Department of Labour Presentation of ILO 93 rd Conference to the Portfolio Committee on Labour 8 November 2005

Presentation Outline 1. Committee on Finance 2. Committee on Occupational Safety and Health 3. Committee on the Application of Standards 4. Committee on Work in the Fishing Sector 5. Committee on Youth

1.Discussions of the Committee on Finance Mandate: The Committee discusses and concludes the budget of the ILO. Some of the issues discussed are as follows: Status of collection of contribution Assessment of the contributions of new member states Scales of assessment of contributions to the budget Composition of the Administrative Tribunal on the ILO Programme and budget proposal for 2006/7

Finance Committee Conclusions The committee endorsed the expenditure budget of $568,589,939 for the 2006 / 7 financial year. The developing countries, particularly Africa are expected to benefit from the ILO Technical Programmes.

2.Discussions of the Committee on Safety and Health The focus was on the discussion regarding the Promotional Framework on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The proposal requires that member states should then establish national systems that deal with OSH. South Africa has already established such systems through its legislation The 94 th Session in 2006 will hold a second discussion on the matter with a view to establish a new Convention and Recommendation

3.Discussions of the Committee on the Application of Standards The Committee monitors the implementation of ratified conventions and also requires member states to report on non-ratification of convention. There was general unhappiness from the developing countries regarding the working method of the committee It is felt that developing countries are more often called to account, which is viewed as a political ploy / abuse of power by the developed countries

4.Discussions of the Committee on Work in the Fishing Sector The fishing sector has been identified as requiring attention as a result of the nature of work that is performed. The ILO was requested to consider the following resolutions: – Promote social security for sea fishers – Examine the impact of globalization on the fishing sector – Examine, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, the occupational diseases and injuries affecting fishers

Fishing sector (continued) – Assist countries in providing technical expertise to member states that wish to ratify the proposed convention – To utilize the expertise at its disposal in order to make a contribution that responds to the labour market, employment and social protection needs of the affected countries

5.Discussions of the Committee on Youth Employment Committee convened to discuss challenges and approaches to the problems of youth employment. Youth employment has been identified as a global challenge that warranted an integrated approach

Youth Committee (Cont.) Issues discussed: – Disadvantages faced by young people in the labour market – Packages of policies and programmes that encourage decent work for young people – Roles of governments, employers and workers organizations in promoting pathways for decent work for young men and women

Youth Employment (continued) – The establishment of a new instrument by the ILO that will focus on youth employment

Action plan calls to the ILO The ILO was urged to do the following: – Work closely with the Youth Employment Network – Expand knowledge through the gathering of factual data and empirical evidence on the effectiveness of country policies – Facilitate global peer partnerships – Develop a research agenda that includes evaluation strategy – Strengthen research and knowledge dissemination on the 10 core elements in the ILO Global Employment Agenda

Southern Africa Sub-Regional Conference on Youth Employment A sub-regional conference on youth employment was convened by the ILO in Zimbabwe in October 2005 The objective was to discuss challenges for Southern Africa and to further develop strategies on how to address this problem.

Conclusions of the conference Countries to develop action plans outlining interventions in dealing with youth employment. Identify sectors with high potential for youth employment. Gather factual data on the effectiveness of country policies and interventions.