MCC / Pax Romana – SIIAEC at the “International Labour Conference” (ILC) (8 June 2018, Geneva)

MCC / Pax Romana – SIIAEC at the “International Labour Conference” (ILC) (8 June 2018, Geneva)

On its way to 2019 and the beginning of its “second centenary”, the ILO is holding the General Assembly of its 187 Nations from 28 May to 8 June in Geneva. The agenda starts from a clear statement: in a rapidly changing world of work, moving from outrage to action for more balanced globalization and economic growth, sources of decent work for all.

Two Commissions focus on the issues: “Violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work” and “Tripartite social dialogue for a fair globalization”.

The forms of “Harassment” and “Violence” are rapidly diversifying: physical, sexual, psychological, moral; but also: the pressure of work rhythms, “destructured” hierarchies, career sequences (and forced retirements). These sources of violence may be direct or “digital” (including forced confinement outside working hours) and affect job seekers / trainees / apprentices / volunteers.

The key issue of the tripartite ILO debate (each country is represented by 3 delegations: Government, Employers, Workers) is therefore the broad scope of the future International Convention to be ratified. How to cover both what is happening on the premises and in working hours and what is being done “elsewhere and later”? How to cover workers in the informal economy, both the most exposed and the least protected?

The modern challenges of the “Social Dialogue”, on the other hand, come up against the increasing difficulty of identifying the “real employer” with whom to discuss. Who is really the “Boss” when the power of finance is omni-present? Who is the real “decision-maker” in a long chain of international subcontracting that ends up in low-wage countries but without regulation? With whom to “dialogue” when I am an “independent / self-employed” worker, “everyday or seasonal”, “cross-border”, “migrant”, or “informal”?

Knowing the need to maintain “social dialogue” as a long-term collective investment, based on sincerity, trust and the desire to build together, these issues push the ILO to constantly adapt its standards, true to its global mission of “PARLIAMENT OF UNIVERSAL and SUSTAINABLE PEACE through SOCIAL JUSTICE “.

Geneva, 1st June 2018

Jocelyne and Bruno BOULNOIS

Sec Gal SIIAEC and MCC International Leaders