September 2005

1. Article

   Gold rush in Mongolia: when shepherds become "ninjas"

   02 September 2005

   Mining and mineral production, particularly gold mining, account for more than 50 per cent of Mongolia's industrial output and more than 60 per cent of the country's export revenues. Half of the country's gold production comes from the informal mining activities of the so-called "ninjas". They are unemployed miners or traditional Mongolian herder families that have been unable to continue their semi-nomadic lifestyle due to loss of livestock caused by severe winters. The ILO and the Mongolian Employers' Federation (MONEF) assist in promoting the formalization of the informal mining sector, including safer and more productive mining activities and the elimination of child labour.

August 2005

1. Press release

   ILO issues new publication on international labour standards

   30 August 2005

   The International Labour Office (ILO) has issued a new publication that provides a comprehensive overview of labour standards on issues ranging from forced to child labour, freedom of association and collective bargaining, equality at work and other key workplace concerns.

2. Article

   New chemicals, old risks: why careful monitoring must be maintained

   26 August 2005

   Potentially harmful chemicals permeate today's workplaces. While the number of chemicals used in industry now exceeds 50,000, an additional 500 new chemicals are introduced in industry every year. The toll from chemical exposure is heavy - the ILO estimates that of the 2 million work-related fatalities, 439,000 are caused by chemicals, and of the 160 million cases of work-related disease, 35 million are due to chemicals. A new ILO publication says the toxicity of new chemicals must be checked for safety and health more carefully before marketing. The 17th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work will address safety and health of chemicals during a special session on 19 September 2005.

3. Article

   International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition Invisible prisoners: The trafficking and exploitation of Chinese immigrants in France

   18 August 2005

   According to an ILO study, some 50,000 illegal Chinese immigrants living in France are easy prey to exploitation through forced labour. Resulting from major economic and social change in China, the movement has been growing for the past ten years, with more than 6,000 Chinese immigrants arriving each year in Paris and the surrounding region. Victims of trafficking, at the end of their dangerous journey through transit countries where they run the risk of racketeering, violence and sometimes death, the migrants have little choice but to integrate themselves into a parallel ethnic economy where they can remain trapped for years, mainly in the clothing and catering sectors. The report describes this inhuman and invisible life, in the words of the Chinese migrants themselves, following a survey conducted in close collaboration with the French authorities.

4. Article

   International Day of the World's Indigenous People 2005 Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Rights - still a long way to go

   03 August 2005

   GENEVA (ILO Online) - The ILO has adopted the only international legal instrument now open to ratification that pertains specifically to the 350 million indigenous and tribal peoples worldwide: the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). It has been ratified by 17 countries and is internationally recognized as the foremost instrument on the subject. It covers a wide range of issues, including land rights, access to natural resources, health, education, vocational training, conditions of employment and contacts across borders.

5. Article

   Kenya: Employers' organizations taking the lead on linking the informal sector to formal Kenyan enterprises

   02 August 2005

   The informal sector accounts for nearly 18 per cent of Kenya's Gross Domestic Product and comprises 90 per cent of all businesses in the country. In 2001, the sector employed 4.1 million people and their numbers are increasing. While in the past small enterprises were seen as competitors with larger companies, the Government of Kenya and the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) now see linkages between the formal and the informal economy as an opportunity to create a win-win situation for both sectors.

6. News

   West African government, employer and labour leaders adopt new "roadmap" for migrant labour

   01 August 2005

July 2005

1. Article

   Decent food at work: Raising workers' productivity and well-being

   28 July 2005

   In the workplace, the main concerns of employers and trade unions seem to be safety, wages and job security. The question how do workers eat while at work is not always given much thought, according to a new ILO study. Too often the workplace meal programme is either an afterthought or not even considered by employers. But access to healthy food is as essential as protection from workplace chemicals or noise. The study demonstrates that good nutrition at work is good business leading to gains in productivity and worker morale, prevention of accidents and premature deaths, and reductions in health-care costs. Adequate nourishment can raise national productivity levels by 20 per cent and a 1 per cent kilocalorie (kcal) increase results in a 2.27 per cent increase in general labour productivity.

2. Article

   "Female future": employers' organizations address gender equity

   20 July 2005

   From Norway to New Zealand, via Croatia, Kenya, Jamaica, Malaysia and the Philippines, there is almost universal recognition that equality and educational opportunities for men and women and a better balance between work and family life are vital elements in achieving equality in employment. Though the situation of women varies considerably between countries, a new ILO study on employers' organizations addressing gender equity reveals that almost everywhere more could be done to promote effective gender equality in practice.

3. Article

   Fuelling Gender Equality in the Canadian Auto Workers Union

   11 July 2005

   The ILO Bureau for Gender Equality has included the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) into its recent compilation of 25 good practices entitled "Gender Equality and Decent Work, Good Practices at the Workplace" ( Note 1). The CAW, Canada's largest private-sector union with about 260,000 members, has a long-standing reputation in promoting gender equality, advocating for women workers' rights and fostering women's activism.