Workers’ Group to ILO: Work closely with unions
The event, which will last until 9 December, hopes to forge commitment amongst the tripartite constituents on common priorities for action that will help shape the ILO’s work in both regions for years to come. Key policy reforms are hoped to be discussed to address structural inequalities in labour markets and persistent high levels of informality, and how to widen social protection coverage as well as the need to drive productivity growth, quality job creation and skills development.
However, in his opening speech, Felix Anthony, Spokesperson for the Workers’ Group, a group representing workers in Asia and the Pacific and the Arab regions, spoke firmly on the need for the ILO to work closely with trade unions. He asserted that the ILO staff at the national level are not fully aware of the concept of tripartism.
“The Office needs to work with us. This is a serious matter. The trade union movement sometimes feel like the distant cousin particularly when engaging at the national and sub regional IL offices. Our view is that ILO and other UN staff at national level have not been fully made aware of the concept of tripartism, the ILO supervisory mechanism, the mandate of ILO and how it is in practise at the national level. There seem to be not sufficient training given to the UN staff and the constituents at the national level. We see that as a serious issue. The Workers’ Group views that multilateralism is not working at the national level contrary to what is said in the report,” Anthony said.
Anthony, who is also a member of the ILO High Level Tripartite Mission to the Philippines on 23-27 January 2023, expressed his critical views on the ILO Director General’s Report.
“The report is thin and weak in terms of any analysis on the devastating effect on unions. Look at the abhorrent situation of workers in Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines and Hong Kong. Trade unionists are being jailed and hunted down. There is weak suggestion about building the capacity of workers. There is much talk about people centred recovery. Yet the report lacks any analysis about trade union involvement in and the improvement of collective bargaining processes or fundamental rights. It is very weak in its analysis on efforts to improve legislation and strengthen collective bargaining,” Anthony emphasised.
He also stressed that the Asia-Pacific region is the second worst region in the world for workers’ rights. “2022 was marked by the use of extreme police brutality to repress strike actions, notably in Bangladesh and India, where striking workers were killed, and in Pakistan, where violence was used against workers. In Hong Kong the authorities all but silenced trade unions, made independent trade unions illegal. Egregious human rights abuses continued unabated in Myanmar. In the Philippines, trade unionists and workers lived in fear of violent attacks and arbitrary arrests and killings,” he said.
Anthony ended his speech by expressing the trade unions’ readiness to work with the ILO. In particular, he manifested the Workers’ Group’s support for proposals made in the report on action on climate change; equality; non-discrimination; rights of women; protection of migrant workers’ rights and enterprise development.