At the last TUC Congress a motion on electoral reform was passed. It began by noting that the Conservative ‘majority’ government elected in 2015 in fact secured the support of just 24% of the British electorate. Since that election, we have had to campaign hard in defence of jobs, services, and even our fundamental democratic right…
Today sees the release of the British government’s action plan on the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). The Principles were developed by Professor John Ruggie, between 2006-2011, on behalf of the UN Secretary General. In theory the Principles are supposed to be a set of universally applied…
Today’s ratification of the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) by the British Government (13 days before the 20 August deadline for it coming into force globally) is a welcome development. Despite joint calls by the RMT, Nautilus International and the British Chamber of Shipping, backed by the TUC, it had been feared that the current…
The atmosphere in the main hall at the UN Palais in Geneva yesterday morning was electric, and speaking from experience, on the last day of the annual three week International Labour Conference that’s not something you can usually say. The reason for the buzz was the appearance of Aung San Suu Kyi to address the…
The seasonal naming of protests around the world has gained a new addition with the beginning of the ‘Chilean Winter.’ The increasingly annoying journalistic short hand however doesn’t disguise the spreading wave of resistance to austerity measures round the world. In Chile the protests initiated by students against cuts to education funding and the massively…
Countries which have adopted the ILO Convention on Asbestos (Convention 162) are under increased pressure to ban it after the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards issued a landmark ruling on a case brought by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). This includes Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Russia, Serbia, Macedonia,…
The ILO is holding its 100th conference in Geneva this week, and as well as a ground-breaking convention on the rights of domestic workers, we’re about to agree a major review of labour administration and inspection – the key, along with stronger unions, to implementing all the other conventions the ILO has produced in the…
Despite the tide of change sweeping across the Arab world, the Iraqi government seems intent on undermining its trade union movement. The TUC will seek to block the Iraqi delegation at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in a few weeks if it doesn’t stop its attacks on Iraqi unions. The developing situation in the Middle…
Despite protesting its continued commitment to the principles of Decent Work, and the central importance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as the UN body charged with promoting job-rich growth globally, the British Government has this week continued its sustained assault on the resources that enable the ILO to do its job.