pational changes; we enhance the public employ- (It is so agreed.) ment services system so as to provide better ser- vices to enterprises and workers; we adopt special supportive policies so as to facilitate the re- employment of vulnerable groups. Between 2001 and 2005, over 18 million laid-off and unemployed workers were re-employed and the number of em- ployed people in China’s urban areas increased by 42 million. To improve the social security system and extend its coverage so far, China has established a social security system consisting of old-age pension insur- ance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, work-related injuries insurance and maternity insur- ance. The social security system is being expanded to cover self-employed and flexibly employed

10/32 workers in urban and rural areas and options for a Je voudrais également remercier Monsieur le Di- suitable one are also being explored in the rural ar- recteur général du BIT pour la qualité des rapports eas. qui nous ont été soumis. To protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Le rapport portant sur les changements en cours workers and maintain harmonious and stable labour dans le monde du travail, notamment en ce qui relations migrant workers, the laid-off workers from concerne la gestion des marchés du travail et de la state-owned enterprises and long-term unemployed protection sociale des travailleurs, ainsi que les ef- workers are provided with special policy supports fets des innovations technologiques et de la mondia- and legal assistance. The labour dispute settlement lisation sur les marchés du travail, introduit le mechanism has been improved and a tripartite coor- concept de marché du travail mondial en tant que dination mechanism for labour relations has been prolongement des marchés nationaux. established. Now China is stepping up the drafting L’Algérie a ressenti la nécessité d’une modernisa- of the labour contract law, the employment promo- tion de la gestion du marché du travail afin de saisir tion law and the labour dispute settlement law. toutes les opportunités d’emplois fournies par les Last year, China ratified the Discrimination (Em- programmes de développement. ployment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. Parmi les réformes entreprises dans ce domaine, il 111). The application of this Convention in China importe de signaler la promulgation en 2004 d’une will definitely promote equal opportunities and so- nouvelle loi sur le placement et le contrôle de cial justice for all workers. l’emploi. Dans le même temps, un programme Now the ILO has proposed the Decent Work triennal de réhabilitation du service public de Agenda, the goal of achieving fair globalization, the l’emploi a été élaboré. initiative of creating opportunities for all. It is time Les mutations que connaît le monde du travail et for the ILO to take action. The Chinese delegation les relations de travail ne doivent pas occulter le calls on the tripartite constituents to carry out dia- débat sur le chômage, notamment celui des jeunes. logue and cooperation so as to change the trend of Le phénomène du chômage est devenu l’un des the disadvantaged groups in the world of work. To graves problèmes qu’affronte le monde, compte this end, we would like to put forward the following tenu de ses répercussions sur la sécurité mais aussi recommendations concerning social policy priorities sur la stabilité mondiale. Ce phénomène est cons- and the tasks of the ILO. tamment source de tensions internationales en rai- First of all, to respond to the point made by the son de la migration clandestine de la main-d’œuvre Director-General in the Report that “Work is at the du Sud vers le Nord, laquelle, malheureusement, centre of people’s lives. It determines the stability s’accompagne souvent de flagrantes violations des of well-being of families and communities”, it is accords et conventions internationaux portant sur necessary to provide employment services and pref- les valeurs de la liberté, de la dignité de l’homme et erential policies for starting up small businesses and de ses droits. to help every family to have at least one person en- Plus grave encore est la possibilité d’exploiter ce gaged in a job with income. This is the most effec- phénomène pour renforcer les réseaux de terrorisme tive way to lift poor families out of poverty. international et le crime organisé. Second, to adapt to industrial restructuring and La solution ne peut être seulement d’ordre sécuri- rapid technological development, it is necessary to taire mais relève plutôt de la question du dévelop- encourage the social partners to provide more train- pement des pays d’origine et ceci constitue un défi ing opportunities which comply with the demand in pour la communauté internationale dans son ensem- the labour market and are affordable for jobseekers, ble. so as to enhance the workers’ skills and employabil- Le Directeur général du BIT a annoncé au dernier ity and their ability to adapt to occupational Forum économique de Davos des chiffres très signi- changes. ficatifs et impressionnants qui reflètent l’ampleur du Third, to ensure that the poor have decent work fléau du chômage, particulièrement en Afrique. Il y and life, it is necessary to develop a basic social a 192 millions de chômeurs dans le monde, dont 86 safety network to guarantee people’s basic liveli- millions sont âgés de 15 à 24 ans et la majorité se hood against old-age, diseases, work-related injuries trouve en Afrique. and unemployment, and to promote social harmony, Quelles que soient les recommandations et les fairness and stability. obligations internationales, nombre de pays afri- Cooperation is the best way to promote world cains continuent à connaître des problèmes d’ordre peace. Dialogue is the only right approach to sécuritaire, mais aussi d’ordre économique et social. deepen mutual understanding. The ILO, as the only Les formes de partenariat nord-sud auxquelles as- tripartite international organization, shall under- pire l’Afrique continuent d’enregistrer malheureu- stand the concerns of underdeveloped countries and sement un important retard. A titre d’illustration, il regions and of the disadvantaged in the world of importe de constater que le niveau de l’aide techni- work over basic living conditions and work oppor- que consacrée à l’Afrique dans le cadre de notre tunities. The ILO shall help the member States to Organisation a connu une régression sensible durant address these challenges through technical coopera- les cinq dernières années. tion and sincere dialogue. China is ready to con- La situation exige donc qu’on accorde un plus tinue to do its utmost to contribute to world peace grand intérêt aux politiques de l’emploi dans le and development, social harmony and justice. monde. Les organisations internationales concer- Original arabe: M. LOUH (ministre du Travail et de la Sécurité nées sont à ce titre appelées à jouer un rôle impor- sociale, Algérie) tant. Les deux rapports sur la mise en place du pro- Permettez-moi de présenter, au nom de la déléga- gramme de l’Organisation internationale du Travail tion algérienne, nos condoléances au peuple et au pour la période 2004-05 présentent des résultats gouvernement indonésiens, suite à la tragédie qui a encourageants. Notre espoir est qu’ils puissent ou- frappé ce pays frère. vrir des perspectives prometteuses dans la mise en

10/33 œuvre de l’Agenda du travail décent et dans la lutte the types of employment are becoming varied glob- pour l’éradication du travail des enfants et notam- ally. ment des pires formes du travail des enfants. Korea is no exception to this trend. Dans ce cadre, le travail décent constitue le Compared to 20 years ago, the percentage of moyen le mieux approprié pour atteindre l’objectif manufacturing industry in total employment de réduction de la pauvreté. dropped from 27 per cent to 18 per cent, while that D’ailleurs, le Président de la République algé- of services and social overhead capital increased rienne, Son Excellence Abdelaziz Bouteflika, invité from 50 per cent to 78 per cent. It clearly shows that d’honneur de la 93e session de notre Conférence, a the economic structure of Korea is getting service déclaré, en parlant de nouvelle modernité humaniste centred, diversifying types of employment from – je cite – que celle-ci, à savoir la modernité huma- regular to non-regular employment. niste «n’a de sens que si tout est mis en œuvre pour In my country, however, changes have occurred assurer le droit à un emploi décent pour toute per- in the employment structure, not only at industry, sonne en âge et capable de travailler». but also at enterprise level. Partant de ce principe, l’Algérie a mis en œuvre Large companies take on fewer new employees to depuis le début des années 2000 des programmes de lessen the labour cost burden in the light of wage développement qui ont permis une réduction spec- increases, thus, deepening the problem of youth un- taculaire du taux de chômage, qui est passé de employment. 30 pour cent en 1999 à 15 pour cent en 2005. Les Growing wage differences according to company projections à l’horizon 2009 prévoient de ramener size, however, are attributable to the difference be- ce taux à environ 9 pour cent. tween large and small companies in terms of pro- L’Algérie a œuvré et œuvre toujours à travers les ductivity, payment capability and unionization rate. réformes en cours à lever tous les obstacles qui en- The issue has even sparked debate about discrimi- traveraient les investissements productifs généra- nation between regular and non-regular workers in teurs d’emplois. A titre d’exemple, un projet de loi Korea. visant l’encouragement des employeurs à la création Now, the irresistible force of change has brought d’emplois à travers un allègement des charges so- us to an important crossroads. It can make us move ciales est en cours d’examen au niveau de forward or slip backwards. Our choice in this vortex l’Assemblée nationale. Par ailleurs, une adaptation of change will either generate employment opportu- de la législation du travail aux mutations socioéco- nities for more people, or exacerbate the unem- nomiques est en cours de réalisation, et ce, en ployment situation, making entry into the labour concertation avec les partenaires sociaux et dans le market is impossible in the first place. respect des obligations internationales de l’Algérie. At this important juncture, it is timely for the ILO A cette occasion, j’ai le plaisir d’annoncer que to select as topic for this year’s Director-General’s l’Algérie vient de déposer aujourd’hui les instru- Report Changing patterns in the world of work. ments de ratification des quatre conventions dont le I would like to make a few suggestions on the di- Président de la République algérienne, Son Excel- rection of our efforts to turn the changes into oppor- lence Abdelaziz Bouteflika, avait annoncé la ratifi- tunities. cation lors de votre 93e session. First of all, we need to recognize that various L’Algérie, dans un souci de prévention et de lutte types of employment, especially those based on contre le travail des enfants, a consacré dans ses work contracts, are inevitable in the world. textes fondamentaux le droit à l’éducation gratuite Work contracts should be regarded as an agree- et obligatoire pour tous les enfants jusqu’à l’âge de ment concluded by the contracting parties that takes 15 ans révolus. account of the legal consequences of the contracts. De même une commission intersectorielle regrou- Thus, civil, commercial and economic laws which pant plusieurs départements ministériels ainsi que will most effectively protect contracting workers l’Union générale des travailleurs algériens a été should be applied to employment relations, in addi- mise en place dans un objectif de lutte et de préven- tion to applicable labour legislation. tion contre le travail des enfants. In this regard, a “one size fits all” approach, Il convient de souligner le paradoxe qui caracté- whereby only one standard will be applied to di- rise notre monde d’aujourd’hui. Au moment où la verse working relations is not right; nor is it accept- communauté internationale accorde une importance able. particulière aux questions du respect des droits de In the same vein, the ILO’s standard-setting l’homme, y compris les droits des travailleurs, les mechanism must work to embrace changes in the travailleurs palestiniens dans les territoires occupés real world of work and guide them to create jobs, restent en dehors de cette préoccupation en dépit de rather than impeding development by causing social leurs souffrances quotidiennes. loss and rigidity. D’ailleurs, le fait que le Directeur général dans The ILO’s programmes and activities also must son rapport sur la situation des travailleurs des terri- focus on urging countries to revise outdated laws toires arabes occupés a décrit ces pratiques de based on traditional working relations but not re- l’occupation comme étant une discrimination mani- flecting changes in types of work, such as telework- feste et un obstacle à l’exercice des droits fonda- ing, voluntary night work and part-time work, so mentaux de l’homme dans les sphères économique that a more flexible labour market will be estab- et sociale et du travail, confirme ce paradoxe. lished, and that workers failing to adapt themselves Jusqu’à quand la communauté internationale de- to changes will enter or re-enter the labour market vra-t-elle se limiter à faire de simples constats? through training and education. Mr. KIM (Employer, Republic of Korea) Moreover, we have to be wary of the “good and evil” approach to relations between regular work As indicated in this year’s Report of the Director- and non-regular work. General entitled Changing patterns in the world of Various types of workers must not be understood work, the working environment is changing fast and as having a substitute relation to regular work. It

10/34 would be wrong to think that restricting the use of mainly in small family businesses in the informal non-regular jobs will result in an increase of regular sector of the economy. jobs. Though it is difficult and hard to grasp the real Through the new types of employment, more facts, the General Workers Union is doing all it can people are getting jobs. Especially for the elderly, to understand the extent of this problem on our homemakers, the long-term unemployed and young shores, firstly because we firmly believe that chil- unemployed persons with difficulties in entering the dren’s place until the legal age of 16 is at school rigid labour market, flexible jobs are a stepping and secondly to avoid the exploitation of children in stone to a decent life. the labour market. Therefore, any attempt to regulate non-regular However, we are deeply concerned that child la- employment by artificially curbing the inevitable bour in Malta could arise due to social and eco- worldwide trend of expanding types of employment nomic burdens that workers’ families are constantly will certainly, and negatively, result in an inflexible made to shoulder through further taxation and other labour market and rising unemployment rates. government-induced costs. Changes in the world of work are irrevocable. We very sincerely hope that we are incorrect in Faced with a huge tide of changes, the ILO must do thinking that child labour is a signal that poverty is its utmost to help its Members to prepare for that again on the increase in our country. tide. As the Director-General himself quite rightly sug- Furthermore, it must advance itself to minimize gested in the Executive summary of his Report, po- the problems changes may bring by accepting litical commitment through the adoption of coherent changes, rather than just criticizing them. policies in the areas of poverty reduction, basic Mr. ZARB (Worker, Malta) education and human rights, is central in combating child labour. I would like to congratulate the Director-General I also urge governments of countries where pov- on his elaborate and enthusiastic Report on the abo- erty and child labour are rampant to adhere to the lition of child labour. It is very pleasing and encour- fundamentals of human rights and make child la- aging to read his remarks that the end of child la- bour history. bour is within reach. However, the challenge is huge and there is still much work to be done and M. VANVELTHOVEN (Ministre de l'Emploi, Belgique) more measures to be taken to make global poverty La participation à la Conférence internationale du history. Travail a toujours été ressentie par ma délégation Child labour in various countries of the world is comme un moment important de l’actualité sociale. the product of poverty and hunger. Recent statistics J’assiste pour la première fois à cette Conférence et issued by UNICEF reveal that 25 per cent of the je suis impressionné par l’ampleur de la tâche de world’s children have fallen below the level of star- l’Organisation. Le mandat de l’OIT reste une oppor- vation. This fact is a far cry from what is being said tunité historique, une nécessité dans les circonstan- about the problem of global poverty being on the ces actuelles de la globalisation et de l’évolution decrease. As a matter of fact, there are situations rapide du marché du travail. where young children are still being driven into il- Je voudrais profiter de l’occasion pour délivrer licit activities to earn a miserable daily living. trois messages. The fact that millions of children around the Mon premier message est d’encourager le Bureau world are being exploited and forced into labour à être le pôle d’excellence en ce qui concerne le tra- while not receiving education is of concern to many vail décent, cet élément central de la politique des people. For example, it is still very shocking for us organisations internationales des Nations Unies en to read that, in India alone, there are at least 17.5 faveur des objectifs du Millénaire. Le travail décent million working children, mostly in the footwear devient un défi pour le BIT qui l’avait lui-même industry, which is also one of the major export- conçu. Nous espérons que, sur les questions oriented industries. d’emploi, de dialogue social, de protection sociale In combating global child labour, measures must et des droits liés au travail, le BIT réussira à avoir be taken to guarantee the enforcement of compul- un rôle prépondérant. Il s’agit de convaincre du rôle sory education whereby all school-age children are essentiel des normes fondamentales de l’OIT. requested to attend school. I feel sure, as the Report Concilier l’économique et le social tant au cœur des of the Director-General stated, that if concrete politiques de développement que dans nos pays in- measures will continue to be taken to ensure the dustrialisés, c’est ce que vient de réaffirmer la respect of fundamental rights these will serve also Commission européenne dans sa récente communi- to combat the force of poverty that pulls children cation sur le travail décent. Nous serons résolument out of school. à ses côtés pour promouvoir ces objectifs au-delà de Mr. President, I will now turn briefly to the situa- l’Union européenne. La prochaine session de tion in my country. l’ECOSOC en juillet à Genève offrira une excel- Malta is a very tiny island with a small open lente opportunité pour le BIT puisqu’elle doit porter economy. Here poverty is supposed to form part of sur la promotion des emplois productifs et du travail the history books. However, the occurrence of pov- décent. erty seems to be raising its head once again. Thus, Je voudrais m’arrêter quelques instants sur le rap- we have a situation where child labour at present is port concernant le travail des enfants. La situation on a very small scale, although we have to see if it globale semble s’améliorer, mais il reste encore plus is a hidden problem. And as such, statistics in this de 200 millions d’enfants au travail dont la moitié regard are rare and not available. This itself presents dans des activités dangereuses. C’est intolérable et a major obstacle to our efforts to get to know how je me rallie aux objectifs de l’OIT en la matière. widespread this problem is on our island. However, Pour vaincre le travail des enfants, une vision glo- experience shows that, in effect, child labour exists bale doit être adoptée car ce sont dans les pays pau- vres – particulièrement en Afrique subsaharienne –

10/35 que ce problème est important. La réduction de la M. CORTEBEECK (travailleur, Belgique) pauvreté y est donc intimement liée. Le programme Les rapports entre les forces vives du développe- IPEC a prouvé son efficacité et il est nécessaire ment économique se sont internationalisés. Toute- d’intégrer cette problématique dans l’Agenda du fois, ils ont du mal à se traduire dans nos relations travail décent et de coordonner les actions des insti- institutionnelles, d’une part, et, d’autre part, ils ten- tutions internationales. tent d’imposer de nouvelles règles du jeu aux rela- Mon deuxième message vise la nécessité d’une tions sociales dans le monde globalisé. action normative, efficace et utile. Je sais que ce L’OIT risque, dans ce contexte, de ne plus convo- n’est pas dans l’air du temps, mais il ne peut être quer autour de son mandat tous les acteurs du déve- question d’affaiblir l’activité normative et l’action loppement social; et je ne parle pas ici des ONG, de la Commission de l’application des normes. On mais bien d’acteurs incontournables qui dessinent ne peut tolérer des cas évidents de violations répé- les axes lourds de notre avenir et qui sont les entre- tées des droits et principes fondamentaux au travail. prises multinationales. Ces entreprises transnationa- A ce propos, l’inscription de la question du les sont à peine représentées par les fédérations na- Myanmar à l’ordre du jour des travaux de cette tionales d’employeurs ou encore de manière unilaté- Conférence ainsi que de ceux de l’ECOSOC en juil- rale à travers la maison mère. Elles pèsent pourtant let est importante. En effet, malgré les efforts répé- de plus en plus dans nos débats et disposent souvent tés de l’OIT pour chercher la coopération des auto- des moyens qui dépassent ceux de nos pays. rités du Myanmar pour abolir le travail forcé dans De nouvelles tendances normatives se mettent en ce pays, rien n’a abouti et il est temps de trouver place au sein et à travers ces grands groupes. Le d’autres voies d’action. J’apprécie la mise à l’ordre débat sur la responsabilité sociale des entreprises du jour de ce problème et du rapport circonstancié nous est souvent imposé ou présenté comme une de l’OIT. Je soutiendrai les actions énergiques qui alternative par rapport au cadre soit-disant trop uni- pourraient être prises dans ce dossier. L’Union eu- versel et trop contraignant des conventions interna- ropéenne dispose de plusieurs instruments pour in- tionales de l’OIT et de son système de supervision. tégrer les droits fondamentaux dans ses politiques et De partout naissent maintenant des instances, pour nous la soutiendrons non seulement dans le cas du la plupart des instances privées, qui s’autodéclarent Myanmar mais également dans celui du Bélarus. Je instances normatives et de contrôle de normes et de me réjouis d’ailleurs de l’ouverture d’une représen- standards. tation du BIT à Bogota. La question qui se pose est de savoir: de quel En matière de normes, le BIT doit proposer des droit? De quel droit moral, certes, mais également et normes sur toutes les grandes questions stratégiques surtout de quel droit légal parlons-nous par rapport qui encadrent l’emploi, le travail, le dialogue social à ces systèmes soit disant autorégulateurs et auto- et la protection sociale, et ce d’autant plus que le contrôleurs? monde du travail change rapidement et que la mon- Il serait utile que l’OIT s’approprie de manière sé- dialisation est croissante. S’agissant de la norme rieuse ce débat et examine la possibilité de pouvoir promotionnelle en matière de santé et de sécurité au mettre de l’ordre dans le monde du labelling social, travail, je considère comme importante l’incitation des normes de qualité et d’autres critères de bonne qu’elle crée et je soutiendrai l’action concertée de conduite autoproclamés. l’Union européenne en la matière. Ce serait un grand service à la communauté inter- La discussion sur la relation de travail constitue nationale en général et à l’OIT en particulier si cer- un enjeu considérable: faute d’une définition claire, tains gouvernements pouvaient mettre les moyens à tout le droit social national et international issu de disposition de l’OIT pour mener à bien un travail de l’OIT risque de se diluer sous la pression des évolu- recherche sur ces questions pouvant éventuellement tions du marché du travail. Ces dernières déstabili- mener à une nouvelle mission de l’OIT dans sa lutte sent la relation de travail normale. Pour ces raisons, pour une dimension sociale de la globalisation. En j’appuie fermement la recommandation qui est au- même temps, cela pourrait également ramener au jourd’hui présentée car elle permet de progresser bercail ces entreprises globales et dépaysées qui dans la lutte contre les relations de travail dégui- errent socialement désorientées sur notre globe. sées. La Belgique a eu une longue vocation sociale et Mon troisième et dernier message porte sur ce n’est pas par hasard qu’elle a mis ses épaules l’Agenda pour l’emploi. La lutte contre la pauvreté sous les projets de STEP et de PRODIAF qui sont passe inévitablement par l’accès à un emploi pro- des projets sur la sécurité sociale et le dialogue so- ductif et décent et met en relief l’urgence de cial. C’est notre vocation, mais c’est aussi ce avec l’emploi des jeunes. Sans cela, nous pouvons crain- quoi nous pouvons faire la différence par rapport à dre désespoir et violence dans les pays pauvres, d’autres partenaires. Nous plaidons ici pour que sans parler des pressions migratoires. Cela exige de cette vocation sociale de la Belgique puisse se ren- la part de tous de redoubler d’efforts et forcer davantage. Nous voudrions éviter que sa spé- d’imagination. Il est également grand temps de met- cificité et celle de l’OIT se diluent dans la grande tre en évidence la responsabilité sociale des entre- mer de l’aide au développement trop souvent axé prises et le rôle qu’elles ont à remplir dans le do- sur les effets du mal-développement plutôt que sur maine de l’emploi. La Déclaration de principes tri- des politiques proactives et sociales de développe- partite sur les entreprises multinationales et la poli- ment. tique sociale est le seul instrument qui soit universel Dans cette foulée, je lance ici un appel urgent à la en cette matière. Il mérite d’être remis en valeur à communauté internationale et à l’OIT en particulier l’occasion de son trentième anniversaire en 2007, et pour la reconstruction sociale de la République dé- la Belgique est prête à offrir son aide au Bureau. mocratique du Congo après les élections libres de Voici, Monsieur le Président, quelques messages cet été. Cela ne saurait être en aucun cas l’affaire que je voulais délivrer en souhaitant plein succès à exclusive des institutions de Bretton Woods ou de la Conférence dans ses travaux. consortia de bailleurs de fonds occasionnels.

10/36 Nous plaidons pour que, dès à présent, l’OIT se Hoy la globalización es un desafío complejo y la donne les moyens pour prendre les devants et deve- OIT está estratégicamente ubicada en el contexto de nir «leading agency» pour le redressement social de las Naciones Unidas para dar respuestas pertinentes la République démocratique du Congo. en el campo del desarrollo de la empresa y del em- Finalement, permettez-moi de me joindre à tous pleo, allí donde puede abrir sus debates y transferir ceux qui ont demandé une attention particulière sus conocimientos, tanto en el plano del diálogo pour le sort des travailleurs palestiniens. Il incombe social como a través de sus diversos medios de ac- à l’OIT, ici aussi, de voir plus loin que les intérêts ción, en sus objetivos estratégicos pero poniendo politiques et de rechercher des solutions qui répon- foco en lo local, es decir, en lo nacional. dent aux attentes de justice sociale des travailleurs En particular, debe tenerse en cuenta que pertene- et travailleuses de ce peuple par trop maltraité et cemos a una región donde hoy, la mitad del empleo humilié. es prácticamente no protegido y no registrado como Sr. MENDEZ (empleador, Argentina) resultado de la informalidad. Pero esa informalidad no es sólo la consecuencia de la perversidad o de la Es para mí un gran honor volver a dirigirme a us- tendencia a la anomia de los emprendedores o de tedes en mi carácter de representante de los empre- los autoempleados, sino a la lamentable contraparti- sarios de la Argentina. da de redes burocráticas y sistemas fiscales y labo- Sean mis primeras palabras para congratularme de rales que agobian, en particular, al micro y pequeño su designación como Presidente de esta magna emprendedor. asamblea y a la vez señalar hoy la coincidencia de No podríamos afrontar exitosamente el desafío de que el Presidente del Consejo de Administración y la globalización con la pesada carga de estas rémo- el Vicepresidente empleador del mismo, tienen en ras que, so pretexto de defender a quienes tienen común su procedencia: la nacionalidad argentina, trabajo, olvidan o marginan a los desempleados, los testimonio del grado de compromiso y la larga his- desocupados y los informales en general. toria de vinculación con la OIT. No estamos a favor de la dualización de los mer- Señor Presidente, vale la pena rescatar que, entre cados de trabajo, sino de la cohesión social que sólo las muchas dificultades que nuestro país ha debido se gesta a partir de un Estado eficaz en su gestión, afrontar en su historia, hay sin embargo ciertos ele- una economía de mercado eficiente y competitiva mentos comunes: el respeto a los principios y dere- en un sistema sociolaboral moderno y realista. chos fundamentales en el trabajo, la libertad de ini- Estamos convencidos de que el diálogo social ciativa privada y el diálogo social. puede constituir el medio idóneo, no sólo para ali- Me permito señalar esto porque, en cualquier re- viar las tensiones de la coyuntura, sino para proyec- flexión referida a política e instituciones para la tar al país en una hacienda común de progreso, don- creación del trabajo decente en un contexto de de haya inversión genuina y productiva y no cual- transformación tecnológica y cambios en el mundo quier inversión; donde haya trabajo productivo y a partir de la globalización, es menester conocer los decente y no la precariedad resultante, la informali- valores a los cuales está particularmente ligada la dad o el desempleo, que revelan un mercado de tra- comunidad. bajo segmentado y excluyente; una educación que La Argentina ha tenido muchos movimientos vuelva a ser vehículo de inclusión y desarrollo per- pendulares, tanto en lo político, entre democracia y sonal y social, y una seguridad social que contenga autoritarismo, como en lo económico, en cuyo pla- al desempleado o al incapacitado y lo reinserte de no se alternaron políticas de diversa naturaleza u manera útil para sí mismo y para la sociedad a la orientación ideológica, pero en todo caso, no logra- que pertenece. ron modelar un perfil que permitiera un desarrollo Todos estos enunciados se deben transformar en sustentable. estrategias concretas, y en el plano laboral creemos Hoy venimos a esta Conferencia con una expe- que la OIT puede cooperar eficazmente para ayudar riencia diferente y con una esperanza compartida. a definir leyes que protejan, y no meros privilegios; Después de una crisis gravísima, de consecuencias normas que puedan cumplirse y no catálogos de imprevisibles en el plano político, económico y so- deseos, es decir, instrumentos idóneos para la tarea cial, estamos creciendo en forma sostenida a una común de crear empresas y empleo en el marco de tasa del 9 por ciento anual. Se han robustecido las un proyecto que, reconociendo la diversidad de in- instituciones políticas y las perspectivas económicas tereses, permita articular los mismos como requisito y sociales son alentadoras, tanto en el campo del indispensable para concretar una sociedad más justa crecimiento del producto bruto interno, de la dismi- y más libre. nución de la pobreza, del aumento de la ocupación y del volumen de nuestras exportaciones. Mr. BENGTSSON (Worker, Sweden) Fuimos precursores durante el flujo migratorio de In 1919 when the ILO was founded in Paris, the principios del siglo XX, al recibir generosamente el basic idea was to build societies without any social aporte de emigrantes europeos que bajan del Norte gaps to avoid social conflicts and, in the worst case, en busca de paz, trabajo y oportunidad en el Sur. war. This noble goal is still valid, but today ongoing Ese aluvión migratorio produjo el notable fenómeno globalization has many faces: millions of people are en virtud del cual de cada cuatro trabajadores exis- leaving the burden of poverty, but, at the same time, tentes entonces en nuestro país, sólo uno era argen- even more people are living under the poverty line; tino. En dicho contexto creció la Argentina y su trade is increasing; countries, particularly in Africa, gente, nacionales o extranjeros. Recibieron la pro- are delinked from a progressive economic develop- tección de la ley y la Constitución por igual, sin dis- ment; liberal labour market actors become stronger tinciones de razas o de credos. at the expense of weaker governments; human Hoy estamos en el camino del crecimiento. No es rights at work are violated, and so forth. Our con- un camino fácil, pues no sólo la crisis reciente, sino clusion is that the ILO’s original objectives adopted la larga secuencia ya aludida, demoraron el trazado in 1919 are still valid and are today needed as a consistente de un sendero de desarrollo sustentable. guide more than ever before.

10/37 The Swedish trade unions welcome the Director- pier’s unwillingness to fulfil its responsibilities ac- General’s Report to this session of the Conference cording to international law. A first step to improve and the overall objective to strengthen the imple- the situation would be to remove the wall, built on mentation of decent work and a decent life for Palestinian ground. workers. To achieve this goal, there is a need for Original Chinese: Mr. CHEN (Employer, China) tremendous engagement from all involved parts, not least governments, which have the responsibility to We are delighted to see that the Report submitted guarantee implementation at the national level of by the Director-General to the Conference contains the decisions they have taken at the ILO level. Fur- an in-depth analysis of the changes in the world of thermore, it is necessary for governments, the ILO, work brought about by economic globalization and other United Nations organizations and multilateral explains to us the challenges and tasks we are fac- organizations, such as the World Trade Organiza- ing to realize the Decent Work Agenda, thus laying tion, to adopt a coherent approach to make the De- a good foundation for discussion at this Conference. cent Work Agenda a reality. We, the Swedish trade We are convinced that so long as we actually under- unions, are of the opinion that the objectives of the stand and handle the changes in the world of work Decent Work Agenda should be added to the Mil- well, define our responsibilities and missions lennium Development Goals. clearly and make concerted efforts, we will effec- Swedish trade unions also support and believe in tively facilitate the early attainment of our global free trade and an open labour market. At the same strategic objective of making decent work a global time, we are convinced that governments have to goal and contribute to building a peaceful, prosper- strengthen their role vis-à-vis international capital to ous and harmonious world. offer their citizens social security, and education Just as the Director-General has rightly pointed and to guarantee human rights. In our struggle for out in his Report, concerted economic globalization the creation of decent work, we have to widen our has provided countries with new opportunities in horizon. That means that governments have to real- their social and economic development, yet we ize their basic responsibilities for ensuring sustain- should note that the old international political and able development when it comes to the environ- economic order which is unfair and unreasonable, ment, human rights – not least human rights in has remained unchanged, and that uneven global working life – well-trained labour and social secu- development and problems such as the widening rity between jobs. Governments require the courage gap between rich and poor and north and south and to face the challenge of structural reforms and, at the resulting environmental degradation remain to the same time, need to respect their people’s basic be resolved. The uncertainty in the labour market is rights. To be able to implement the Decent Work more keenly felt, and identifying ways to make Agenda, governments have to secure themselves working men and women worldwide to see changes income from taxes and other sources. more as an opportunity and less than a risk has be- We are happy to learn from the Director- come a serious issue facing the ILO and its mem- General’s Report, The end of child labour: Within bership. We appreciate the Director-General’s reach, that the ILO campaign against child labour words affirming that there are no rights at work if has been successful and resulted in a decrease in there is no work and that the road to decent work exploited children. We strongly believe that this is a goes through economic growth, investment and en- result of the great engagement of trade unions, em- terprise development. We hope that the ILO can ployers and governments and the adoption of a co- bring into play fully the advantages of its long his- herent approach including political areas such as tory and expertise in dealing with labour issues and education for all and working opportunities for provide more guidance and assistance to countries adults. But still more than 218 million child workers when it comes to developing their labour markets are prevented from having an education and child- and expending employment. In particular, we hope hood and, even worse, are involved in trafficking. that the ILO will strengthen the capacity of employ- The ILO and all its Members have the responsibil- ers’ organizations in developing countries, so that ity, together with the social partners in all nations, they can play their due role in the changing world of to continue the fight to abolish the existence of work. child labour. China is a developing country with the largest The Report, The situation of workers of the occu- population and the most abundant labour resources. pied Arab territories, gives a very dark picture of The issue of employment is much heavier, more the present situation and the future. The labour complicated and more urgent than in any other market and trade that should be the engine for real country. The China Enterprise Confederation (CEC) development in Palestine are destroyed by the ac- has always regarded it its unshakable duty and obli- tivities of the Israeli occupation. Instead, we ob- gation to promote the reform and development of serve increasing unemployment and poverty. Some enterprises, enhance their innovation capability and months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the town competitiveness and expand employment and re- Qalqilya on the West Bank. The whole town is sur- employment. In response to the guiding principles rounded by the wall and fences preventing the local set by the Chinese Government that workers choose people from accessing their workplaces, and farm- their jobs automatically, the market adjusts em- ers from reaching their fields. In the space of a few ployment, and the government promotes employ- months, unemployment in the town increased by ment, and taking economic development as the ba- 25,000 people. This is only one of many examples. sic solution to the problem of unemployment, we Lastly, the Director-General’s Report outlines are making concerted efforts to improve a sound possible solutions to the situation. One is increased tripartite mechanism for coordinating labour rela- social dialogue. We strongly support that position, tions so as to build a harmonious enterprise and a but we also would like to underline the need for the harmonious society. In order to better promote the ILO to call attention to the fact that the present development, utilization and flow of labour re- situation is a result of the occupation and the occu- sources from a legal perspective, CEC has been ac-

10/38 tively participating in the discussion and revision of that receive full consideration by the Russian Gov- laws concerning labour, employment, safe produc- ernment as it defines its priorities in labour market tion, etc., thus providing a favourable legal envi- policy and in policy in the area of social and labour ronment for enhancing enterprise competitiveness relations. Our current priorities are as follows: mak- and attainment of the goal of decent work. It is ing more effective use of human resources and po- worth mentioning that the 11th five-year plan for tential from the point of view of meeting the eco- social and economic development of China, adopted nomic and social interests of each worker as well as by the Fourth Session of the Tenth National Peo- those of the economy and society as a whole; im- ple’s Congress in March this year, has included for proving systems of vocational training in order to the first time a provision for the establishment of a achieve a balance between supply and demand on sound tripartite mechanism to coordinate labour the labour market; and reforming the system of re- relations, which will significantly promote the de- muneration, increasing employment and creating velopment of the tripartite mechanism and democ- safe working conditions. These are, in other words, ratic consultation in China. We hope to strengthen all of the issues which are the very foundation of the the cooperation with the ILO and employers’ or- concept of decent work. ganizations in other countries to promote economic Currently, the Russian Government, together with and social development and achieve the goal of full its social partners, is preparing a white paper on employment and decent work. labour market policy. This document encompasses Original Russian: Ms. LEVITSKAYA (Government, Russian the whole range of social and labour relations. We Federation) are also preparing a national programme for 2007- 10, entitled “Safe labour”, intended to decrease I should like to join with the preceding speakers mortality, accidents and occupational diseases at and note the very high quality of the reports which work. have been presented at this Conference and I should Finally, we have proposed a large number of rele- like especially to note the Director-General’s Re- vant initiatives to be included in our cooperation port, Changing patterns in the world of work, which programme with the ILO for the period 2006-09, touches upon some of the most important aspects of which was signed today. labour relations in the context of the new challenges Ladies and gentlemen, we are convinced that our posed by globalization. joint efforts as well as the contributions made by the We share the concern expressed in the Report that Director-General will allow us to create the neces- the current level of employment across the world is sary conditions for effective and decent work. not sufficient for global economic growth, either in terms of quality or of quantity. Growing labour mi- Mr. ATWOLI (Worker, Kenya) gration brings with it both undoubted advantages We wish to commend the Director-General of the for the development of national economies and also ILO for presenting to this session of the Conference problems related to the very complex issues of regu- a comprehensive report on programme implementa- lating labour markets. The working conditions ex- tion which covers the third biennium since the perienced by half the global labour force present a commencement of the ILO programme and budget very serious obstacle in the quest for decent work. implementation through the results-based perform- The Report quite rightly raises a number of issues ance measurement system. which undoubtedly deserve to be the subject of As workers’ representatives we greatly appreciate broad global discussion. Rapid processes of devel- the Report, as it provides useful information neces- opment of new technologies, the exchange of in- sary to review the work of the Office in delivering formation and the rapidly changing frameworks of services to constituents and the Organization as a economic relations require companies as well as whole. national economic and legal systems to adapt to the We note with appreciation that the Report con- new challenges of globalization. cludes the period of the strategic policy framework Labour relations in these conditions are not only for 2002-05 whose main objective was the consoli- undergoing significant change but, in our view, are dation of the Decent Work Agenda. As a result of also evolving into entirely new and previously un- its implementation, decent work is now recognized known forms, and this requires governments to find worldwide as a basis for coherent and workable lo- adequate mechanisms of legal regulation and to cal national and global policies. formulate new methods to ensure the social protec- Coming to the actual delivery of services to the tion of workers. A prime example of this is pro- constituents in the biennium under review, the Ken- vided by the proposed Recommendation discussed yan workers are happy to note that the Organization at this Conference on the employment relationship. has managed to achieve at least two-thirds of the In connection with globalization, we believe that overall targets set for all the strategic objectives and competition for qualified workers will increase. cross-cutting issues, which is a clear sign of the ef- Negative demographic trends which have been fective and efficient utilization of available re- noted in developed countries will lead to an in- sources. creased demand for labour. In this connection, the As noted in the Report, however, the workers’ fra- gap between supply and demand on the global la- ternity in Kenya would in future like to see a review bour market must not be allowed to widen. These of indicators and targets, particularly in areas where trends are also reflected in the situation in the Rus- less tangible results are being measured. sian Federation. This compels us to seek radically We wish to commend the Organization for help- new approaches to solving these problems. ing many member States to ratify fundamental The Government of the Russian Federation sup- Conventions, during the biennium. In most of these ports the efforts of the ILO to create conditions for cases, it was observed that technical cooperation decent work around the world and to ensure the ap- played a significant role in laying the necessary plication of fundamental principles and rights at ground for ratification and implementation of the work. It is precisely these approaches and principles Conventions, and we therefore wish to call for the

10/39 continued increase of such cooperation, especially 2004-05, for its substantive and comprehensive de- in member States which are experiencing difficul- tail, as well as well-meaning performance meas- ties in ratifying and implementing these core Con- urements based on strategic objectives and results. ventions. The four strategic objectives truly encompass to a We concur, however, with the Report’s observa- great extent the present realities that need to be ad- tion emanating from the Committee of Experts that dressed in the world of work under the challenges with the increased number of ratifications the ca- and opportunities of a global economy. pacity of the supervisory process has tended to be Indeed, it is worth noting that the propagation and overstretched, and hence there is a need to ensure practice of the values and principles of the ILO, as that adequate capacity is put in place to facilitate embodied in the international labour standards and full application of the processes. reflected in the Decent Work Agenda, has strength- In Kenya, although the Government has recog- ened the ideals of more democratic societies, safer nized employment as the main route out of poverty, work and living environments and more dignified as outlined in its policy paper “Economic Recovery life for humanity. Strategy through Employment and Wealth Crea- We therefore urge the delegates to this year’s tion”, there has not been much consultation with the Conference to take into serious consideration the workers’ fraternity in Kenya, particularly from the present agenda on occupational health and safety. key Ministries of Finance and National Planning, More specifically, the proposed Convention and which are charged with responsibility for develop- Recommendation, as drafted following prior consul- ing policies on economic development. We note, tations among the stakeholders on the development however, that this is partly due to inadequate of a new instrument which would establish a pro- frameworks for consultation with such governmen- motional framework for occupational safety and tal agencies, which therefore calls for technical as- health. sistance from the Organization to build institutions As we deliberate on this safety Convention and and capacities to realize sustained and constructive Recommendation, let us dedicate them to the thou- engagement by tripartite partners. We also note sands of workers who lost their lives and those from experience that in order to eradicate poverty in permanently disabled and injured in a series of Africa, the member States of that continent must tragic events. More recently, to the textile workers encourage and develop home-made economic poli- in Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh, due to the cies relevant to their needs and situations. collapse of buildings, fire and a panic stampede, in The report by the World Commission on the So- the span of less than a year. Let us bear in mind the cial Dimension of Globalization, Fair globalization: precarious working conditions of the birds’ nest Creating opportunities for all, echoed the Organiza- collectors of North Jakarta who bring soup to the tion’s response to the effects of globalization and developed countries. Let us consider the absence of particularly in developing countries like Kenya. safety and security measures for the diamond work- While we note that the ILO’s efforts in internation- ers in India and the textile workers of Cambodia; alizing the report as observed from the outcomes of the workers in the export processing zones and the the September 2005 United Nations Summit, the migrant workers, as well as the informal sector September 2004 African Union Extraordinary workers in Asia (mainly women who toil for less Summit, and the 2005 Summits of the Americas and than $2 per day for the lucrative businesses of the the European Union, we are disturbed by the activi- world). ties of some multinationals operating in the tea sec- It is somehow sad to ponder that, while machines tor in Kenya which seem to be hell-bent on sacrific- used in businesses are piously given annual preven- ing jobs at the altar of profits under the guise of tative maintenance at the cost of the enterprise, la- competitiveness. bour and manpower are sometimes deprived of It is on record that the ILO has always advocated regular yearly medical check-ups and preventive labour-intensive technologies, which guarantee in- safety gadgets and training. creased employment opportunities and protection of As I stated in this same forum last year, I wish to existing ones. As Kenyan workers, we therefore call reiterate the gratitude of our workers in Asia to upon the Organization to direct greater focus on those who have contributed to the promulgation of finding the best solution in balancing investors’ national policies, systems and programmes with the need for competitiveness and the workers’ need for ultimate goal of reducing or eliminating occupa- increased employment opportunities and job secu- tional hazards and diseases affecting workers who rity. are the backbone of our societies’ progress. In conclusion, we would like to record our agree- The experiences of the governments, employers ment with the Report’s analysis of the lessons and workers of these countries, in a genuine spirit of learned from the biennium under review, and en- consultation and social dialogue, in promulgating, courage the Organization to implement the sug- implementing and continuously monitoring their gested recommendations on the way forward during occupational safety and health programmes, have the current biennium. contributed to the development of the new instru- Ms. LUCERO (representative, Brotherhood of Asian Trade ments. Unions) With high hopes, we in BATU will extend our utmost efforts and cooperation to work together to As you may know, the Brotherhood of Asian make work safe for all. Trade Unions (BATU) has been an ardent supporter of ILO principles and programmes for the past four Mr. SHRESTHA (Employer, Nepal) decades, having consultative status with the ILO I am privileged to make my short remarks to this and being a consistent participant at this annual 95th Session of the International Labour Confer- Conference. ence. This is a very important forum, which brings We congratulate our respected Director-General together all stakeholders to discuss various socio- on his Report, ILO programme implementation

10/40 economic issues specifically related to the world of tinuation of ILO support in this area is highly work. needed. We have experienced quick changes on the socio- The debate and discussion during the Conference economic fronts. These changes also have influ- will help the ILO to make future plans and reshape enced business opportunities and employment rela- its programmes in order to achieve its objectives tions. One of the major challenges is to respond to and serve the need of its constituents across the the changed context. The experience shared in this globe. regard will be relevant and crucial for the ILO to Mr. YOVEL (representative, International Young Christian tackle the issues in a practical manner. Workers) The Report of the Director-General of the ILO submitted to the International Labour Conference Today, in many workplaces, workers are hired as 2006 has documented its activities, achievements part-time workers, occasional workers, subcontrac- and problems/hindrances faced by business around tors, interim workers, autonomous workers and the world. Also, the Report has highlighted issues workers from job experience programmes. These such as employment relations, poverty reduction, types of work arrangements deny access to the same employment generation, promotion of decent work, social benefits as permanent workers. In some coun- child labour, HIV/AIDS, the environment, corporate tries, labour laws encourage individual workplace social responsibility, enterprise development and so bargaining, forcing individual workers to bargain on. directly with their employers for payment and The Report also summarizes the obstacles faced, working conditions, leaving young workers vulner- while addressing the highlighted issues in a desir- able. With no guarantee or right to permanent work, able manner. The Report also states problems and many workers are forced to accept temporary em- factors that differ between economies and geo- ployment for an indefinite time. graphic locations. Based on these lessons learnt, the A growing number of young people are forced ILO should devote more attention and focus to deal- into a situation of long-term unemployment and ing with particular issues. they end up in the informal economy to make a liv- The policy programme and activities undertaken ing. In many countries the unemployed young peo- by the ILO, which are universally designed, are not ple do not have any hope of getting jobs because of found adequate and appropriate in many cases, es- privatization, labour flexibility, outsourcing and pecially in developing countries. Developing coun- reduction of the workforce. The types of work ac- tries, which are struggling with so many socio- tivities in the informal economy have very little or economic issues, need more support with country- inadequate protection against any form of exploita- specific programmes. tion. Economies from both developed and developing Young women workers are mostly the victims of countries are facing new challenges. Economic violence, abuse and discrimination in workplaces. globalization has had a multifaceted impact on Often these violations and discriminations are not businesses. There has been a shift in employment properly handled by the authorities and the perpe- relations. There is no alternative than to accept this trator behind such incidents goes free of any pun- hard fact. There should be no disagreement on the ishment. need for new employment patterns, so the focus In many workplaces the workers face threats so should be on how it can be achieved by ensuring a that they fear to join or create their own trade un- balance of interest, labour rights and promoting the ions. As this session of the International Labour concept of decent work. Conference discusses the issue of employment rela- At present, workers are more aware of rights and tionship, we bring to your attention that many coun- unionization which has strengthened their position tries have yet to ratify the Freedom of Association in collective bargaining on issues such as wage and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, benefits and employment patterns. Now, the chal- 1948 (No. 87) and the Right to Organise and Col- lenges for business are not limited to dealing with lective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98). traditional issues of workers’ rights, but also imply In all these cases, workers have very little or no dealing with issues of productivity, increased com- protection from the existing labour laws for decent petition, environment and social responsibility. working conditions, good salary and benefits. It is globally opined that labour flexibility is re- Workers in the free trade zones are discouraged quired to respond to the changing business envi- and often harassed from joining trade unions in a ronment, ensuring industrial growth and social se- number of countries. curity, attracting new investments, generating em- We call on all the member States to enact laws ployment and reducing poverty. and policies that promote more permanent, decent In the Nepalese context, with the realization of a and sustainable employment; apply the ILO Con- need for legislative reforms, the process of labour ventions No. 87 and No. 89 on freedom of associa- law reform is under way to facilitate business and tion and the right to collective bargaining in all respond to new issues and challenges brought by workplaces, including the free trade zones, irrespec- globalization. There has been increasing social dia- tive of the status of employment; regulate the pri- logue at bipartite and tripartite levels. These dia- vate interim job agencies to avoid exploitation and logues have contributed to developing and formulat- ensure the governments take the responsibility to ing labour and employment policies, action pro- create decent working conditions in all workplaces; grammes on decent work, a masterplan on child provide financial and technical support to develop labour, and a national policy on HIV/AIDS. the skills of the young workers in temporary, in- The programmes and activities implemented by terim and contract jobs, so that they get more access the employers’ organization of Nepal with the sup- to permanent employment. port of ILO-IPEC to combat the problem of child We call on the employers to respect the labour labour have become very successful and have had a laws and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Prin- positive impact among the employers. The con- ciples and Rights at Work; provide training for the

10/41 workers in the temporary and interim jobs to de- the workers; urge the governments to ratify and im- velop their capacity to enter into permanent em- plement the core labour standards to achieve decent ployment; guarantee occupational health and safety work objectives. in the workplace to have a healthy and decent work- Finally, the International Young Christian Work- ing environment. ers calls on the tripartite partners of the ILO to pro- We call on the trade unions to organize the work- mote decent and sustainable work for all. ers in temporary work and the informal economy under trade unions and lobby for their social protec- (The Conference adjourned at 6.30 p.m.) tion; create workers’ associations and trade unions (La séance est levée à 18 h 30.) where the trade unions and workers’ organizations do not exist. (Se levanta la sesión a las 18 h.30.) We call on the ILO to create a definition of fair employment relationship and clarify the obligation of the parties involved with specific Conventions and Recommendations safeguarding the rights of

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CONTENTS

Page

Fourth sitting

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

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

Discusión del Informe del Presidente del Consejo de Administración y de la Memoria y los informes del Director General: Discusión (cont.) ...... 1 Speakers: Mr. Bougouma, Mr. Martínez, Mr. Caldera Sánchez-Capitán, Ms. Jämtin, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Kozik, Mr. Thys, Mr. Jamasevi, Mr. Galea, Mr. Silaban, Mr. Lee, Mr. Jahromi, Mr. Boti, Mr. Doz, Mr. Bartenstein, Mr. Spidla, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Jo, Mr. Jiménez de Aguilar, Mr. Pheto, Mr. Mousa, Mr. Hamadeh, Ms. Filatov, Mr. Plaskitt, Mr. Hjort Frederiksen

Fifth sitting

Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General: Discussion (cont.)...... 21

Rapports du Président du Conseil d’administration et du Directeur général: Discussion (suite) ...... 21

Discusión del Informe del Presidente del Consejo de Administración y de la Memoria y los informes del Director General: Discusión (cont.) ...... 21 Speakers: Mr. Minasyan, Mr. Kudatgobilik, Mr. Keira, Mr. Sakhan, M. Trogen, Ms. Radičová, Mr. Levanon, Mr. Ahmed, Mr. Megawir, Mr. Wang, Ms. Karagussova, Mr. Ali, Mr. Kiliç, Ms. Taípo

Request by the Republic of Montenegro for observer status at the 95th Session of the International Labour Conference ...... 32

Demande de statut d’observateur à la 95e session de la Conférence internationale du Travail présentée par la République du Monténégro ...... 32

Solicitud de condición de observadora en la 95a reunión de la Conferencia internacional del Trabajo presentada por la República de Montenegro ...... 32 Speaker: The President

Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General: Discussion (cont.)...... 32

Rapports du Président du Conseil d’administration et du Directeur général: Discussion (suite) ...... 32

Discusión del Informe del Presidente del Consejo de Administración y de la Memoria y los informes del Director General: Discusión (cont.) ...... 32 Speakers: Mr. Tian, Mr. Louh, Mr. Kim, Mr. Zarb, Mr. Vanvelthoven, Mr. Cortebeeck, Mr. Méndez, Mr. Bengtsson, Mr. Chen, Ms. Levitskaya, Mr. Atwoli, Ms. Lucero, M. Shrestha, Mr. Yovel

No. 10 – Wednesday, 7 June 2006