Technological, scientific progress generating thousands of jobs today, but 'deep-rooted’ inequalities persist, says ILO chief
Beyza Binnur Donmez |05.06.2023
GENEVA
The 111th International Labor Conference began in Geneva on Monday.
The conference will run through June 16 with the participation of worker, employer and government delegates from the ILO's 187 member states.
It will tackle issues, including a just transition towards sustainable and inclusive economies, quality apprenticeships, and labor protection.
ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo said in his opening remarks that technological and scientific progress continues to shape new forms of work and are generating thousands of jobs today while providing gains in productivity.
At the same time, all countries, without exception, are working to recover the economic and social gains lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Houngbo said.
"It is clear that those efforts are being undermined by the many crises which are leaving the world in the state of upheaval at the moment," he said. "These structural changes on the labor market will, however, no doubt continue."
Assuring that the progress in the labor market will continue, the ILO chief drew attention to some "deep-rooted" inequalities.
"Even now, four billion of our fellow citizens have absolutely no access to social protection and the 214 million workers and some which put them below the poverty line," he said.
"How do we justify women earning on average even today?" he asked, saying women still earn 20% less per hour for equal work than their male counterparts do.
"I strongly feel that we cannot simply stand by and watch as child labor re-emerges and forced labor increases," he said. "We can't just watch the increasing risk of discrimination whatever type of discrimination it is that comes with these things and the exclusion, violence and harassment that they bring with them."
Qatar minister elected to head UN labor conference following World Cup scrutiny
Qatari Minister of Labour, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, chair of the 111th session of the International Labour Conference, is pictured during the opening session in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 5, 2023. The labor minister of Qatar, which faced intense scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year's soccer World Cup, was elected on Monday as the president of the United Nations labor agency's annual conference. (Pierre Albouy/Keystone via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — The labor minister of Qatar, which faced intense scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year’s World Cup soccer tournament, was elected Monday as the president of the United Nations labor agency’s annual conference.
Asian and Pacific nations proposed Ali bin Samikh al-Marri to lead the International Labor Agency’s two-week conference in Geneva. Regional groups take turns nominating the meeting’s chair.
After Qatar was named host of the 2022 World Cup, the labor conditions in a country where over 2 million migrants work in everything from construction jobs to service industries came under a spotlight.
Rights groups said workers faced unsafe working conditions, including extreme heat that had caused deaths, as well as exploitation by employers, despite reforms instituted by Qatar.
Qatari officials say stronger regulations over work conditions have been imposed under the reforms. They have said three workers died in workplace accidents connected to the construction of new stadiums for the World Cup over the past decade, along with 37 other stadium workers who died outside the workplace during that time.
They argue that accident rates at the stadiums are comparable to others around the world.
The International Labor Conference brings together government, employer and worker delegates from the agency’s 187 member countries.
Al-Marri was elected without dissent to preside over the gathering. The head of delegates representing workers acknowledged Qatar’s reforms but also noted that after the World Cup, labor unions expressed had expressed doubts about “if there was sufficient commitment to the necessary further implementation to address the continuous plight of migrant workers.”
The head of the workers’ delegates, Catelene Passchier, said there had been “extensive conversations” in recent weeks, resulting in “a joint understanding that re-engagement and speeding-up of the reforms and their implementation are necessary” to address outstanding issues.
In light of that, she said, “the workers’ group can accept the nomination of Qatar as president of the conference.”
Al-Marri thanked delegates for their confidence and pointed to “fundamental” changes to labor protection in Qatar.
“We know that there is further work that we need to achieve, and we are committed to doing so,” he said, adding that his country had invited two global union federations to discuss “further labor protection.”
Qatari Minister of Labour, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, chair of the 111th session of the International Labour Conference, is pictured during the opening session in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 5, 2023. The labor minister of Qatar, which faced intense scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year's soccer World Cup, was elected on Monday as the president of the United Nations labor agency's annual conference. (Pierre Albouy/Keystone via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — The labor minister of Qatar, which faced intense scrutiny over its treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year’s World Cup soccer tournament, was elected Monday as the president of the United Nations labor agency’s annual conference.
Asian and Pacific nations proposed Ali bin Samikh al-Marri to lead the International Labor Agency’s two-week conference in Geneva. Regional groups take turns nominating the meeting’s chair.
After Qatar was named host of the 2022 World Cup, the labor conditions in a country where over 2 million migrants work in everything from construction jobs to service industries came under a spotlight.
Rights groups said workers faced unsafe working conditions, including extreme heat that had caused deaths, as well as exploitation by employers, despite reforms instituted by Qatar.
Qatari officials say stronger regulations over work conditions have been imposed under the reforms. They have said three workers died in workplace accidents connected to the construction of new stadiums for the World Cup over the past decade, along with 37 other stadium workers who died outside the workplace during that time.
They argue that accident rates at the stadiums are comparable to others around the world.
The International Labor Conference brings together government, employer and worker delegates from the agency’s 187 member countries.
Al-Marri was elected without dissent to preside over the gathering. The head of delegates representing workers acknowledged Qatar’s reforms but also noted that after the World Cup, labor unions expressed had expressed doubts about “if there was sufficient commitment to the necessary further implementation to address the continuous plight of migrant workers.”
The head of the workers’ delegates, Catelene Passchier, said there had been “extensive conversations” in recent weeks, resulting in “a joint understanding that re-engagement and speeding-up of the reforms and their implementation are necessary” to address outstanding issues.
In light of that, she said, “the workers’ group can accept the nomination of Qatar as president of the conference.”
Al-Marri thanked delegates for their confidence and pointed to “fundamental” changes to labor protection in Qatar.
“We know that there is further work that we need to achieve, and we are committed to doing so,” he said, adding that his country had invited two global union federations to discuss “further labor protection.”
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