The XVI American Regional Meeting of the ILO and the Hemispheric Agenda for the Promotion of Decent Work

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The XVI American Regional Meeting of the ILO and
the Hemispheric Agenda for the Promotion of
Decent Work

• Meeting of the XIV IACML Working Groups
• Special Joint Session

Mexico City, April 5, 2006
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STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION

• About the XVI ARM
• Context and Principal Challenges for the
  Promotion of Decent Work
• The Hemispheric Agenda for the Generation of
  Decent Work
• Policies
• Country Decent Work Programmes

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About the XVI ARM

• Previously, the report of the Director-General
  has been presented at the meeting, and debates
  were not related to the content of the report
  long negotiations of a document of conclusions
  with low practical effect.
• For the XVI ARM
• Inform the constituents on the content of the
  Report of the Director-General with sufficient
  advance notice, and so the Groups of Workers and
  Employers can go to the ARM with a preliminary
  point of view on the nature of the Report
  (preparatory hemispheric workshops with
  representatives of the organizations of workers
  and employers).
• Changes in the report itself
• Proposal of a set of general policies and
  policies in specific areas of intervention that
  have specific goals and objectives and concrete
  policy proposals.
• To leave the XVI ARM with recommendations to the
  governments based on the proposals presented in
  the report of the D-G, and to orient the
  assistance and cooperation of the ILO to
  implement the policy recommendations.

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Political Context

• The creation of decent work has become one of the
  major democratic demands of our times.
• The lack of decent work is among the principal
  problems faced by the countries of the Americas.
• In the most recent survey by Latinobarómetro,
  unemployment is mentioned as the most important
  problem in 15 of the 18 countries surveyed.
• According to this survey, 75 of the workers in
  the region fear they will be left without work in
  the next 12 months.
• Hemispheric leaders have recognised that decent
  work plays a central role in the hemispheric
  agenda.
• Salamanca Iberoamerican Summit.
• IV Summit of the Americas.
• UN World Summit.

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Economic and Labour Context

• Clear economic recovery the last years impelled
  by an export boom, but not sufficient to
  significantly revert the high unemployment,
  informality and lack of social protection.
• GDP growth of LA and C -0.8 in 2002, 2.0 in
  2003, 5.9 in 2004 and 4.3 in 2005. A 4 to
  4.5 increase is expected in 2006.
• Unemployment continues to be high (9.6 in LA and
  10.3 in the Caribbean) a high participation by
  the informal sector (47 of non-agricultural
  employment, 61 of every 100 new jobs is informal)
  and low social protection coverage (only 5 of
  every 10 wage earners have social protection)
  persist.
• Export type of growth seems to be insufficient to
  alter the most important structures of the labour
  market and to create work opportunities for all.

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Economic and Labour Context

• Deficit of formal employment (53 of the EAP of
  LA).
• 23 million unemployed and 103 million in the
  informal sector
• Labour productivity low and with very slow growth
  rate (0.21 between 1990 and 2005).
• The lack of decent work translates into a high
  level of social exclusion (poverty and
  inequality).
• The poor in Latin America exceed 210 million
  people, with almost 90 million being indigent.
• The richest 10 earn one-third of the total
  income, while the poorest dont reach 2.

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Economic and Labour Context

• Unemployment, poverty and inequality also
  affect North America
• Unemployment in the U.S. from 4 in 2000 to 5.1
  in 2005 the absolute number of unemployed grew
  33 between 2000 and 2005.
• Greater unemployment among youth (3.5 times gt
  than the average) and among African Americans
  (10), especially African American youth (six
  times gt than the average).
• 6.8 unemployment in Canada (2005) is similar to
  2000 (8 growth in the number of unemployed).
• Greater incidence among youth (12.4 between 15
  and 24 years old and 16.5 between 15 and 19
  years old).
• In the U.S., poverty grew from 11.3 in 2000 to
  12.7 in 2004 (37 million people), it is higher
  among Blacks and Hispanics, especially those
  under 18 years old.
• Increase in inequality in the U.S. Gini
  Coefficient from 0.428 in 1990 to 0.466 in 2004.
• Source Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the
  same as ILO / Laborsta.
• Source "Statistics Canada ( www.statcan.ca
  ), the mismo as ILO / Laborsta.
• Nevertheless, (as in all countries in the
  Americas), it is possible to reach much lower
  percentages (for ex. 5.1 in the study of Jacobs
  Besharov for the US), although increasing if
  effects of social transfer of a fiscal nature,
  such as Medicaid for the poor, unreported income
  are taken into account.

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Principal Challenges for the Generation of Decent
Work

• That economic growth promotes decent work.
• A sustained growth rate of at least 5.5 annually
  is necessary if the regions gigantic deficit in
  formal employment is not to increase.
• Fundamental problem low labour productivity.
• The effective application of fundamental
  principles and rights at work (FPRs).
• Gap between their level of ratification and their
  effective achievement.

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Principal Challenges for the Generation of Decent
Work

• Generate confidence in democracy and social
  dialogue.
• The poor results obtained due to the lack of
  sufficient economic growth generate a lack of
  confidence in democracy.
• The promotion of democracy and social dialogue in
  general and in the labour market (collective
  bargaining) are essential.
• The labour market as a space that is necessary
  for democracy to be in equilibrium.

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Principal Challenges for the Generation of Decent
Work

• Increase and strengthen workers social
  protection schemes.
• Low coverage by social protection schemes (number
  of workers, risks covered and the quality of
  protection) in LA.
• Increase social and labour inclusion to reduce
  inequality.
• Latin America is the region with the highest
  concentration of income in the world.
• A great challenge is the reduction of the levels
  of poverty and social exclusion that are found in
  the labour market.
• Inequality has increased in most countries and
  has lessened slightly in some others.

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The Hemispheric Agenda for the Generation of
Decent Work 2006-2015

• What is it?
• It is a joint strategy of policies that combine
  economic, legal, institutional and labour market
  actions, whose implementation will permit
  progress in the promotion of decent work for all.
  
• What does it contain?
• The Hemispheric Agenda is composed of three
  basic elements
• General policies for the achievement of the
  strategic and transverse objectives that orient
  the generation of decent work.
• Policies in specific areas of intervention that
  reinforce the general policies.
• Country Decent Work Programmes (CDWPs).

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The Hemispheric Agenda for the Generation of
Decent Work 2006-2015

• General policies for the achievement of the
  strategic and transverse objectives
• Policies in specific areas of intervention
• Country Decent Work Programmes (CDWPs)

• Economic growth to promote greater employment
  opportunities
• Effective respect for the FPRs
• Improved efficiency and coverage of social
  protection
• Effective social dialogue
• International Labour Standards / Gender equity /
  Youth employment / Small and micro-enterprises /
  Informal economy / Rural sector and local
  development / Professional Training / Employment
  services / Salaries and remunerations / Social
  security in the workplace / Migrant Workers
• Public policies and the CDWPs
• Institutional aspects of the CDWPs

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The Hemispheric Agenda for the Generation of
Decent Work 2006-2015

• Strategic Objectives
• Transverse Objectives

• Effective fulfilment of the FPRs
• Generation of greater employment opportunities
  for men and women
• Increase and strengthen workers social
  protection systems
• Promotion of social dialogue and strengthening of
  social actors
• Overcome poverty and social exclusion
• Promote equality, especially in terms of gender
• More influence for International Labour Standards
  (ILSs)
• More influence for social interlocuters, social
  dialogue and tripartism

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• I. Economic growth to promote more employment
  opportunities
• Objective The generation of greater
  opportunities for employment (strategic objective
  2 of the ILO) must be considered as the central
  objective of economic policy.
• Goal Attain economic growth of at least 5
  annually during the next 10 years in a
  sustainable and non-fluctuating way, as a
  necessary condition to promote decent work.
• Policies
• - Group of economic measures that are integrated
  at the macro-, meso- and micro-economic levels,
  to make growth a greater promoter of employment.

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• Specific Policies to reinforce economic growth
  that promotes greater employment opportunities
• Productive Development
• Small and Micro-enterprises
• Informal Economy
• Rural Sector and Local Development
• Efficiency and Equity in the Labour Market
• Professional Training
• Employment Services
• Salaries and Remunerations
• Youth Employment

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• II. Effective respect of the fundamental
  principles and rights at work
• Objective Achieve effective respect of the
  fundamental principles and rights at work
  (strategic objective 1 of the ILO).
• Goal The fundamental rights constitute a minimum
  and universally accepted body of labour rights
  incorporated into the national legislation and in
  the work culture of the various countries in the
  region.
• Policies
• Complete the ratification.
• Strategy of effective application.

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• Specific Policies that reinforce effective
  respect for the fundamental principles and rights
  at work
• International Labour Standards
• Gender Equity

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• III. Improved efficiency and coverage of social
  protection
• Objective Increase and strengthen the various
  workers social protection schemes (strategic
  objective 3 of the ILO).
• Goal Increase the coverage of social protection
  by 20 in a period of ten (10) years.
• Policies
• Define priorities for coverage in terms of
  target population and priority risks to be
  covered.
• Identify the most cost effective instruments for
  social protection, taking into account the
  heterogeneity of the labour market and the
  demographic structure.
• Institutional strengthening to optimize the
  management of social protection.
• Promote social dialogue for the processes of
  social security reform.

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work
III. Improved efficiency and coverage of social
protection

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• Specific Policies that reinforce the efficiency
  and coverage of social protection
• Migrant Workers
• Security and Health in the Workplace

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General Policies for Promoting Development with
Decent Work

• IV. Effective social dialogue
• Objective Promote the institutionalization of
  voluntary social dialogue (strategic objective 4
  of the ILO).
• Goal Promote all the countries of the region
  taking actions to strengthen social dialogue, so
  that in a period of no more than 10 years they
  have spaces of institutionalized social dialogue
  that are sustained on voluntary bases.
• Policies
• Generate an adequate framework for collective
  bargaining and achieve commitments by the
  corresponding social actors on the need to
  generate a systematic and permanent push to
  increase productivity.
• Strengthen the capacity of the States to enable
  them to undertake processes of dialogue.

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Country Decent Work Programmes

• The policies proposed in the framework of the
  Hemispheric Agenda for the Generation of Decent
  Work present a combination of elements that
  should be analyzed and evaluated in each country
  to determine priorities and establish specific
  objectives and programmatic strategies. The
  selection of these proposals, together with
  others that each country defines, should be part
  of a National Plan for Decent Work (NPDW) as part
  of the national development strategy.
• The commitment of the ILO is to place its
  knowledge, instruments and mobilization potential
  at the service of its tripartite constituents via
  Country Decent Work Programs (CDWPs) in support
  of the development of country strategies and
  policies.

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Country Decent Work Programmes

• Another key is the development of the
  institutional capacities for the application of
  the policies. This includes a stronger labour
  authority, greater and better knowledge of the
  structure and the operation of the labour market,
  greater stability and continuity of public
  institutions, the integration of policies and
  their adequate and articulated management,
  strengthened workers and employers organizations,
  and the institutionalization of the integration
  processes.

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Country Decent Work Programmes

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Country Decent Work Programmes