ILO/97/8

GENEVA (ILO News) - A US$ 547.1 million budget for ILO activities around the world in 1998-99 will be formally submitted for approval to the next session of the International Labour Conference (3-19 June) following a decision reached today by the Governing Body of the ILO.

The total sum proposed represents a 5.6 per cent decrease in real terms compared with the 1996-97 budget and the level originally proposed by the International Labour Office. At current exchange rates (1.44 Swiss Francs to the dollar), the budget's real value would be equivalent to approximately US$ 485 million - a 16.3 per cent decrease.

Though covering a wide range of activities, the 1998-99 Programme places special emphasis on four major areas: the active promotion of fundamental labour rights and the strengthening of the related supervisory mechanisms, the fight against child labour, the follow-up to the Social Summit in Copenhagen (March 1995), and to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (September 1996). Action to promote occupational safety and health will also be significantly reinforced.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Governing Body debate, ILO Director-General Michel Hansenne applauded the “broad support” given to efforts to increase ratifications of core labour standards and called for action to strengthen their supervisory mechanisms. He said that “increasing respect for core standards and increased social justice represents the most crucial challenge for the Organization in coming to terms with the exigencies of the 21 ^st century”.

The Committee on Legal Issues and International Labour Standards “welcomed the recognition given to the strengthened role of the ILO on the fundamental human rights which are within its mandate, recognized by the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development and the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Singapore (and) stressed the great importance for the credibility of the Organization of the promotion of the basic principles and rights, and the strengthening of the supervisory machinery”. The Committee will examine in November a document prepared by the International Labour Office analysing the Governing Body's discussions on the subject and those which will follow the Director General's report to the Conference next June devoted to ILO's standard-setting activities in the globalized economy. This Governing Body document, the Committee requested, will “identify options (and) contain concrete proposals together with a calendar for action”.

ILO's fight against child labour reached an unprecedented scale and intensity over the past twelve months. The subject will again be on the agenda of the 1998 International Labour Conference with a view to adopting new international labour standards in 1999, placing priority on immediate action to halt the most intolerable forms of child labour. Action programmes against child prostitution have been launched in 7 of the 23 countries currently participating in the ILO's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

The budget foresees the launch of an International Small Enterprise Programme (ISEP) reflecting the growing importance of the role played by small and medium-sized enterprises in employment promotion and poverty alleviation. The ILC will this year consider an agenda item on general conditions to stimulate job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises, with a view to adopting a Recommendation on the subject following a second discussion in 1998.

A particular effort is also envisaged in the area of industrial relations - the subject of the ILO's World Labour Report, to be published in October 1997. The 1998-99 budget provides for the convening of an “ILO Social Forum” which would serve to reinforce action to promote respect for fundamental workers' rights, tripartism and active dialogue among the social partners.

A second “Enterprise Forum” will also be organized during the 1998-99 biennium, following the first such event held in November 1996.

A new International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women will give fresh impetus to the ILO's longstanding commitment to promote full, productive and remunerative employment in conditions of equality. The programme's immediate objectives at the national level are more effective legal and institutional frameworks for improving the quantity and quality of jobs for women and, at the international level, a sharpened global concern for women's employment issues.

The programme aims to demonstrate that more jobs for women does not necessarily imply less jobs for men and that “better” jobs can benefit both women and men. It will also seek to show how women's productive and remunerative employment helps families, societies and economies.

The coming biennium will also witness the launch of a new ILO Global Programme on Occupational Safety, Health and Environment aimed at reducing occupational accidents and diseases and preventing occupational risks. It will, among other measures, promote the concept of “safety culture”, an enterprise-level approach linking quality, productivity and occupational safety and health in which emphasis is placed on sound management and voluntary action.

The Governing Body established a Commission of Inquiry to look into allegations of use of forced labour in Myanmar following a complaint made by 25 Worker delegates to the 1996 International Labour Conference.

The complaint against Myanmar alleges that a large number of forced labourers are at work on railway, road, construction and infrastructure projects, many related to the Government's efforts to promote tourism in Myanmar.

The complainants allege that forced labour affects hundreds of thousands of workers who are subjected to the most extreme forms of exploitation, often leading to serious injury and loss of life.

The Government contested the allegations in observations it sent to the Director-General of the ILO. Faced with contradictions between the allegations and the Government's observations, the Governing Body set up the Commission of Inquiry and named its three members. Chosen for their impartiality, integrity and standing, they are Sir William Douglas (Barbados), Mr. P.N. Bhagwati (India) and Ms. Robyn Layton (Australia).

The Commission of Inquiry procedure (under the terms of article 26 of the ILO Constitution) has in the past been invoked only in cases involving persistent violations of international labour standards and disregard for the decisions of ILO supervisory bodies.

The Governing Body, composed of 28 government members ( Endnote ), 14 employer members and 14 worker members convenes three times annually. It serves as the executive council of the ILO and takes decisions on ILO policy. Ten of the government seats are permanently held by major industrialized countries. The remaining seats are filled on a rotating basis, taking account of geographical distribution, for three year terms. The employers and workers elect their own representatives.

The Chairperson of the 268 ^th session of the Governing Body was Mr. Jorge Arrate Mac Niven, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Chile; Mr. Jean-Jacques Oechslin (France) was the employer Vice-Chairperson and Mr. William Brett (United Kingdom) was the worker Vice-Chairperson.

Endnote:

Bangladesh, Brazil*, Canada, Chile, China*, Colombia, Congo, Egypt, France*, Germany*, Guinea, Hungary, India*, Italy*, Japan*, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Nigeria, Panama, Poland, Russian Federation*, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Swaziland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom*, United States*.

( * = Members holding non-elective seats as States of chief industrial importance).