I. Purpose, duration and composition of the activities to be held in 2008 and new proposals for activities in 2008–09, including proposals resulting from the groupings of sectors’ advisory bodies

The Governing Body:

(a) endorsed the purpose, composition, duration and dates of the meetings on agriculture, oil and gas, maritime and the global dialogue forum on commerce as proposed in Part A of document GB.300/STM/1 and listed in paragraph 18 of document GB.300/16, and decided:

• that the purpose of the Meeting of Experts on agriculture would be to adopt a code of practice on safety and health in agriculture, that eight experts should be nominated from each group and that the meeting should last for eight days from 22 to 30 September 2009;
• that the tripartite meeting on oil and gas should focus on recent developments, contract work employment, industrial relations, social dialogue and the implication of contract work issues in the oil production and oil transportation sectors, that 12 Employer and 12 Worker participants be invited and that it should last for four days, from 11 to 14 May 2009;
• that the purpose of the maritime meetings would be to adopt guidelines for the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, and should be held, one following the other, between 15 and 26 September 2008. The composition and exact duration of the two meetings would be determined later;
• that the purpose of the global dialogue forum on vocational education and skills development for commerce workers would be to examine current and future skills needs in the commerce sector as a basis for designing skills development strategies and vocational education programmes for workers to support their employment prospects and employability, as well as to improve business productivity and competitiveness. The forum would last for two days, 24 and 25 November 2008, and would be composed of six Employer and six Worker representatives and all governments would be invited. Other Employers and Workers could attend at their own expense;

(b) endorsed the activities contained in Part B of document GB.300/STM/1, recommended by advisory bodies for groups of sectors concerning the groupings and listed in paragraph 19 of document GB.300/16: manufacturing; infrastructure, construction and related industries; public services and utilities; and education and research; and

(c) decided that additional proposals by the Office be discussed in the March 2008 session of the Governing Body, following advisory body consultations.

(GB.300/16, paragraph 30.)

II. Effect to be given to the recommendations of sectoral and technical meetings

Tripartite Meeting on the Production of Electronic Components for the IT Industries: Changing Labour Force Requirements in a Global Economy (16–18 April 2007)

The Governing Body:

(a) authorized the Director-General to communicate the Note on the proceedings:

• to governments, requesting them to communicate these texts to the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned;
• to the international employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned; and
• to the international organizations concerned;

(b) requested the Director-General to bear in mind, when drawing up proposals for the future work of the Office, the wishes expressed by the meeting in the conclusions.

(GB.300/16, paragraph 36.)

III. Update on the ILO’s participation in the development by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of safety recommendations for small fishing vessels

The Governing Body:

(i) authorized the continued participation by the ILO in the development of safety recommendations for decked fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length and undecked fishing vessels, and participation by an ILO tripartite delegation to the next (51st) Session of the IMO’s Subcommittee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels’ Safety;

(ii) invited the nomination of one representative each from the governments, Employers and Workers to participate, at no cost to the Office, in the work of the correspondence group and in the ILO delegation to the 51st Session of the IMO’s Subcommittee on Stability and Load Lines and on Fishing Vessels’ Safety in 2008;

(iii) requested the Office to continue to report to the Committee on any new developments concerning this work.

(GB.300/16, paragraph 42.)

IV. Joint ILO/IMO/Basel Convention Working Group on Ship Scrapping: Third Session

The Governing Body requested the Director-General to:

(a) proceed, in consultation with the constituents, to discuss and, if possible, agree on an agenda and date for the meeting with the IMO and Basel Convention secretariats; and

(b) report to the Committee on the outcome of those discussions at its next session in March 2008.

(GB.300/16, paragraph 46.)

V. Other questions

(a) Joint ILO/WHO Meeting on the Revision of the International Medical Guide for Ships (IMGS) (Geneva, 25–26 July 2007)

The Governing Body:

(i) noted the report of the Joint ILO/WHO Meeting on the Revision of the International Medical Guide for Ships (IMGS) and the publication of the IMGS by the WHO as a Joint WHO/IMO/ILO publication; and

(ii) requested the Office to confer with the WHO, in consultation with the constituents concerned and taking into account established practices between the two organizations, with the view to proposing an appropriate mechanism to review on a five-year basis and revising as appropriate the International Medical Guide for Ships, as well as assessing the financial implications to support this process.

(GB.300/16, paragraph 52.)

(b) Project on avian flu and the workplace

The Governing Body took note of this part of the report. (GB.300/16, paragraphs 53–55.)