2005

1. Managing labour migration: Turkey and the European Union

   04 November 2005

   ANKARA (ILO Online) - Labour migration from Turkey to the member States of the European Union (EU) is one of the main issues in the long-delayed talks between the Turkish government and the EU that started on 3 October. While critics of Turkey's EU bid raise the spectre of unrestricted labour migration from a country of 72 million people, supporters say taking in Turkey, with its young labour force, will boost Europe's economy and offset the effects of its rapidly ageing population. Managing labour migration was also at the centre of a tripartite meeting of experts to be held on 31 October - 2 November at ILO headquarters in Geneva. The meeting reviewed the draft of the ILO Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration, prior to its submission to the ILO Governing Body in March 2006. ILO Online spoke with Gülay Aslantepe, Director of the ILO Office in Ankara, and Patrick Taran from the ILO International Migration Branch.

2. Organizing out of poverty: the role of trade unions

   28 October 2005

   International Day for Poverty Eradication on 17 October also marked the opening, in Geneva, of an International Workers' Symposium on Trade Unions' Role in a Globalized Economy and the Fight Against Poverty. The week-long event, organized by the ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV), brought together trade unionists from all over the world to assess their action against poverty and discuss how to strengthen it.

3. "Enterprise for Health": making the world of work safer and healthier

   27 October 2005

   Enterprise for Health (EfH) is a European Network under the chair of Professor Dr. Rita Süssmuth, jointly established by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the National Federation of Enterprise Sickness Funds in Germany. EfH was set up in 2000 to promote the exchange of information and experience among enterprises. Despite decreasing numbers of accidents over the years, insufficient protection and neglected health promotion still cost the European industry billions of Euros each year. The German energy and trade giant RWE Rhein-Ruhr, a member of the network, participated in an international conference organized by the ILO on "Fair Globalization - Safe Workplace" in Düsseldorf, 24-26 October.

4. New trade regime in textiles and clothing How Cambodian factories improved their image

   26 October 2005

   With the end of the global textile quota system last year, the textiles and clothing (TC) sector has been experiencing another global revolution. While many observers saw the lifting of restrictions as a potential catastrophe for the domestic textile and clothing industry in a number of countries, the overall picture is more contrasted than expected. This is one of the findings of a new ILO study prepared for a meeting ( Note 1) to be held in Geneva from 24-26 October which will also examine ways to ensure a fair globalization process in the TC sector. ILO Online reports from Cambodia where an ILO project helped the garment industry to deal with the phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA).

5. Socially sensitive enterprise restructuring: swimming together or sinking separately

   12 October 2005

   How can an enterprise restructure with maximum economic benefits and minimum costs to workers and society? It is often believed that downsizing has a positive impact on the performance of the company and the so-called "survivors". According to a new ILO publication, this is not always true in practice. Alternative options should be considered and if downsizing is necessary, it should be carried out in a socially sensitive way.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.