Latest news with #113thInternationalLabourConference
Borneo Post
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Malaysia among 25 nations reviewed by ILO over labour rights concerns
Solomon says Malaysia faced criticism during the conference for refusing to include a full tripartite delegation, specifically by excluding a worker representative from the MTUC. – Bernama photo KUCHING (July 5): Malaysia was among 25 countries shortlisted for review by the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) over violations of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 98, during the 113th International Labour Conference (ILC) held in Geneva from June 2 to 13. This follows the ILO's supervisory process, in which ratified countries are periodically assessed to ensure their laws and practices align with the convention's requirement. Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Joint Special Committee chairman J Solomon said Malaysia faced criticism during the conference for refusing to include a full tripartite delegation, specifically by excluding a worker representative from the MTUC. 'Despite this, MTUC's presence made a strong impact, as the voices and struggles of Malaysian workers were heard loud and clear at the ILO,' he said in a statement yesterday. During the CAS discussion, Solomon noted that 12 out of 21 global speakers, including top International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) leaders, voiced strong support for MTUC. 'A representative for European Union (EU) Member States and even a minister urged Malaysia's Ministry of Human Resource (MoHR) to uphold ILO Convention No. 98,' he said. 'This should be a wakeup call for MoHR to correct its actions, which had violated the workers' rights, and ensure Malaysian workers enjoy dignity and fair livelihood.' As a result of the discussion on the complaints by six sectorial affiliates from MTUC, including on migrant workers, Solomon said the committee urged the Malaysian government, in consultation with the social partners, to take effective and time-bound measures to remove all the remaining legal and practical obstacles to collective bargaining and to promote its development. He added that the committee also called on the government to ensure effective protection against acts of anti-union discrimination with dissuasive sanctions. Victims of such discrimination must have the right to access justice and remedy. 'The committee further urged the government to review recognition procedures for collective bargaining, with reasonable and adequate safeguards to prevent interference, while also simplifying and expediting the administrative and judicial processes as well as to enable collective bargaining machinery for public servants who are not engaged in the administration of the state,' he said. Additionally, the committee requested the government to accept a technical advisory mission of the ILO before the next session of the conference and to report any progress to the Committee of Experts on the measures taken to implement the above recommendations in line with the convention by Sept 1, 2025. Solomon pointed out that the ILC serves as a platform where governments, employers, and workers jointly discuss convention violations and call on governments to take corrective action, while a panel of retired judges — known as the ILO Committee of Experts — reviews national laws and practices and reports on any gaps or violations. 'Unions also play a key role by submitting reports when governments fail to uphold workers' rights as required under international labour standards,' he added. Solomon further noted that the ITUC had informed MTUC that failure to participate in the 113th ILC would delay the hearing of Malaysia's Convention 98 case until 2028. This was why his committee, tasked by the court to prepare for the MTUC Special Delegates Conference (SDC) and oversee MTUC's interim administration, gathered names of affiliates interested in attending and submitted them to the MoHR. 'However, MoHR did not forward the list to the ILC despite repeated follow-ups. Nevertheless, 14 delegates from MTUC-affiliated unions, led by me, successfully attended the ILC with ITUC's support,' he said. Solomon also emphasised that the ILO's 'naming and shaming' system holds governments accountable for violating international labour standards. MTUC is set to host its Special Delegates Conference (SDC) on Aug 2-3 in Shah Alam. The Joint Special Committee was established through a Court Consent Order, resolving a dispute that had nullified the previously elected office bearers. Geneva International Labour Organisation J Solomon lead MTUC
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BMS has succeeded in drawing attention to concerns of Indian international workers and students at ILO, says Surendran
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which led the Indian workers delegation to the 113th International Labour Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), held in Geneva from June 2 to 13, has succeeded in drawing attention to challenges faced by Indians abroad, national organising secretary of BMS B. Surendran said. A total of 5,164 members from 187 countries, including 46 from India, participated in the conference, Mr. Surendran, in the city on Monday (June 30) as part of his tour of North Andhra, said. He held a meeting with BMS leaders from A.P. — MVS Naidu, Anil Kumar, K. Lova Reddy and Bhavani Shankarudu. 'We had raised the demand for international portability of social security funds of Indian workers, who return to their motherland, after serving abroad for sometime. Currently their funds are not being transferred when they return home. We had also sought bringing out international parameters for skill certification of Indian students, studying abroad, who are being forced to study for some more time on return to India,' Mr Surendran told The Hindu during an interaction. 'Children of workers are going to Russia, China and other countries for higher studies and on their return to India after completing their studies, they are facing difficulties in clearing one more qualifying examination for taking up jobs in the country. We had also appealed to the global leaders to regulate AI and other emerging technologies and confine them to critical areas like space and health sciences. We had succeeded in raising global problems as a country delegation,' he explained. The Director-General of the ILO appreciated the Indian social security model, and appealed to other member nations to study it and strive to implement the best practices in their respective nations. A total of 31 crore workers in the unorganised sector have already enrolled in the e-shram portal of the Government of India. The details of those who register on the portal would be maintained in the National Database of Unorganised Workers (NDUW) and e-shram cards would be issued to them to enable them avail the benefits of various government schemes. The social protection coverage has doubled from 24.4% in 2021 to 48.4% in 2024 for workers in the unorganised sector. This is the second highest in the world after the United States of America (USA).
Scoop
16-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Government Turns Its Back On Workers' Safety
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi is dismayed by the Government's decision to abstain from the new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on biological hazards that would strengthen worker protections. 'This Convention provides a comprehensive framework for preventing and managing biological workplace health and safety issues,' said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff. 'Representatives of Government, employers' and workers' organizations at the 113th International Labour Conference have resoundingly voted for the adoption this new Convention and accompanying Recommendation on protection against biological hazards in the working environment. 'There is strong international support for this Convention which has been ratified by more than 95% of representatives from the 187 ILO member states. The New Zealand workers' delegation voted in favour of this convention which embeds the importance of healthy and safe work as a fundamental aspect of good work for everyone. 'Unfortunately, the New Zealand Government has joined Bangladesh, Djibouti, Panama, Algeria, Guatemala, and India as the only Governments to vote against or abstain in the vote for the Convention. New Zealand Business representatives did not vote at all. 'The failure of the Government to support this convention reflects its total disregard and disinterest in workers' safety and health and shows how isolated New Zealand has become from global efforts to improve safeguards at work,' said Wagstaff. James Ritchie, the Spokesperson for the biological hazards Convention stated: 'This is the first international instrument that specifically addresses biological hazards in the working environment at the global level. It follows the Covid pandemic, and the 2022 decision to include a safe and healthy working environment in the ILO's framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. 'The New Zealand Government rejection of this historic convention is not a theoretical exercise, implementing its provisions would save lives now and during future outbreaks of infectious diseases,' said Ritchie.
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco Pushes for Scalable Global Action to End Child Labor
Rabat – Morocco urged the international community to explore practical, adaptable solutions to eliminate child labor worldwide, drawing on its own progress in tackling the issue. Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, shared Morocco's experience during a high-level meeting held to mark the 2025 World Day Against Child Labor. 'Morocco has taken concrete steps, and we are still moving forward,' Sekkouri said. 'By hosting the sixth global conference on child labor in February 2026, we hope to influence change far beyond our borders.' Morocco has recorded a 55% drop in child labor since 2017. In 2023, around 110,000 children aged 7 to 17 were found to be engaged in economic activity, roughly 1.4% of that age group. The majority of these children, about 60%, worked to support their families, often in rural areas. Although such work may not always fall under formal definitions of child labor, Sekkouri insisted that it should no longer be tolerated. He pointed to several levers behind the country's progress. Chief among them is Morocco's rollout of universal social protection. Today, the program supports around seven million children and looks to remove the economic pressures that drive families to put their children to work. The government has also expanded access to early childhood education. A nationwide push to make preschool available to all children aged four and up has relied on partnerships with civil society groups and a flexible model tailored to local realities. 'Investing in early education gives children a chance to thrive, not work,' Sekkouri said. He also noted the importance of strong governance. Morocco has strengthened its inspection systems, worked closely with the judiciary, and adopted key international conventions and protocols. Despite these gains, Sekkouri acknowledged the deeper challenge of turning successful national models into global solutions. 'We need to understand what allows local strategies to expand and address the problem globally,' he said. 'This is where the international conversation must go.' He called for more multilateral partnerships to support creative, context-sensitive approaches. 'No country can solve this alone,' he added. The event, organized by Morocco's Permanent Mission and the International Labour Organization (ILO), took place alongside the 113th International Labour Conference, running from June 2 to 13 in Geneva. The gathering brought together ministers from Asia, Latin America, and Europe, as well as senior ILO officials and development partners. It also saw the launch of a new joint ILO-UNICEF report offering updated global data on child labor. The findings sparked discussions on how to speed up progress and meet international targets. The ILO, for its part, renewed its call for countries to ratify Convention No. 138 on minimum working age and to fully implement Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor. Tags: child abuseChild LaborMoroccoMorocco child labor
India Gazette
11-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Over 7.5 crore jobs created in formal sector in last 7 years: Mandaviya highlights India's employment formalisation progress at ILC
Geneva [Switzerland], June 11 (ANI): In the last seven years, more than 7.5 crore jobs have been created in the formal sector in India, said Union Minister of Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya at the Plenary Session of the 113th International Labour Conference here. He added that India is building a vibrant education-to-employment ecosystem. 'India has especially progressed in the formalisation of employment. As a result, in the last seven years, more than 7.5 crore jobs have been created in the formal sector. Our employment-linked incentive scheme will promote formal employment further with an allocation of USD 12.8 billion,' Mandaviya said at the session. The Union Minister also highlighted the 'strong digital public infrastructure' being built in India. 'India has built a strong digital public infrastructure, which includes platforms like National Career Service (NCS), which is a one-stop solution for our youth and the working population. We now use NCS to aggregate global job demand and facilitate international labour mobility,' he said. 'We are building a vibrant education-to-employment ecosystem where universities, industry partners, and skill centres are being brought together so our youth can get opportunities based on real market demands,' he added. While holding a bilateral discussion with the Director General, ILO, Gilbert F Houngbo on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference, Mandaviya highlighted the pro-poor and labour welfare schemes undertaken by the Modi Government over the past 11 years. The Union Minister also apprised DG ILO about the national-level Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise that has been carried out by the Government in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation. Recognising these efforts, the ILO acknowledged India's achievement and officially published on its dashboard that 64.3% of India's population, i.e. over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. In 2015, this figure was just 19%. In terms of beneficiary count, India now ranks second in the world, providing social protection to around 94 crore citizens. DG ILO praised India's focused welfare policies for the poor and labour class under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The ILO's criteria for Scheme Consideration for each country include that the scheme should be legislatively backed, in cash, and active. Additionally, verified time series data for the last three years must be provided. Speaking from Geneva, Mandaviya said, 'This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the relentless efforts of the Government in building an inclusive and rights-based social protection ecosystem. The increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the Government's unwavering commitment to 'Antyodaya', i.e., empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind.' It is important to note that the present figure reflects only Phase I of the data pooling exercise. This phase focused on beneficiary data of Central sector schemes and women-centric schemes in selected 8 States. With Phase II and further consolidation underway, it is expected that India's total social protection coverage will soon surpass the 100-crore mark upon verification of additional schemes by the ILO. India is also the first country globally to update its 2025 social protection coverage data in the ILOSTAT database, reinforcing its leadership in digital governance and transparency in welfare systems. Moreover, the increase in Social Protection Coverage will further strengthen India's global engagements, particularly in finalising Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with developed nations. These agreements will ensure the portability of social protection benefits for Indian professionals working overseas, while offering partner countries the transparency required for mutual recognition frameworks. This will further bolster India's position in trade and labour mobility negotiations by showcasing a credible and robust social protection regime. Mandaviya is leading an Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, from 10th to 12th June 2025 to participate in the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. India has achieved a historic milestone in the realm of social protection coverage, recording one of the most significant expansions globally. According to the latest data from the International Labour Organization's (ILO) ILOSTAT database, India's social security coverage has increased from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, an unprecedented 45 percentage point surge over the past decade. (ANI)
