INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION (ITUC)
ITUC OnLine
105/300508
ILO Conference puts Decent Work Under the Spotlight as new Website for World Day for Decent Work launched today
Brussels, 30 May 2008 (ITUC OnLine): A new website for the World Day for Decent Work was launched today as a special
ITUC-organised event on Decent Work took place at the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
involving ILO Director General Juan Somavia, ILO Workers’ Group Chair Sir Roy Trotman, CTNG Guinea General Secretary
Rabiatou Sérah Diallo who is Vice-President of this year’s ILO Conference, and ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. The
panel focused on the preparations of the World Day for Decent Work which will take place on October 7 this year,
initiated by the ITUC. Trade unions around the world will be holding events leading up to October 7 and on the day
itself, focusing on the themes “Rights at Work”, “Solidarity” and “Ending Poverty and Inequality”. .
“Globalisation is working for some, but hundreds of millions of women and men are missing out. With the global system
incapable even of dealing with that most fundamental of needs, affordable food, the need for a completely new approach
to globalisation is more evident than at any time. The World Day for Decent Work will be a major international
mobilisation in the campaign to make decent work and regulation of the world economy a reality in place of the current
fixation with so-called market solutions”, said Ryder.
The ILO Conference this year brings together more than 3,000 government, worker and employer representatives to discuss
a wide range of issues including rural poverty reduction, the latest developments in labour rights and enhancing skills
development. The Conference will also consider strategic challenges in terms of obtaining decent work, as well as host a
high-level panel discussion on 11 June on “Tackling the Food Crisis Through Investment, Production and Decent Work”.
The Conference Committee on the Application of Standards will discuss around 25 cases of the application of ILO
standards, including trade union rights, by individual countries. A special session will be organized to examine forced
labour in Burma. Systematic violations of human and trade union rights and forced labour imposed by the military junta
make the life of Burmese people intolerable. The ITUC released a report last April “Rich pickings: how trade and
investment keep the Burmese junta alive and kicking” and called for a massive international humanitarian relief effort following the devastation caused by tropical cyclone
Nargis.
A second special event on migration focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries was organised by the ITUC,
the Building Workers’ International http://www.bwint.org/default.asp?Language=EN and the US AFL-CIO Solidarity Center
http://www.solidaritycenter.org . Trade unions from several countries highlighted their work to defend migrant workers’ rights, in a region which has
become internationally renowned for severe exploitation of migrant workers.
On June 6, the plenary session will focus on the ILO’s Global Report “Freedom of Association in Practice: Lessons
learned” which says that despite a global trend towards wider recognition of civil rights, millions of workers around
the world still lack fundamental rights.
For more information on the World Day for Decent Work: http://www.wddw.org
For more information on the ILO Conference: http://www.ilo.org
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. Website:
www.ituc-csi.org
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