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ILO's role in fixing the global economic crisis

Issue date
Speaking note for

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary

6 May 2009

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thanks to the DWP for organising this event and for inviting me to speak.

I'm proud to help mark the 90th anniversary of the ILO; and proud to celebrate its many achievements since 1919.

Not just setting out basic standards of justice in the world of work - but the mechanisms for delivering them.

And it's testimony to the enduring relevance of the ILO that it is the last survivor of the old League of Nations architecture - and therefore the oldest part of the UN family.

British trade unions and their members have long been at the heart of the ILO's work: from Ernest Bevin, the legendary leader of the T&G and one-time Foreign Secretary, to the former chair of the Workers Group Bill Brett.

But this event today is not merely an opportunity for us to reflect on nine decades of progress; it's also a much-needed chance for us to look forward.

And there can be no doubt that we have reached a historically important crossroads for ordinary working people, both here in the UK and overseas.

The global economy is in crisis, facing the worst downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Inequality has reached record levels, underlining the importance of the ILO's famous dictum that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.

And the need to create a new model of globalisation - one that delivers for every citizen of the world - has perhaps never been greater than now.

So we face unprecedented challenges: and I believe the ILO has got to be a big part of any solution to the huge problems we face.

The ILO has constantly evolved over the past nine decades, and it is well placed to lead the debate about fairness, decent work and the global economy of the future.

The TUC welcomed the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, setting out clear conventions covering: freedom of association; freedom from forced labour; freedom from child labour; and freedom from discrimination.

We welcomed the World Commission on the Socialisation of Globalisation in which the ILO played such a leading role.

And we welcomed last year's seminal Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation.

A clear narrative for the ILO's work in the coming years - ensuring it remains relevant to all countries, whether in the developing or developed world.

What I think the Declaration does is set out a clear road map towards decent work - how to turn that from an attractive theoretical proposition into a practical reality through employment, social protection, social dialogue and rights at work.

And through the creation of Decent Work Country Programmes at the national level, we have a really important tool to take this agenda forward - making the concept of decent work something that ordinary workers and their families can genuinely relate to.

So there's an awful lot for the ILO to be proud of.

Let me put on record how much the TUC welcomes the UK government's support for all of these objectives - and in particular the significant additional financial support the ILO has received from the Department for International Development.

That's something we very much want to see continue in the years ahead, perhaps in the context of a more positive DWP approach to the ILO budget

I wouldn't be doing my job as a trade unionist if I didn't raise a few concerns.

We were disappointed, for example, that the UK government did not think it was appropriate to have a formal ILO presence at the recent G20 summit here in London, although I welcome the mandate that the summit decided to give to the ILO

We think it's absolutely vital that the ILO is involved in shaping the new global economic agenda - an agenda that must have employment at its heart - and the new framework of global financial governance we now need to build.

And the TUC is also disappointed that our government has only ratified three ILO conventions since coming to power in 1997.

At a time when unemployment is rising, when one in five of the UK workforce can be classified as vulnerable, and when unscrupulous employers are still getting away with rank bad practice, we need to see every aspect of the ILO agenda taken forward in Britain itself, as well as in developing countries

That's why the TUC is pressing the government to ratify all up-to-date ILO conventions here in the UK.

And that's why I'm looking forward to visiting the ILO conference next month for the debate on the crisis

But today is not a moment for nit-picking or political point-scoring.

It's about celebrating what the ILO has achieved; reflecting on the mighty challenges that remain to be addressed; and reasserting our collective commitment to the organisation's noble work.

With the world in the midst of the worst economic crisis in living memory, I'm convinced there's never been more need for a strong, effective ILO -for decent work for all - and for support for the ILO's core labour standards across Government: in development, trade and industrial relations policy

It's incumbent on all of us - whatever background we are from - to maintain the ILO's unique focus, unique role and unique tripartite governing body, allowing the views of workers, unions and employers to be heard.

So today let us resolve to work together to make that happen.

And together let us ensure the ILO goes from strength to strength over the next 90 years.

Thanks for listening.

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