Impact and people
2005
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Bulgaria: helping businesses to enter the formal economy
04 October 2005
GENEVA (ILO Online) - In 2003, a new regulation was introduced in Bulgaria, whereby it became compulsory for employers to register all labour contracts. In addition, as many employers and enterprises are unaware about the new regulations, there is a strong need now to inform them on how to conform with the new system. The ILO's Bureau for Employers' Activities (ACT/EMP) supports the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) - the largest Bulgarian employers' organization, to help companies moving from informality to formality. ILO on line spoke with Henrik Moller and Jean-Marie Standaert, both from ACT/EMP, who assist BIA in making this happen.
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XVIIth World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health Decent work is safe work
27 September 2005
ORLANDO (ILO Online) - All too often lives are shattered unnecessarily because of poor working conditions and inadequate safety systems. According to a new ILO report, the number of work-related deaths per year has risen to 2.2 million, a figure that is probably vastly under-reported. ILO Online spoke with Jukka Takala, Director of the ILO SafeWork Programme at the XVIIth World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health which is held in Orlando, Florida, from 18-22 September.
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After the tsunami "I want to have a good job" - preparing young people in Aceh for a better future
26 September 2005
Last year's disastrous Indian Ocean earthquake and tidal wave had long term consequences for tens of thousands of junior and senior high school students in the Indonesian province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD). Devastated school buildings and the lack of teaching personnel deprived the students of educational opportunities, with some 20,000 ultimately failing national exams. The crisis facing the education system follows a long period of civil conflict in Aceh during which schooling for many children was regularly disrupted. To help remedy the large increase in the numbers failing national exams, the ILO and the NAD Provincial Education Office have developed special training programmes for students from 50 schools in Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and Aceh Jaya.
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XVIIth World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health Hitting Close to Home: Workplace Safety Experts to meet in the aftermath of Katrina
20 September 2005
The XVIIth World Congress on Occupational Safety and Health that gets underway in Orlando, Florida this week will focus on the plight of workers worldwide who die or become ill due to work-related causes. But in the aftermath of the devastating Katrina hurricane, the implicit physical and emotional dangers faced by rescue and recovery workers on the ground several hundred miles from here is expected to provide a sobering perspective at the Congress. ILO on line reports.
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Airport check-in workers: little gain but lots of pain
20 September 2005
In today's high-cost, low-budget and passenger-intense air travel wars, check-in workers are the front line troops in the airlines' battle for survival. And like anyone exposed in battle, they're also the first to suffer. A recently published ILO study ( Note 1) shows a serious loss of productivity and a dramatic burden of pain and violence besets check-in workers, and offers strategies for improving the situation.
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UN World Summit 14-16 September 2005 "Restoring dignity through work" - Employment-intensive approaches to economic recovery in Africa
16 September 2005
Across Africa, ILO programmes have helped 25 countries put employment at the centre of public investment and poverty reduction. They are part of the ILO Decent Work Agenda and contribute directly to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the global fight against poverty. ILO on line reports from Somalia where the Organization, along with other United Nations agencies, is currently working to help rebuild the economy after years of conflict.
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Decent work for all seafarers: ILO-IMO prepare new guidelines on death, injury and abandonment
16 September 2005
Globalization, complex vessel ownership and flagging, and multinational crewing have made it more pressing than ever to create guidelines for speedy and humane treatment of seafarers caught in unforeseen difficulties. A joint working group of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the ILO will discuss such guidelines on 19-21 September in London.
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UN World Summit 14-16 September 2005 Working out of poverty in Russia
15 September 2005
Despite the Russian Federation's recovery from financial collapse in 1998, official statistics show that almost one person out of five still lives in poverty. What's more, a high percentage of those living in poverty are Russia's so-called 'working poor': at least half actually have jobs. ILO on line reports from Russia's North West where the ILO recently launched a project to promote employment and reduce poverty.
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UN World Summit 14-16 September 2005 Indigenous people in Papua: Working out of poverty and promoting human security
13 September 2005
Papua is one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia. The 2004 Indonesia Millennium Development Goals (MDG) report indicates that the percentage of people living below the national poverty line in Papua is 41.8 per cent, compared to 18.2 per cent for the whole country. Up to 74 per cent of the population are indigenous peoples, living in isolated areas with little access to social and economic facilities and services to fulfil their most basic needs. The ILO recently launched a three-year project to tackle poverty, discrimination and promote human security among indigenous peoples in the Indonesian province.
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Starting a new life: business training for women prisoners in Tajikistan
07 September 2005
This year the ILO's Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme celebrates its tenth anniversary in Central Asia. Thousands of trainees have profited from the programme so far. Olga Bogdonova from the ILO Moscow office reports from Tajikistan where 60 women serving prison terms received training under the programme since April 2005.