Brussels, 30 May 2000: A new website for the World Day for Decent Work was launched today (http://www.wddw.org) as a special ITUC-organised event on Decent Work took place at the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), involving ILO Director General Juan Somavia, ILO Workers’ Group Chair Sir Roy Trotman, CTNG Guinea General Secretary Rabiatou Sérah Diallo who is Vice-President of this year’s ILO Conference, and ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. The panel focused on the preparations of the World Day for Decent Work which will take place on October 7 this year, initiated by the ITUC. Trade unions around the world will be holding events leading up to October 7 and on the day itself, focusing on the themes “Rights at Work”, “Solidarity” and “Ending Poverty and Inequality”. .
“Globalisation is working for some, but hundreds of millions of women and men are missing out. With the global system incapable even of dealing with that most fundamental of needs, affordable food, the need for a completely new approach to globalisation is more evident than at any time. The World Day for Decent Work will be a major international mobilisation in the campaign to make decent work and regulation of the world economy a reality in place of the current fixation with so-called market solutions”, said Ryder.
The ILO Conference this year brings together more than 3,000 government, worker and employer representatives to discuss a wide range of issues including rural poverty reduction, the latest developments in labour rights and enhancing skills development. The Conference will also consider strategic challenges in terms of obtaining decent work, as well as host a high-level panel discussion on 11 June on “Tackling the Food Crisis Through Investment, Production and Decent Work”.
The Conference Committee on the Application of Standards will discuss around 25 cases of the application of ILO standards, including trade union rights, by individual countries. A special session will be organized to examine forced labour in Burma. Systematic violations of human and trade union rights and forced labour imposed by the military junta make the life of Burmese people intolerable. The ITUC released a report last April “Rich pickings: how trade and investment keep the Burmese junta alive and kicking” and called for a massive international humanitarian relief effort following the devastation caused by tropical cyclone Nargis.
A second special event on migration focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries was organised by the ITUC, the Building Workers’ International and the US AFL-CIO Solidarity Center. Trade unions from several countries highlighted their work to defend migrant workers’ rights, in a region which has become internationally renowned for severe exploitation of migrant workers.
On June 6, the plenary session will focus on the ILO’s Global Report “Freedom of Association in Practice: Lessons learned” which says that despite a global trend towards wider recognition of civil rights, millions of workers around the world still lack fundamental rights.
For more information on the World Day for Decent Work: http://www.wddw.org
For more information on the ILO Conference: http://www.ilo.org
The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018.
