May 2005

1. Article

   Africa: insecurities compound poverty

   11 May 2005

   JOHANNESBURG - Africa has suffered greater economic insecurity and instability than any other region of the world during the past decade and half. According to a recent ILO report presented at last month's annual meeting of the African Union Labour and Social Affairs Commission, among the 23 African countries for which adequate data are available, 19 fall in the category "much-to-be-done", facing tremendous challenges in terms of policy reforms, building capacity and delivering results. An interview with Guy Standing, Director of the ILO Socio-Economic Security Programme.

2. 

   Video

   MIGRANT WORKERS IN RUSSIA

   07 May 2005

   In the former Soviet Union, movement of workers was strictly controlled. But today’s Russia is seeing a growing phenomenon of labour migration, especially from some of the poorest former Soviet republics. But as ILO TV finds out, the life of a migrant worker is not an easy one.

3. 

   Video

   SEX TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS IN JAPAN

   05 May 2005

   The Japanese government has brought in new rules to crack down on entertainment visas which have been widely used to bring women into the country to work in the sex industry. Tens of thousands of foreign women work in bars and clubs in Japan, some of them against their will, according to a report by the International Labour Organization.

4. 

   Video

   GERMANY: MIGRANT WORKERS FIGHT FOR RIGHTS

   05 May 2005

   An ILO study detailed 42 cases of forced labour in Germany, where migrant workers in particular find themselves tricked into situations where they are forced to work for low pay – or no pay. ILO TV reports from Germany on a new union set up especially for workers away from home.

April 2005

1. Article

   World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2005 Promoting construction safety in Cambodia: Prevention is far better than cure

   25 April 2005

   There are annually at least 60,000 fatal accidents on construction sites around the world, according to an ILO report published for World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2005. The focus of this year's World Day to be held on 28 April is on the prevention of work-related accidents and ill-health, particularly in the construction sector. Phnom Penh-based journalist Bronwyn Sloan reports from construction sites in Cambodia.

2. Publication

   After the Tsunami: In the wake of the disaster, ILO helps rebuild lives and livelihoods

   01 April 2005

   The massive earthquake and Tsunami that hit Asia last December left hundreds of thousands dead. What's more, an estimated 4 million people in India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Thailand faced the loss of their livelihoods and the risk of sinking deeper into poverty. The ILO has launched a number of programmes to help people rebuild their livelihoods.

3. Publication

   Tanzania: A life-cycle approach to gender equality and decent work

   01 April 2005

   The Government of Tanzania, in partnership with the ILO, is seeking to alleviate poverty through education and training for poor women and children, as well as promoting gender equality. This article explains how ILO projects have contributed to change the lives of poor women and their families in the country

4. Publication

   Checking your pay online Feeling underpaid? Check "Wage Indicator"!

   01 April 2005

   If one thing is certain, few people feel overpaid for their work. But many of us worry that we may be earning less than the next person. Usually, this is privileged information. Now, a new on-line service, "Wage Indicator on-line" is changing that. Journalist Andrew Bibby explains how www.wageindicator.org offers new transparency to the age-old question of who earns what.

5. Publication

   Global Employment Trends 2004-2005 Global Report: More jobs, but not enough growth

   01 April 2005

   Despite robust economic growth, the global employment situation improved only slightly in 2004, with employment increasing and unemployment down marginally. The ILO's annual Global Employment Trends says employment creation is still a major challenge for policy makers.

6. Publication

   Promoting ILO Conventions and Recommendations The cooperatives experience

   01 April 2005

   The adoption of new ILO Conventions and Recommendations by the annual International Labour Conference typically follows many months and years of preparatory work and debate. What happens then, however, is not the end of a process but rather the beginning. This background brief explains how the practical work of promoting ILO Conventions and Recommendations begins as a way of ensuring that the words are translated into action.