ILO building a future with decent work

May 29, 2014 News

Labour migration, employment strategies, strengthening ILO Convention 29 on forced labour, and facilitating transitions from the informal to the formal economy are the priority items on the agenda of the 103rd Session of the International Labour Conference, which got underway Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

(Left to Right) Labour Minister, Dr. N.K. Gopaul, Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Charles Ogle, Mr. Seepaul Narine, Treasurer of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, and Ms. Jerry Goolsarran, Consultant to the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industries in attendance at the 103rd Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva

This is according to the Ministry of Labour in a press statement yesterday. The Conference is being attended by workers, employers and government delegates from the International Labour Organization’s 185 member States. It is expected to focus on “Building a future with decent work”
Guyana’s delegation is being led by Labour Minister Dr. Nanda. Gopaul and Chief Labour Officer Charles Ogle. Representing local workers is Mr. Seepaul Narine, Treasurer of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, while the employers’ delegate is Ms. Jerry Goolsarran, consultant to the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industries.
According to the Ministry, the International Labour Conference, among other things, is responsible for supervision of the application of Conventions and Recommendations at the national level.
It examines the reports which governments of all member States are required to submit, detailing their compliance with obligations arising out of ratified Conventions. The International Labour Conference crafts and adopts international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations.
The Conference is also a forum where social and labour questions of importance are discussed and every two years it adopts the ILO’s biennial work programme and budget, which is financed by member States.
Since the adoption of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), another important function of the Conference is to examine the Global Report covering the four fundamental rights, namely: (a) freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; (b) the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; (c) the effective abolition of child labour; and (d) the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
The Conference concludes on June 12, 2014.