31 March 2020
The guidelines formulated by both the ILO and UNICEF and released on 30 March urge employers to consider the impact of decisions on workers’ families and to prioritise improved social protection where and whenever possible. In it the organisations also call on employers to provide additional support, especially to those on low incomes.
12 March 2020
Momentum from the Centenary celebrations in 2019 (which saw the conclusion of a declaration and a new international convention on violence at work c.f. article No. 11189 and No. 11188) has ultimately proved insufficient. 2020 began with a much-anticipated meeting on decent work in global supply chains, which meant to define how the International Labour Organization should address this 21st century issue. In the face of such a complex topic, which raises among others the debate on the due diligence obligations of...
19 November 2019
In Berlin on 18 November and presenting the OECD’s latest report on collective bargaining entitles: Negotiating Our Way Up: Collective Bargaining in a Changing World of Work, Stefano Scarpetta, OECD Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs emphasized the positive impact of collective bargaining on employment and working conditions, and launched an unambiguous message. With the world of work in flux and influenced by digitalization, automation and demographic change, social partners can and should play a...
29 October 2019
In a decision handed down on 17 October 2019 the European Court on Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that covert video-surveillance of staff, which in this case subsequently resulted in employee dismissals, did not constitute a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, nor of Article 6 section 1 ensuring the right to a fair trial. The ECHR judges deemed that the Spanish courts’ judges had meticulously assessed the rights of both the applicants’, in this case...
2 September 2019
On its InfoStories website, the International Labour Organization has published a graph demonstrating the changing pay inequality across the world. The graph shows the so-called ‘top-bottom wage inequality ratio’, which compares the group of individuals who are in the top 10% of the income distribution and the group which is in the bottom 10%. Through analysis of OECD data from 2000 and 2016, the graph indicates which countries have seen an increase in inequality and which ones have seen this decrease. An...
24 June 2019
The 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia opened with these strong words: labour is not a commodity. It also established a series of primary objectives for the International Labour Organization – created 25 years earlier in 1919 – such as that of ensuring social justice. The 108th Session of the International Labour Conference, which came to a close on 21 June and marked the centenary of the ILO, intended to produce a declaration setting out the ILO’s roadmap for its second century of existence. The conference...
21 June 2019
During the 108th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) marking the centenary of the United Nations body promoting social justice (1919-2019), the ILO adopts a new Convention and Recommendation (provisory mentions here) to end violence and harassment in the world of work. The Convention would oblige the ratifying States to equip themselves with the appropriate judicial means to prohibit and sanction violence and harassment at work. In particular they must ask employers adopt, after consultation with...
10 June 2019
The International Labour Conference (ILC), which takes place every June in Geneva, sets out the main International Labour Organization guidelines and adopts international standards. The conference kicking off today, on 10 June, and coming to a close on 22 June is a special one, as it will celebrate the centenary of the United Nations body promoting social justice. Speaking to Planet Labor, Guy Ryder, the ILO’s director general, outlines the primary issues to be addressed at the conference, which is set to...
10 June 2019
The labour and employment ministers from the world’s seven leading powers met at the G7 Social, held in Paris on 7 June under the French presidency. The ministers agreed on a ‘Social Communiqué’, which underlines the need to respond to citizens’ aspirations to reduce social inequality. To achive this goal, the statement points to fostering social protection, including for platform workers, preparing individuals for the digital transformation, as well as reducing the level of inequality between men and...
22 January 2019
The ILO is launching its centenary year with the launch of a report (here) produced by a group of independent experts that should lead it to a rethink of its role in light of the ever-faster pace of work transformations. The report is not just a theoretical summary account of the world of work, it is a penetrating document that seeks to prioritize actions and calls on the ILO to examine its own role as well as inviting national governments to adopt national strategies on the future of work. The report delivers ten...
