News

June 2009

  1. 98th International Labour Conference

    Work sharing: A strategy to preserve jobs during the global jobs crisis

    05 June 2009

    Work sharing could be a relevant response to the global jobs crisis, according to a new ILO policy brief prepared for discussion at the International Labour Conference in Geneva from 3-19 June 2009. Work sharing policies and programmes can result in a “win-win-win” solution benefiting workers, employers and governments. ILO Online spoke with ILO working time expert Jon C. Messenger.

  2. 98th International Labour Conference (3-19 June 2009)

    ILO Director-General calls for a global jobs pact to urgently tackle the employment and social protection consequences of the economic crisis

    03 June 2009

    Warning of a possible six to eight year employment and social protection crisis due to the economic downturn, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director- General Juan Somavia called on delegates to the 98th International Labour Conference to adopt a “Global Jobs Pact.”

  3. 98th International Labour Conference

    HIV/AIDS: Discussions on a new labour standard begin at ILO conference

    03 June 2009

    This week, governments, workers and employers representing the ILO's 183 member States begin a two-year process during which they will discuss a ground-breaking draft labour standard on HIV/AIDS in the world of work. ILO Online asked ILO/AIDS Director Dr. Sophia Kisting to explain the significance of this development, and how a new labour standard would help address the global challenge posed to the world of work by the pandemic.

  4. 98th International Labour Conference (3-19 June 2009)

    98th ILO annual Conference elects officers

    03 June 2009

    The 98th Session of the International Labour Conference, which will run in Geneva till 19 June, opened, electing as its President Mr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Minister of Labour and Employment and Expatriates of Bangladesh.

  5. Article

    Questions and answers on the global jobs crisis

    02 June 2009

    More than 4,000 delegates representing governments, employers and workers are meeting at the annual Conference of the ILO from 3 to 19 June to discuss ways of addressing the global crisis in jobs and social protection. ILO Online asked Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO International Institute for Labour Studies about the current jobs situation, and how decent work policies can tackle the crisis.

  6. 98th International Labour Conference

    Heads of State, government and leaders from the world of work tackle the global jobs crisis

    02 June 2009

    Some 4,000 representatives of government and employers’ and workers’ organizations are to meet in Geneva on 3-19 June to search during the annual Conference of the International Labour Organization for an effective response to the growing impact of the economic and financial crisis on employment, social protection and the world of work.

May 2009

  1. Ship breaking

    ILO welcomes new regulations on ship breaking as crisis boosts the industry

    29 May 2009

    After more than five years of negotiation, delegates from 59 countries to an International Maritime Organization (IMO) conference signed the Hong Kong Agreement regulating the recycling of ships on 15 May 2009. For the ILO, the agreement is an important step to make ship breaking decent work. ILO Online spoke with manufacturing specialist David Seligson and maritime industry specialist Dani Appave from the ILO Sectoral Activities Department.

  2. Influenza A

    ILO signals potential social and economic consequences for workers and their families from actions taken to address the influenza A(H1N1) virus

    29 May 2009

    Since the influenza A(H1N1) outbreak has been announced 53 countries have officially reported 1reported 15,510 cases of human infection including 99 deaths (as of 06:00 GMT, 29 May 2009). The speed with which the outbreak has spread and the risk of a pandemic certainly merit the implementation of all measures necessary to protect the health of the world’s population.

  3. Global employment trends update

    ILO says job losses are increasing due to economic crisis

    28 May 2009

    The International Labour Office issued new labour market projections for 2009, showing a further increase in unemployment, working poor and those in vulnerable employment. In presenting the new data, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, said the ILO’s annual International Labour Conference, to be held in Geneva on 3-19 June, was to consider an emergency “global jobs pact” designed to promote a coordinated policy response to the global jobs crisis.

  4. Crisis and the automotive sector

    ILO meets with high-level experts to discuss the crisis and the future of the automotive industry

    22 May 2009

    Against the backdrop of the global economic and social crisis, senior experts on the automotive sector from Europe, Asia and the Americas met here on 20-21 May with top officials of the International Labour Organization (ILO) to discuss the state of the automotive industry and its future directions.