ICFTU reports to ILO on failure to respect of basic labour rights

ICFTU Online, 174/311001/LB, 31 October 2001

Brussels, October 31, 2001 (ICFTU Online) : In a report submitted today to the ILO within the framework of the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) examines the situation in 45 countries. Although not exhaustive, the report clearly illustrates a failure to respect basic labour standards.

The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work is an incentive mechanism for countries that have not ratified the eight ILO Core Conventions to swiftly comply with the rights and principles embodied in them. The eight conventions cover four key-principles of the ILO: the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, the abolition of all forms of forced and child labour and the elimination of discrimination at work (including gender-based discrimination).

Under the Declaration, trade unions and employers' organisations have the right to submit their own comments to the ILO as to how governments implement these four fundamental principles.

The 49-page document is a compilation of numerous ICFTU reports on respect for internationally recognised core labour standards published to coincide with the periodic review of member states' economic policies by the WTO as well as of the 2001 issue of the ICFTU's annual Survey on Trade Union Rights Violations (published earlier this month) and the new joint Anti-Slavery International-ICFTU report on “Forced Labour in the 21st Century”. It analyses the situation regarding the four categories of rights and principles in 45 countries.

For the full report on the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work please [go] here:
http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Language=EN&Index=991214076