Impact and people
2007
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Labour markets in Central and South Eastern Europe Positive trends, persisting problems and new challenges
09 March 2007
A new ILO study says that economic growth has accelerated in Central and South Eastern Europe after 2000, but it has not adequately translated into employment creation.
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International Women's Day 2007 - Sweet success: How Tajik women are turning honey into economic development
02 March 2007
If honey can cure disease, reduce fever, improve the intellect and make cows give more milk, why not promote local development and female empowerment? That's just what is happening in remote Tajikistan, where honey has become a powerful new development tool. Olga Bogdanova of the ILO's Moscow office reports how honey has sweetened the prospects for local development, and in the process, empowered many of the local women and migrants.
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The spicy taste of entrepreneurship: street food sellers and economic development
09 February 2007
In Bangkok, food sold by street vendors provides more than just a cheap and healthy meal. For tens of thousands of people it is a vital source of income and a recipe for reducing poverty. According to a study recently published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), street vendors shouldn't be seen as a nuisance and a traffic obstruction but as entrepreneurs who generate "cultural capital" while building a healthier future for themselves and their families. The study says the right policies and positive social attitudes can benefit not just the vendors and their customers but entire economies as well. ILO Online reports.
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Decent work in New Zealand: Thinking globally, acting locally
05 February 2007
The launch last week of a new campaign on decent work and a website by the government, employers and workers of New Zealand reinforces the reputation of the country as a leader in promoting more and better jobs, social protection, fundamental rights at work and social dialogue. ILO Online reports.
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International Framework Agreements: a global tool for supporting rights at work
31 January 2007
France Telecom has become the latest company to sign an international framework agreement with a global union federation. Covering more than 200,000 employees worldwide, the global agreement signed on 21 December 2006 between the French multinational, the Union Network International (UNI), and telecom unions around the globe, addresses respect for ILO core standards across the group - including the right to join a union and to bargain collectively and freedom from discrimination and forced or child labour. ILO Online spoke with Dominique Michel, Team Leader of the ILO's Multinational Enterprises Programme, about these global agreements.
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Creating a "socialist harmonious society in the countryside": Towards universal health insurance in rural China
30 January 2007
In 2003, the government launched a New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance (NRCMI) with an ambitious objective of covering all rural residents by 2010. The new health insurance system is seen as a central pillar of the government's plan to improve the working and living conditions of the country's huge agricultural workforce and eliminate poverty in the countryside. Will it be feasible?
2006
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International Migrants Day (18 December 2006) Reversing the brain drain in China: the return of the 'sea turtles'
11 December 2006
As China's economy continues to grow exponentially, the country faces a shortage of locally educated managers with international experience. But more and more Chinese who previously left the country to study abroad are heading back to the land of opportunities, according to a recent article in the ILO's International Labour Review ( Note 1).
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Abandoned but not lost: Towards global protection for abandoned seafarers
07 December 2006
The complexities of globalization and its impact on shipping have made helping seafarers abandoned in foreign ports more pressing than ever. A recently created ILO database on reported incidents of abandonment of seafarers ( Note 1) is the first step in this direction. Since January 2004, the database has registered 40 cases of abandonment worldwide.
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Protecting labour rights - A crucial ILO body celebrates its 80th anniversary
01 December 2006
On 24-25 November 2006 the ILO’s International Labour Standards Department organized a twoday meeting on “Protecting labour rights as human rights: Present and future of international supervision”, focusing on the effectiveness of supervision in the international legal system.
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Cooperating out of poverty: Cooperative reform in Tanzania
01 December 2006
African cooperatives are recreating themselves through member empowerment and increased commercial viability. British journalist Andrew Bibby reports from the United Republic of Tanzania where cooperatives are adopting a new approach to sustainability.