• BlueGreen Alliance: "The Job's Not Done" 17-State Tour August 16 thru September 03, 2010
• Violations of Trade Union Rights
• Decent Work: a better world starts here, a web movie available in 29 languages. A three minute overview of the concept of decent work (ILO)
• Play Fair 2012: campaigning for a sweat free Olympics
• AFSCME Members Forum
• Ed Schultz Show: where America comes to talk
• Union of Unemployed: UCubed - useful, unique, unified
• Access 4 Media: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists supports access for media in the Gulf
• Radio Labour: international labour news, bringing labour's voices to the World

LabourStart Solidarity Campaigns

Unions Demand DHL Respect Workers Rights

Rights on Site - Ark Tribe Prosecuted

Trade Union Advisory Committee

The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an International trade union organization which interacts on behalf of trade unions with a consultative status when meeting with the OECD Secretariat, committees, and member governments

ILO Labor Standards

The International Labor Organization (ILO) labor standards take the form of International Labor Conventions which are ratified by member countries. Of the total number of ILO Conventions, eight are considered core labor standards, fundamental to the rights of workers

Climate Change

Life and Legacy of Cesar Chavez

Race to the Bottom / Clearing the Hurdles

Global Labour University

Since its inception in 2004, the Global Labour University has welcomed trade unions in its Masters Programme in labour studies. The university is also a network of trade unions and universities aiming to facilitate research and spark debate. The application deadline for the Global Labour University programmes in South Africa is July 31, 2010, in Brazil, September 01, 2010 and in Germany and India, March 01, 2010

Labour Rights Are Central to Quality Public Services

31 August 2010: From Canada to Argentina and every country between - 300 members of the global union federation Public Services International will gather in Cartagena, Colombia on 7-12 September for PSI's 10th Inter-American Regional Conference. At the top of the agenda will be discussion of how to protect trade union rights, and defend the quality public services that citizens rely on from being privatised or cut in the wake of the global economic crisis. Trade union members will also map new efforts to rebuild and advance public services in countries devastated by recent natural disasters, such as Haiti and Chile. Noting that Colombia holds the wretched record of being the deadliest place in the world to be a trade unionist, PSI general secretary Peter Waldorff explains, "It's an important expression of solidarity for Public Services International to hold our regional meeting here. The two realities of violence and privatisation are making life very difficult for our public sector unions in Colombia. "I had the opportunity to meet with Vice President Angelino Garzón just before he took office in August," Waldorff says. "We hope that the new government will take immediate action to assure justice, peace and economic equality for all Colombians. This is of great concern to our members, and to the labour movement worldwide." In the first six months of 2010 alone, some 20 trade unionists have been killed, and a number of Public Service International affiliate members have been threatened in Colombia. Additionally, PSI affiliate unions in Colombia are resisting intensified plans to privatise public services such as water delivery. PSI union SINTRACUAVALLE is raising the alarm about the planned privatisation of the commercial sector of the public water company ACUAVALLE. Higher costs to consumers resulted in other areas of Colombia following water privatisation. PSI has been at the forefront of supporting alternatives to privatisation in the region: Argentina is now working with Peru, and Uruguay with Bolivia, for example, in "public-public partnerships" that promote best practices to improve quality public water delivery.
Source: Public Services International--PSI uniting more than 20 million members in over 650 trade unions in 148 countries

International Labor Organization: Tell Us Your Story

Development of a BWI Global Migration Programme

The BWI is developing a Global Migration Programme. Under the guidance of the Adhoc Working Group on Migration, the programme will be coordinated and implemented through the headquarters in Geneva. To make this global programme possible, FNV, LO TCO, SASK, ACILS and affiliates have committed support. Jin Sook Lee joined the Geneva Team as the Global Campaign Director whose primary responsibility is the coordination and implementation of the Global Migration Programme. Since 2003, Jin Sook has been based in Seoul, South Korea initially working as Project Coordinator for BWI and Education Project in South Korea and as International Director of the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions, one of BWI affiliates in South Korea. Currently, she is a Senior Staff of the BWI Asia Pacific Regional Office, where she coordinates and oversees two overarching regional projects - FNV Migration Project and the LO TCO Construction Network project. Jin will also work on gender and global campaigns. Best wishes to Jin in her new responsibilities!
Source: Building and Woodworkers International--BWI uniting 12 million members in 328 trade unions in 130 countries--

UNI Addresses the ITF World Conference on Global Organising

08/13/2010: UNI Global Union participated in the ITF World Conference Report on Activities in Mexico City. Head of UNI Post and Logistics Global Union, Neil Anderson, made an appearance along with ITF General Secretary, David Cockcroft and the ITF Organising Globally Director, Ingo Marowsky. The ITF and UNI Global Union have been cooperating closely in organising the world's largest global delivery companies and Neil, David and Ingo presented the work that UNI and ITF have been doing. The two Global Union Federations have been jointly organising workers in DHL and are pushing hard together to demand DHL respects workers rights and to sign a global agreement to that affect. In his contribution, Neil said that the two Global Union Federations were making good progress with their organising efforts and that they would keep up their joint work to make sure that wherever Deutsche Post DHL operated that they would be respecting human rights and workers rights. Ingo Marowsky told the Congress that the cooperation was making the unions dealing with global delivery companies stronger and more able to organise the workers and demand respect and rights. He said neither Global Union would rest until global delivery workers were freely able to join a union of their choice. At the ITF World Congress several section workshops were being held to support the work being done already and to develop strategies for organising and building union power in the global delivery industry. Planning was also taking place to ensure a big effort was put into the upcoming UNI - ITF week of action for global delivery workers planned for 6 to 12 October.
Source: Union Network International--UNI represents over 20 million workers in 900 unions in 140 countries--(ITF International Transport Workers Federation)

AFL-CIO Honors the Independent Egyptian Workers Movement With the Meany-Kirkland Human Rights Award

On August 3, 2010, the AFL-CIO awarded the 2009 Meany-Kirkland Human Rights Award to the workers of Egypt. The award was received on behalf of Egyptian workers by Mr. Kamal Abbas, the Director of the Center for Trade Union and Worker Services (CTUWS) and Mr. Kamal Abu Eita, the President of the Real Estate Tax Authority Union (RETA) the first independent union in Egypt in 50 years. Established in 1981, the award honors labor movements and their leaders who overcome tremendous obstacles to protect the rights of workers. This year's award went to the workers of Egypt for their dedication to fighting for freedom of association and workers rights and demonstrating extraordinary courage and perseverance in the face of substantial state repression. The award was presented to Abbas and Abu Eita by Arlene Holt-Baker, the Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO. An address was made by Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Senator Casey commented on the importance of independent and democratic trade unions to democracy "the leadership of the Egyptian labor movement is critical because first and foremost, it helps the workers of Egypt. It helps to inspire a new generation of Egyptians to understand that it is possible in a democracy to express a political view without resorting to violence and without fear of government retribution." The presentation marked the first time that the American labor movement honored a workers organization from the Middle East.
Source: American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations Solidarity Center

US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis Announces Labor Consultations With Guatemala Under CAFTA-DR Agreement

7/30/2010 WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced that the U.S. government has requested labor consultations with the Government of Guatemala under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). This is the first time that the United States has requested consultations under the labor chapter of a U.S. free trade agreement. "We are sending a strong message that the Obama Administration will vigorously enforce labor obligations under U.S. free trade agreements," said Secretary Solis. "We are committed to ensuring that U.S. businesses and workers compete on a level playing field and that labor rights are respected in our trading partner countries." In April 2008, the AFL-CIO and six Guatemalan worker organizations filed a public submission under the CAFTA-DR alleging that the Guatemalan government violated its CAFTA-DR labor commitments, including failing to effectively enforce its labor laws. After reviewing the submission, the Labor Department issued a public report finding significant weaknesses in Guatemala's enforcement of its labor laws. Since then, the U.S. government has conducted an extensive examination of Guatemala's compliance with its commitments under the CAFTA-DR labor chapter. It appears that Guatemala is failing to meet its obligation with respect to enforcement of labor laws on the right of association, the right to organize and bargain collectively, and acceptable conditions of work. By launching labor consultations with Guatemala and formally putting the issue on track for possible dispute settlement, the U.S. government hopes to see the problems effectively resolved. The U.S. government also has grave concerns about labor-related violence in Guatemala, a problem which is serious and apparently deteriorating. The United States has repeatedly raised this serious problem with Guatemala and will examine and take this issue up with Guatemala in the near future.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Resolution Passes Supporting Human Right to Water and Sanitation

PSI congratulates the government of Bolivia, the civil society activists and the trade unions who campaigned to pass the resolution on the right to water and sanitation in the United Nations General Assembly on 28 July 2010. This resolution clearly shows that water and sanitation are inherently political concerns, not just about business opportunities. Public service workers and their unions in the PSI family have been leading the fight for the past 15 years to strengthen the ability of workers and citizens to advocate for quality public services for all. The struggle within the UN system for recognition and implementation of the formal human right to water is an important part of this global campaign, and is being led by the Council of Canadians/Blue Planet Project. PSI is proud to be associated with this effort. Although non-binding, this new resolution points clearly to the urgent need for the UN system (including national governments) to get its act in order. While we await further negotiations and the long process of drafting the final legal texts that will be required to enshrine the right to water as an enforceable human right - millions of people continue to suffer loss of life, dignity, and opportunity. Lack of access to adequate, safe and reliable water and sanitation is a violation of almost every human right. Access to water and sanitation would largely be solved if we put the same amount of money and political will as we did in bailing out the banks and other financial institutions over the past couple of years. And I won't even begin to talk about the military budgets... The Resolution endorsed by the UN General Assembly on 28 July 2010 takes us one further step in this direction, but it is not enough. We call on the various UN agencies, the development banks, the donor agencies and national and local governments to join us in ensuring quality public water and sanitation services for all.
Source: Public Services International (financial blog)--PSI uniting more than 20 million members in over 650 trade unions in 148 countries

Dockers' Union Complaint Against Costa Rican Government

Dockers' unions from the US and Costa Rica have filed a formal complaint against the Costa Rican government for labour law violations. The 18-page complaint was filed on 20 July with the US Department of Labor's Office of Labor and Trade Affairs (OTLA) by the ITF-affiliated International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). The ILWU filed the complaint on behalf of two Costa Rican unions - Sindicato de Trabajadores de JAPDEVA (SINTRAJAP) and Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP). It was made under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement for "serious and repeated failures by the government of Costa Rica to effectively enforce its own labor law." In May, 60 Costa Rican police officers broke down the doors of the SINTRAJAP union hall. The ILWU coast longshore division carried out an investigation and provided solidarity to the dockworkers. The unions claim that the government's conduct includes: launching a media campaign to discredit the union; the removal of the democratically elected leadership of the union and the imposition of a government-backed employer-run board of union directors. They also allege that it directed the police to raid and occupy the union's office, and that it tried to entice workers to leave the union and accept the privatisation of ports. "Americans want to believe Costa Rica is a paradise," said ILWU international president Robert McEllrath. "But Costa Rica's turning into a country in which police smash in doors and windows where workers have conducted peaceful meetings, where the government spreads propaganda to interfere in workers elections, and where working families well being is placed a distant second to the profits of multinational corporations." The ILWU has been assisting SINTRAJAP shortly after the government replaced the leadership of the union in February. The ITF has also led a solidarity campaign involving the ILWU and its other affiliates in support of SINTRAJAP.
Source: International Transport Workers Federation--ITF 759 unions representing 4.6 million transport workers in 154 countries

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka and CUT President Artur Henrique da Silva Santos on the Job and Financial Crisis

On July 21, 2010, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka and Brazilian CUT President Artur Henrique da Silva Santos met to discuss a joint strategy for addressing the current job and financial crisis by supporting financial reforms and policies that lead to the creation of decent work. Da Silva Santos and Trumka, together with the international trade union movement, support the crucial need for coordinated government action to maintain economic stimulus, avoid a double dip recession and create badly needed jobs for the estimated 34 million workers whose jobs were destroyed by the crisis. During the meeting, both labor presidents agreed to the urgent need to reform the financial system by pressuring governments and international financial institutions to support a Financial Transaction Tax that places a burden for the crisis back on the financial institutions and creates the funds needed for eventual fiscal consolidation and sustainable development. Both federations will continue to coordinate efforts with the global labor movement to help establish a G20 Working Group on Employment and Social Protection so that the interests of workers are discussed as a key part to the global recovery.
Source: American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations--AFL-CIO is a national trade union center in the United States

BWI - ILO New Materials for Health and Safety Training in Construction

BWI Health and Safety Director, Fiona Murie, is co-author (together with Professor Richard Neale of Glamorgan University) of the ILO's new training package on Health and Safety in Construction. The overall aim was to compile a comprehensive international Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) training package, made available in the public domain by the ILO. The training package is relevant to a global audience and applicable in a variety of legislative environments and construction projects, and is tailor made for the construction sector. The materials address the main 'participant groups' within the sector: Construction Clients; Construction Project Management Teams; Construction Contractors; Construction Workers and Trade Unions. The materials consist of: Tutors Guide. This is the core of Construction OS&H because it explains the content of the package and how to use it. Knowledge Base. This provides the sources and reference materials of all the content of the package in a digital form. The Knowledge Base also includes Downloads of some of the main sources of information. Theme Summaries. Construction OS&H has 15 Theme Summaries, in digital form, which are extensively illustrated and provide the whole educational content of the programme. Theme PowerPoint Presentations (PPPs). A PPP has been compiled from each Theme Summary, which provides the main means by which the information in the Themes will be presented. The Training materials web pages are available by clicking here.
Source: Building and Woodworkers International--BWI uniting 12 million members in 328 trade unions in 130 countries

Police Kill Banana Workers in Panama as Strikes, Protests Contest Repressive New Laws

16/07/2010: At least two banana workers were killed on July 8 as police opened fire on striking workers in the province of Bocas del Toro. Four thousand workers at the Bocas Fruit Company struck over wages at the beginning of the month, and were joined by thousands of independent producers in the cooperatives with their own grievances. The strike was declared illegal under the recently introduced Ley 30, nicknamed the "Chorizo (sausage) Law" because it stuffs together into a single package anti-democratic measures including legalizing the permanent replacement of strikers, abolishing the union dues checkoff and eliminating environmental impact assessments on construction projects deemed to be 'socially useful'. The Chorizo Law and related Law 14 criminalize street blockades and establish immunity for police who use lethal firepower against protestors. Labour and civic groups responded to the introduction of the new laws with protests and strike actions, including a one-day general strike. The government response has been hundreds of arrests and the use of force. Unofficial reports of the July 8 violence put the death toll at 6 and over 120 injuries from bullets and tear gas. Hundreds of union and civic leaders have been arrested. Banana unions and international trade union organizations have protested the violence and the government's repressive legislative package, calling for the immediate rescinding of the laws, the release of all arrested protestors and political/civic leaders and compensation to the families of the victims of state violence.
Source: International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations--IUF is currently composed of 391 trade unions in 124 countries representing a combined membership of over 12 million workers

UNI Tells Santander Stop Your Anti-Union Fear Campaign Against Workers

07/14/2010: Bank workers and their unions from around the world are coming together to demand Spanish banking giant Santander respects its employees no matter where they work. UNI Finance Global Union is leading an international trade union delegation to Boston today to support Santander workers in the United States who want union representation. There is currently no recognised union in the US that represents the workers at Santander-owned banking chain Sovereign. Sovereign employees are fighting for their right for union representation but management has created a climate of fear to intimidate and discourage workers from joining a union. UNI and the global trade union alliance at Santander are calling on Santander Chairman Emilio Botin to ensure management's neutrality in the union organising drive at Sovereign. "Workers at Sovereign want a union but their bosses are telling them they will lose their jobs if they try to organise," said Oliver Roethig, head of UNI Finance. "Santander has thousands of unionised workers in many other countries around the world so we are dismayed by their anti-union attitude in the United States." Some workers who have supported the union have been unfairly fired and others have been told that the company is strongly opposed to any union for its employees. The UNI delegation is calling on Santander to rehire its unfairly fired workers and stop interfering with workers rights to form a union. It will press Santander to sign a global agreement that protects and guarantees workers rights in the United States and around the world.
Source: Union Network International--UNI represents over 20 million workers in 900 unions in 140 countries

Canadian USW Members Ratify Five Year Agreement With Vale

Canada: With a 75 per cent ratification vote announced late on July 8, Canadian nickel mining and processing workers represented by United Steelworkers (USW) Locals 6500 and 6200 in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario, ended a 360-day strike against Vale SA. Those terms were pieced together in high-level mediation from June 19-22 in Toronto. But final accord still eluded both sides due to differences in setting forth a just process through arbitration of Vale's unilateral sacking of nine strikers. Over July 3 and 4, through the insistence of Ontario Provincial Labour Minister Peter Fonseca, a process was established, opening the way for the July 7 and 8 contract vote. The contract acceptance in Ontario thus closes a chapter to one of Canada's most acrimonious labour disputes, a dispute that saw mining and other unions from around the world galvanize behind the USW in efforts to preserve previously negotiated wage and work terms. The IMF and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM) helped coordinate the global campaign. In a joint statement, IMF and ICEM General Secretaries Jyrki Raina and Manfred Warda said, "The perseverance and character of USW members in Ontario and Labrador is what trade unions everywhere will remember about this strike. Their fight became our fight and thus they laid the building blocks on how to wage a coordinated global campaign." Highlights of the new collective agreement, which runs until May 31, 2015, include:

• Across-the-board, hourly wage increases with cost-of-living increases each of the five years. Thus, bringing the wage hike to between 2.25 USD and 2.50 USD an hour over the life of the agreement.
• Improvements to the existing Defined Benefit Pension Plan increasing to 41,400 USD per year, with cost-of-living indexing for life, along with life-time health care benefits.
• A Defined Contribution Pension Plan for new hires that provides for Company contributions equal to eight per cent of employees regular basic earnings. As well, employees will be able to make additional contributions ranging from two per cent to six per cent of regular earnings, with matching contributions from the Company subject to certain limits. The new plan also will include Long Term Disability coverage for employees.
• As a result of sustained, hard-fought negotiations, the nickel bonus program will allow employees to earn up to 15,000 USD annually in addition to regular earnings.

IFJ Partners with WageIndicator to Campaign for Decent Pay to Journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is partnering with WageIndicator, a global wage survey that has measured wages of over 1,500 different occupations and 400 industries in over 48 countries around the world to date, to campaign for decent pay for journalists. "Too many journalists face wage discrimination in the workplace," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Wages of women and young journalists are particularly at stake. Unions need to take action so that journalists' salaries are, for the first time, assessed on a global scale." In a letter addressed to its affiliates on 5th July, the IFJ called on all its members to participate in the global wage survey to help national campaigns to raise awareness among journalists of their rights to decent pay for their work and decent working conditions. "By taking part in this initiative, journalists will be able to enhance decent pay for their work by carrying out a salary check. They can compare their current salaries with those of their peers, or those in other occupations in the global labour market," explained White. The global wage survey will measure, in particular, journalists' average salary based on experience, salaries of young journalists entering the profession and the gender pay gap in the profession. The analysed data will be published in different languages and made accessible online. The findings will serve as a wage indicator for journalists around the world. "Journalists can also take a 'decent work check' to assess whether their working conditions are decent, based on international standards and in accordance with the national law of the countries where they work," added White. "At a time when many journalists face salary cuts and deteriorating working conditions, such information is particularly helpful in salary and benefit negotiations," stressed White. "By making such information available to the public, journalists are making the profession more transparent and accountable." The IFJ encourages its affiliates and journalists to participate in the survey and make use of this information for effective collective bargaining and promoting public trust in journalism. To join the survey, please visit your country's website on WageIndicator: For more information regarding the survey, please contact Pamela Moriniere: +32 2 235 22 16.
Source: International Federation of Journalists--IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries

Violations of Workers' Rights at IBM Bulgaria

Bulgaria: NFTINI Podkrepa, representing workers in the IT sector in Bulgaria, has reported on serious violations of freedom of association at IBM Bulgaria where workers involved in trade union activities are subjected to intimidation and harassment. The International Metalworkers Federation joins with the European Metalworkers Federation and UNI Global Union in expressing concerns that IBM is putting pressure on workers and trade union officials within the company after learning about the trade union organization in the factory. EMF, IMF and UNI support their Bulgarian colleagues and strongly oppose any kind of intimidation of workers involved in trade union activities. The trade union founded within IBM Bulgaria complies with local legislation and is recognized by the appropriate public administration. It is therefore entitled to recognition by IBM's Bulgarian management. "We urge you to do everything in your power to assure the respect of internationally recognized workers rights to join and form trade unions and the right to collectively bargain at IBM in Bulgaria. EMF, IMF and UNI demand in particular that IBM Bulgaria apply IBM's internal regulations stipulating the strict application of local legislation, as put forward in the Corporate Guidelines of IBM Corp," states the letter.
Source: International Metalworkers Federation--IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka and United Auto Workers President Bob King In Support of China's Honda Workers

America's auto workers and observers around the world have watched with admiration as the courageous young auto workers at Honda's Chinese factories have in the past weeks risen up in protest against the low-wage system imposed by Honda and many employers, foreign and domestic, in China. China is a source of immense corporate profits, but too many of China's frontline workers remain locked in a labor regime of low wages, speed-up and long hours. Honda forces its many "interns" and contract workers to accept sub-minimum wages, below the already low wages paid regular workers, in violation of Chinese labor law. Aware of their rights as workers and citizens, more and more Chinese workers are now demanding a fair share of the wealth being they produce, decent working conditions and humane hours and the right to voice in the workplace. In the recent weeks, workers have struck at various Honda system plants in China. At a parts plant at Honda Auto Parts Mfg. Co., Ltd, in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, the first such strike, the line workers elected representatives to negotiate with the employer for wage increases. In the words of those elected representatives, "[our] fundamental demands are salary raises for the whole workforce including interns; improvements in the wage structure and job promotion mechanism; and last but not least, restructuring the branch trade union at Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Another fundamental demand... [is] non-retaliation and no dismissal of workers participating in the strike." Faced with these reasonable and legal demands, Honda management at Foshan first tried to bully workers with threats of reprisals, firings, denying interns educational certificates and even violence. Eventually Honda was forced to negotiate directly with workers representatives at Foshan to get production back up. At other facilities, Honda continued to fire and threaten worker leaders and attempted to break strikes with low-paid scabs. All these tactics to perpetuate an unfair low-wage regime violate Chinese and international labor law. We stand in support of China's Honda workers and their reasonable demands. We call on Honda to accede to their demands-- to improve its wages structure and job promotion system at its China facilities by implementing genuine and continuous collective bargaining with representatives of its front-line workers. Genuine collective bargaining is a proven method of ensuring fairness and harmony in the work place. Honda should immediately cease bullying workers, firing worker leaders, using interns and contract workers to degrade wage levels, and breaking strikes with scabs. All workers fired in the recent strikes should be reinstated immediately to their former positions. The workers and consumers of America and the world will be watching Honda and other employers to ensure that Honda and other Chinese employers comply with core international labor rights, obey Chinese and international labor laws and bargain in good faith.
Source: American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations--AFL-CIO is a national trade union center in the United States

Paid Sick Leave Pays Off in Times of Crisis

Paid sick leave plays a crucial role especially in times of crises where many workers fear dismissal and discrimination when reporting sick. A new ILO study shows that paid sick leave is not only affordable but pays off in terms of health and economic gains for employers, workers and the economy at large. ILO Online spoke with Xenia Scheil-Adlung, co-author of the study and ILO Health Policy Coordinator.
How does the ILO define paid sick leave?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: Adopted in 1952, ILO Convention No. 102 sets minimum standards for social security and embodies an internationally accepted definition of the very principle of social security. It states that sickness benefits shall cover incapacity to work resulting from illness and involving suspension of earnings. The Social Protection Floor initiative led by the ILO and WHO not only comprises universal access to essential health care, but also income support for those with insufficient income. The concept was endorsed by the Global Jobs Pact that the International Labour Conference adopted in June 2009. Against this background paid sick leave consists of two components: leave from work due to sickness and cash benefits that replace the wage during the time of sick leave.
What is the current situation at the global level?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: At the global level, as many as 145 countries provide for paid sick leave. Usually, provisions include both time for leave and wage replacement during sickness. However, the benefit schedules for paid sick leave differ widely among countries. Globally, the replacement rates - that is the ratio of the total resources received when out of work to those received when in employment - vary between lump sums and up to 100 per cent of wages. The majority - more than 50 per cent of countries - provide for replacement rates that vary between 50 and 75 per cent of the wage received before. The period of paid sick leave spans from more than one month (and up to two years) to less than 7 days.
There are significant differences between countries in the number of days lost due to sickness?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: We find these differences even between neighboring countries that show similar overall health status and comparable social health protection schemes. This is the case in Denmark and Sweden (where 8.3 and 22 days were lost respectively) as well as France and Germany (where 8 and 16.5 days were lost respectively). However, these findings should be interpreted with caution and must not be compared without looking at further variables, including definitions and criteria for inclusion and exclusion of groups of workers in paid sick leave regulation, and national working patterns, particularly annual working days and weekly working hours. What's more, there are significant differences in trends over time.
Why is it so important to have paid sick leave provisions in times of crisis?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: Paid sick leave plays a crucial role especially in times of crises where many workers fear dismissal and discrimination when reporting sick. In fact, the absence of paid sick days forces ill workers to decide between caring for their health or losing jobs and income, choosing between deteriorating health and risking to impoverish themselves and often their families. Without social health protection that includes paid sick leave many people working in the formal or informal economy and living in developed or developing countries cannot afford to choose.
How did the global economic and social crisis impact on sick leave provisions?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: ILO analyses of stimulus packages and policies addressing the crises reveal that cuts of social and health budgets are among the first national responses to recover the costs of bailing out those that have contributed to the crisis. Concerned are social health protection measures that provide access to health services and financial protection in case of sickness and make it a financial hardship for low income-workers to get ill and miss work. Further, reform debates on introducing or extending paid sick leave provisions are hampered.
How does paid sick leave or the lack of it impact on public health and the economy?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: There are no doubts that gaps in paid sick leave result in severe impacts on public health and the economy. Let me give you a concrete example. Recent studies on swine flu (H1N1) show that in 2009, when the economic crisis and the H1N1 pandemic occurred simultaneously, an alarming number of employees without the possibility of taking paid sick leave days attended work while being sick. This allowed swine flu to spread into the workplace causing infections of some 7 million co-workers in the USA alone. In the same year, the Federal Government of Germany reported the lowest number of sickness absence ever recorded. Fears of losing one's job, restructuring, downsizing, and financial worries were identified as reasons for the dangerous and costly presence of the sick at work.
How much do countries spend on paid sick leave?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: The share of paid sick leave expenditure of social protection expenditure varies between 1.7 per cent of expenditure on social protection in Portugal and 9.8 per cent in Norway. We observe that high expenditure on paid sick leave in countries such as Norway is frequently linked to a significantly higher economic productivity. The corresponding gains more than balance out the expenditure on paid sick leave. Expenditure on paid sick leave has also to be assessed in the context of costs of presenteeism - defined as working during sickness. Presenteeism results in costs related to increased risk of work accidents, development of chronic diseases and thus incapacity to work and health impacts on co-workers.
Is paid sick leave affordable for poor countries?
Xenia Scheil-Adlung: Paid sick leave is affordable. The ILO estimates that a set of minimum guarantees for essential social benefits in kind and in cash is affordable for all countries, although it is likely to require support from external sources in the poorest settings. In low income countries the costs of providing universal basic income support in the form of pensions for disability and old age would range between O.6 and 1.5 per cent of the GDP in countries such as Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. Cash sickness benefits could constitute a small part thereof. Past and recent history of social protection schemes in developed countries have shown that inclusive growth is a key factor for sustainability both in terms of economic development and social peace.
Source: International Labour Organization--ILO is a tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world

Education for All Success at ITUC World Congress

The 2nd ITUC World Congress, taking place in Vancouver from 21-25 June, has closed with a firm resolve to struggle for the attainment of quality public services and education for all, as a key part of the strategy to exit the global economic crisis. EI and its affiliates hard work and coordination at the Congress which was themed: Now the people - From the crisis to global justice, resulted in the principle of Education for All being included as the seventh priority in the ITUC's main resolution on the report of the Congress. Building up to the finale today, EI President, Susan Hopgood, participated in a rally of trade union activists on 23 June, in support of Global Social Justice and World Public Services Day. Addressing 1,500 people outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, Hopgood spoke about bringing solidarity to the activists on behalf of the 30 million teachers and education workers members of EI. Hopgood declared: "The global financial crisis has exposed the failure of market ideology and neo-liberalism. There is no greater gift that we can give our future generations than that of quality public education for all, recognising that education is the weapon against poverty and injustice." In an address to the Congress plenary, EI General Secretary, Fred Van Leeuwen, raised his growing concerns about the public sector having to shoulder the greatest burden of the crisis. He brought to the attention of the audience the plight of hundreds of thousands of teachers - many of whom are EI members of affiliates - that had lost their jobs, as well as highlighting the major cuts in education funding that national governments are currently implementing across the world. Van Leeuwen also sent out a stark challenge to global leaders in general, and to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) President, Mr Strauss-Kahn, in particular. Van Leeuwen said: "After listening carefully to Mr Strauss-Kahn when he spoke to us yesterday, I still want to ask him: 'what is the point of bailing out speculators but failing to fund education for young people and training for workers?" Referring to the mortgaging of the younger generations future, Van Leeuwen continued: "Should any of us be surprised when young people reject our talk of social justice, of democracy and fairness, and social cohesion, and simply revolt? For a young person today, what is the difference between a street corner hustler and a wheeler-dealer in the global economy? I'd like answers to those questions from Mr Strauss-Kahn, the IMF, and all our leaders at the G20 and the UN!" Van Leeuwen concluded by reminding delegates about the critical role of education in building an alternative model of sustainable development, which was clearly different to the prevailing neo-liberal model that had failed millions of people. He stated: "Let us not forget that the basic building blocks of decent work, better quality of life and a greener economy all start in the classroom.
Source: Education Internationl--EI uniting more than 30 million teachers and education workers in 401 member organizations that operate in 172 countries and territories

UNI to Host Annual Communicators Forum to Strengthen Global Message

Earlier in June, UNI held a special Communicators Forum in Japan to prepare for its World Congress in Nagasaki in November. The global forum kicks off on June 28 at the UNI head office in Nyon. UNI Global Union's Communications Department is reaching out to affiliates to tap their experience and expertise in building a powerful network of communicators to support major UNI campaigns. Next week's global Communicators Forum has the theme "Person to Person"- which will focus on sharing new ways communicators can use person to person communication to accomplish union goals. Speakers will also talk about aspects of new media such as professional and social networking and interacting online with the union community. As 2010 is a Congress year for UNI, the forum in Tokyo was a chance to build on UNI's plans and Japanese union plans to publicise the Congress and to provide a lively and interactive online community during the Congress that will keep delegates and those who cannot make the trip to Nagasaki up to date. "We want to get people involved in the Congress no matter where they are in the world," said UNI Head of Communications Rachel Cohen. "We will be blogging, tweeting and using Facebook to keep delegates, observers and UNI members from around the world engaged and involved." Presentations at the global forum will highlight around the human aspects of campaigns with speakers sharing stories about personalizing the experiences of workers and how that can help win new supporters, win over employers and win organizing and other campaigns. UNI holds the annual forum to bring together communications staff from its member unions around the world to discuss their work, share information and build a powerful network that can support major campaigns. The purpose of the forum is to build network between UNI's communications staff and the staff in member unions so that they can offer mutual support in international campaigns. This is the seventh forum. Connections have been formed over the years that have helped unions in less-developed countries advance their technological and communications methods.
Source: Union Network International--UNI represents over 20 million workers in 900 unions in 140 countries

USW, Los Mineros Announce Cross-Border Unification Commission

June 21, 2010 Toronto - The United Steelworkers (USW) and the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers of the Mexican Republic (SNTMMSSRM) - known as Los Mineros - announced a joint declaration to create a cross-border commission to explore unification of a potential union representing one-million industrial workers in Mexico, Canada, U.S. and the Caribbean. In signing the declaration over the weekend, USW President Leo W. Gerard and Napoleon Gomez, general secretary for Los Mineros, jointly renewed the two unions "common commitment to democracy, equality, and solidarity for working men and women throughout North America and throughout the world." Citing a global strategic alliance signed in 2005, Gerard and Gomez said the declaration establishes a joint commission of five members from each of the two unions executive boards to propose "immediate measures to increase strategic cooperation between our organizations as well as the steps required to form a unified organization." The USW represents 850,000 workers in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, while Los Mineros represents about 180,000 in Mexico. Both the USW and Los Mineros members have been under assault in lengthy mining strikes. The USW is in the 11th month of a strike in Canada against Vale Inco - a Brazilian mining giant with 3,500 nickel miners in Sudbury; and 1,100 Los Mineros copper miners are nearing three years on strike against Grupo Mexico in a small desert mining town called Cananea in northern Mexico. The two unions condemned the "cowardly and brutal attack by Mexican federal police on the striking mineworkers and their families at Cananea, and on the family members of mineworkers at Pasta de Conchos." On Jun. 6, an estimated 2,000 federal and state police garbed in riot gear - backed by armed helicopters, armored personnel carriers and tear gas - forcefully evicted the striking miners while beating and injuring at least three Los Mineros leaders. Simultaneously during the same day, 20 car loads of state police stormed a small group of miners and widows occupying the entrance to the Pasta de Conchos coal mine owned by Grupo Mexico in Coahuila state - where 65 miners where killed in a February 2006 explosion. Five widows and two mothers of the dead miners were arrested. The mine was sealed from further entry to block any effort for retrieval of the entombed miners. Los Mineros General Secretary Gomez has been leading his union in exile from Canada for the past four years, battling legal efforts by the Mexican authorities to have him extradited on trumped up charges alleging misappropriation of union funds and for calling the 65 coal miners deaths "industrial homicide." Multiple court decisions by Mexican judges have cleared the Los Mineros leader of any such government claims - yet he cannot return to Mexico without risking imprisonment by the conservative government that seeks his ouster for demanding workplace safety and better wages. The declaration was released while the USW and Los Mineros leaders were participating in an assembly of two global union federations representing 45 million workers from 132 countries at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. If the USW and Los Mineros are successful in their exploration of a merger to consolidate North American industrial worker strength against trans-national mining and metal corporations, it could build upon the more than three-million-member global union called Workers Uniting created by the 2008 trans-Atlantic merger between Unite in the UK and the USW in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. The declaration by the USW and the SNTMMSSRM, or Los Mineros, can be accessed by clicking here.
Source: United Steelworkers

Trade Union Message to G20 Leaders: Deliver Commitment on Jobs Now!

Please find below links to the Global Unions Statement, which Public Services International has signed, setting out the key demands from the international trade union movement to the forthcoming G8/G20 Summit meetings in Ontario, Canada on 25-27 June 2010. The statement puts forward a comprehensive plan for growing the global economy out of the recession. PSI affiliates are asked to transmit the statement below to your own governments. Government plans to implement fiscal austerity measures across G20 economies risk locking the global economy into a global recession and will only serve to weaken, if not cripple, growth and so drive our economies back into recession. G20 Leaders must not allow bond markets to drive economic policy. The unions call on G20 Leaders to deliver the promise given at the Pittsburgh Summit to "put quality employment at the heart of the recovery" and focus on creating jobs in the short term so as to sustain the recovery and reduce public deficits in the medium term. The statement stresses the need for G20 Leaders to focus on progressive revenue-raising measures and agree to take immediate action on a Financial Transaction Tax as one means of meeting public funding requirements. This alternative plan for a job-centered and sustained recovery will be delivered by a delegation of G20 trade union leaders to the G8 and G20 host, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in Ottawa on 18 June, in advance of their participation at the summits at the end of the month. Statement in English, French, Spanish.
Source: Public Services International--PSI uniting more than 20 million members in over 600 trade unions in 160 countries

Workers Concerns Voiced at the Annual Geneva Labour Film Festival

GENEVA: The fourth annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival took place in Geneva on June 15, 2010. In this year's line-up containing 17 short films, union and professional documentary producers told stories about workers and their unions going through the hardship of financial crisis, fighting corporate greed and resisting attacks on human and workers dignity. Marion Hellmann, assistant general secretary of the Building and Wood Workers International, BWI, opened the festival and welcomed the audience. Talking about this year's program he said "these films tell the stories that mainstream media often ignores, stories about workers fighting for equality, workers mobilizing against corporate greed and corruption, workers defending democracy and building a better future for themselves and society as a whole". Reactions of the festival visitors, who were mostly trade unionists themselves, were positive. Jayasri Priyalal, Singapore regional office of UNI Global Union, said about his first visit to the Geneva Labour Film Festival "it was a nice experience, and it certainly gives me a lot of ideas on how to show so many unheard cases in our countries and this is a good place to bring them in." Kirill Buketov, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association IUF "this is great, so many efforts, but it's worth it". This year's event was organized with the support of the eleven global union federations, the International Trade Union Confederation and the Council of Global Unions. With a few exceptions, the projected films had English and French subtitling giving an opportunity to follow the films in two languages. The program of the festival as well as all films, with the exception of the feature "Like a Bird in a Cage", will be soon available on-line at the official Labour Film Fest website.
Source: International Metalworkers Federation--IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries

Global Unions Agree Joint Principles on Temporary Labour Agencies

Global union federations including the IUF, the ITUC and TUAC have agreed on a common set of principles to guide union action to tackle the employment consequences and impact on unions resulting from the expansion of temporary employment agencies. Released on June 14, the principles address both the exploitation and abuse of workers provided by temporary work agencies as well as the damage to direct ("standard") employment relationships caused by the misuse of these agencies. In recent decades, the use of temporary agencies to supply workers has exploded all over the world, spreading also to sectors and occupations that had previously depended on directly employed workers. Not only do temporary agency workers typically receive lower pay and fewer benefits, when the financial crisis rapidly became an employment crisis, temporary agency workers were among its first victims. Many companies simply terminated their contracts with temp agencies so that the workers did not receive the minimum compensation or social benefits that they would have received as direct employees. The expansion of temporary agency labour, together with other forms of temporary, casual and precarious employment, has been promoted by international organisations like the World Bank, the IMF and the OECD as "labour market flexibility". It has contributed to a general erosion of workers ability to exercise their rights to join trade unions and bargain collectively with their employers, thereby posing a major challenge to the labour movement. These principles seek to address that challenge. Although there are varying approaches taken by trade unions in different countries and sectors to dealing with temporary employment agencies, ranging from total bans to partial bans to strict regulation, all Global Unions have reached agreement on a number of key principles. They include:

• the primary form of employment should be permanent, open-ended and direct;
• agency workers should be covered under the same collective bargaining agreement as other workers in the user enterprise;
• temporary agency workers should receive equal treatment in all respects;
• the use of temporary agencies should not increase the gender gap on wages, social protections, and conditions;
• temporary work agencies must not be used to eliminate permanent and direct employment relationships; and
• the use of agency workers should never be used to weaken trade unions or to undermine organising or collective bargaining rights.

IMF Taking Action in Unity

Germany: Unity of action and organization was a central theme of the discussion at the Executive Committee of the International Metalworkers' Federation, which met on June 10 and 11, 2010. Continuing a discussion on trade union rights, several members of the IMF Executive Committee condemned governments that are seeking free trade agreements with Colombia, which has long been the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. Members of the committee discussed the need to increase and better co-ordinate trade union action on convincing governments in Europe and North America to disband trade agreements with Colombia while the murders of trade unionists continue. The Committee considered the overall strategy of IMF's work on union building. Through a series of activities focused in targeted countries around the world. IMF's work with affiliates is focused on organizing the unorganized and precarious workers, strengthening national union structures and networking with a sectoral regional focus. The committee also discussed how to work in co-operation not competition in the development and implementation of projects; the development of a new online database on project work is being developed as a tool to assist with this. IMF Executive Committee established a task force to explore a potential merger process with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM) and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF). The task force was asked to look at structures, finances, and a timetable of steps to be taken. The Committee also looked at unity and co-ordination at the global level with other Global Union Federations and the International Trade Union Confederation. While IMF is not a member of the Council of Global Unions, it continues to participate in co-ordination meetings, funds specific activities and takes joint action where possible. A review of the Council of Global Unions was tabled and the Committee decided it will reconsider whether to join the CGU at its next meeting in December 2010. The Executive Committee also adopted the affiliation of four new affiliates: Nepal Auto Mechanics Trade Union NATU, Nepal - Council of Metalworkers of Democratic Republic of Congo - Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers Union of Ukraine MMIWU, Ukraine - Malawi Building Construction, Civil Engineering and Allied Workers Union BCCEAWU, Malawi.
Source: International Metalworkers Federation--IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries

Global Charter on Responsible Sales of Financial Products Launched

Employees in the global finance sector show the way for more trustworthy and responsible sales of financial products. Cornerstones are more transparent incentive structures, clarity on conflicts of interests and establishment of an independent ombudsman to whom inappropriate sales practices can be reported. Today, June 10th 2010, UNI Finance, the global trade union for the finance sector, representing 3 million employees in the banking and insurance industries, have agreed on a charter that will secure more transparent and more responsible sales of financial products. One of the key lessons learned from the global financial crisis has been, how dangerous a cocktail it is, when you combine lack of transparency in financial products, customers lack of awareness of risk associated with the financial products and aggressive performance-measures on sale put on the employees in the financial companies. Nevertheless, sales pressure on employees and complexity of products seems to have rather increased than decreased in the post-crisis period in many companies around the world - making irresponsible sales of financial products still a key issue. The necessity and need of the charter should be regarded in this perspective. The elements of the charter aim at creating an environment and operating procedures within companies that supports transparent and responsible selling of financial products. Taking into account that financial regulation and practices vary considerably around the world, the charter provides a detailed framework of relevant issues to be addressed and adapted in the specific context of a financial company in dialogue between management and employees. The most central elements are:

• Incentive systems for employees should be realistic, fair, transparent and based on long-terms and sustainable business goals
• Good customer services and qualified advice should be rewarded and incorporated in incentive structures
• Conflicts of interests, roles and responsibilities of employees should always be clear in sales situations
• Internal structures allowing employees to report inappropriate practices to an independent ombudsman (whistle-blowing) should be established
• Structures for continuous dialogue on the responsible sale of products between the company, its employees and trade union representatives should be installed

ILO Must Ensure That a Generation Gains Access to Quality Education and Training

2010-06-09: "Will we have a lost generation?," EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen will solemnly ask participants to the International Labour Conference on 10 June in Geneva, Switzerland. Speaking at the General Debate during this event, hosted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), van Leeuwen will emphasize "that the speculators who caused the crisis two years ago are now betting against entire nations, raising the cost of borrowing, and forcing massive cuts in public services. The consequence? Cuts in vital resources for education and training! A generation denied quality education and training!" He will remind the audience that "Education International, with other Global Unions, supports ILO's role as a place where governments, employers and workers can work together on the recovery of the real economy;" and that "the (Labour and Employment) Ministers called on ILO to continue its work, with the constituents, on a skills and training strategy based on lifelong learning and a solid foundation of general education. In his core statement, he will say that it is time for the Labour Ministers who come to this conference to be more assertive, to insist that the financial sector must be at the service of the real economy, not the other way around. In country after country, our members are faced with the consequences of the doctrine of sudden and premature fiscal consolidation. Dismissals of teachers have started in many countries, several hundred thousand more dismissals are expected in Europe and the United States before the year is out. And those dismissals mean quality education denied to several million children and young people. He will also highlight the role of the ILO as "the institution to which we look for the defence of human and trade union rights."
Source: Education Internationl--EI uniting more than 30 million teachers and education workers in 401 member organizations that operate in 172 countries and territories

Decent Work for Domestic Workers: Towards New International Labor Standards

Domestic work employs millions of workers, mostly women, around the world. The June 2010 session of the International Labour Conference will hold a first discussion on a new international labour standard for a domestic workforce that is growing worldwide. ILO Online spoke with Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO's Conditions of Work and Employment Programme, about working conditions of domestic workers, and how they can be improved.
ILO Online: How would you define domestic work?
Manuela Tomei: Domestic workers may cook, clean, take care of children, the elderly or the disabled, even domestic animals. Domestic workers may work full or part-time as wage workers for one or more employers. They may also be self-employed with substantial control over the terms of their work, or provide services in individual homes while being paid by licensed institutions. Domestic workers, especially full-time migrant domestic workers, may also live in the employer's home.
ILO Online: What is the composition of this workforce?
Manuela Tomei: The composition of the domestic workforce changes by country and over time, but, everywhere, their numbers are growing. According to a new ILO report prepared for this year's International Labour Conference, domestic work absorbs a significant proportion of the workforce, ranging between 4 and 10 per cent of total employment in developing countries and up to 2.5 per cent of total employment in industrialized countries. While domestic work is overwhelmingly comprised of women, an important proportion of them migrants, men also work as gardeners or as guardians in private homes or as family chauffeurs.
ILO Online: What are the reasons behind this increase in domestic work?
Manuela Tomei: Changes in the organization and intensification of work and the marked rise in female labour participation rates, which has reduced women's availability for unpaid care work, are responsible for this increase. Besides, the ageing of societies, intensified national and international migration of women and the decline in state provision of care and social services have made it increasingly difficult for families to reconcile paid work with family responsibilities. As a result, reliance on domestic work has increased everywhere across the world as a private strategy to counter mounting work-family tensions.
ILO Online: What are their conditions of work?
Manuela Tomei: Despite its growing social and economic significance, domestic work has been, and remains, one of the most precarious, low-paid, insecure and unprotected forms of employment. Many domestic workers are overworked, underpaid and unprotected. Abuse and exploitation are common, especially when children and migrant workers are involved. Because of their young age or nationality, and the fact that they often live in the employer's household, they are particularly vulnerable to verbal and physical violence. There are frequent media reports on such violence, including suicides and homicides in the worst case.
ILO Online: Where does the lack of protection come from?
Manuela Tomei: The serious decent work deficits facing domestic workers are a consequence of their legal and social vulnerability. Domestic workers are excluded either de jure or de facto from the effective protection of national labour law and social security regimes-both in industrialized and developing countries. Another flagrant case is the exclusion of domestic workers from the scope of occupational safety and health legislation in most countries, as the household is erroneously perceived as safe and non-threatening.
ILO Online: What is so specific about domestic work that it needs special regulation?
Manuela Tomei: Domestic work differs from other types of work in many respects. First, domestic work is largely limited to inside the home, and therefore can escape the outreach of conventional mechanisms of control, such as labour inspection services that face legal and administrative obstacles to inspecting private premises. Second, domestic work mirrors work traditionally performed by women without pay, and is thus perceived as lacking in value and exogenous to the "productive" economy. This explains why domestic workers commonly earn low wages, and may often be either under- or unpaid at regular intervals. Third, domestic workers have limited bargaining power as they are an "invisible" (working inside the household, out of public sight) and isolated workforce, with no peer workers to turn to for support or guidance on what is to be considered a reasonable request or an unacceptable treatment. When migrant workers are involved, their isolation may be even greater as they often do not master the national or local language and have no family or other supportive networks to rely on. All these characteristics reinforce the perception of domestic work as not constituting "real" work, thus contributing to its further undervaluation and neglect.
ILO Online: Why do we need international labour standards on domestic work?
Manuela Tomei: Existing international labour standards do not offer adequate guidance on how to ensure meaningful protection to domestic workers as they either fail to address the specific context in which domestic work takes place or allow for their exclusion. This led the ILO Governing Body to agree to include a standard-setting activity on decent work for domestic workers on the agenda of the 99th Session (2010) of the International Labour Conference (ILC). The latter will deal with this question according to the double discussion procedure. This means that, while in 2010 the ILC will be called to discuss the desirability and form of a possible international instrument(s) on the subject, a final decision on a possible adoption will be taken in June 2011. A specific international norm for domestic workers, to be effective, would need to reaffirm the protections to which domestic workers are already entitled to under existing ILO standards, while recognizing their special employment relationship and providing for specific standards to make these rights a reality. The decision to discuss such a norm on decent work for domestic workers reflects the ILO's commitment, as embedded in its Decent Work Agenda, to bring workers once deemed to be outside of its constituency into its mainstream work. It recognizes that domestic workers are real workers and takes account of the fact that the overwhelming majority of domestic workers in the globalizing economy are women.
Source: International Labour Organization--ILO is a tripartite United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world

Trade Union Seminar to Support Democratic Labour Movement in Mexico

UNI Global Union and several affiliated organizations will unite on June 20 to ensure Mexico's Democratic Labour Movement is heard at this year's G8/G20 conference. At the conference several union leaders will share their experiences struggling for workers rights. The speakers will discuss a variety of topics related to the Mexican labour movement, including the legal and political framework of the movement and organising and solidarity strategies as workers deal with this crisis. The conference will be held between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Chestnut Residence Hotel in Toronto, Canada, and is hosted by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), United Steelworkers (USW), Quebec Network on Continental Integration (RQIC), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM), Common Frontiers, the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) and the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF).
Source: Union Network International--UNI represents over 20 million workers in 900 unions in 140 countries

Ireland-IUF Affiliate SIPTU Launches Fair Hotels Campaign

SIPTU, the union for hotel workers in Ireland has launched a campaign to support hotels which treat workers fairly and promote quality jobs in the industry. Over 40 hotels across Ireland where workers have collective bargaining rights have signed up to the campaign, encouraging union members and consumers who care about workers rights to use these hotels. The Fair Hotels website, www.fairhotels.ie enables consumers to review hotel facilities, access special offers and book rooms directly at the hotels listed. The IUF is supporting the campaign, and attended the launch in Dublin where hotel workers, employers, and NGO representatives as well as the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) spoke about the need to create an ethical choice for hotel customers. The campaign will use the combined purchasing power of 850,000 workers in Ireland, alongside the institutional purchasing power of 50 Irish trade unions, which between 2010 and 2013 will hold 61 conferences requring 44,390 bed nights for 17,650 delegates across the country. The campaign is also endorsed by 32 Irish NGO and civic organisations, including Fair Trade Ireland. Unions from around the world have also signed up to support the initiative. A number of other IUF affiliates have also produced lists of recommended (or not-recommended) hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses based on whether they respect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. These include: www.schystavillkor.se -an initiative of the HRF in Sweden, this site allows you to search for all hotels, restuarants and other leisure facilities (such as Bingo Halls) which are part of the national collective agreement. You can search the site by business name, type or location. www.thefirststar.com.au -This website of the LHMU in Australia provides extensive details of the working conditions in luxury hotels, including where there are ongoing labour disputes. www.hotelworkersrising.org/HotelGuide -This is the union hotel guide of Unite Here!, the hotel union for North America and Canada. You can search the site by hotel name or city. It provides a list of hotels to patronise, and to boycott.
Source: International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations--IUF is currently composed of 391 trade unions in 124 countries representing a combined membership of over 12 million workers