News, articles and statements

September 2012

  1. Safety at work

    ILO announces action plan to boost workplace safety in Pakistani factories

    17 September 2012

    ILO sets out a series of short and medium-term measures in response to the deaths of more than 260 workers in a garment factory in Karachi.

  2. News

    Pakistani factory fire highlights lack of workplace safety measures, says ILO

    12 September 2012

    More needs to be done to protect workers’ safety and health, the ILO says, as Pakistan mourns the deaths of hundreds of workers in a garment factory fire in Karachi.

August 2012

  1. Sustainable development

    Monitoring Climate Change in the Philippines

    31 August 2012

    In the southern Philippines, the lives of farmers and the weather have always been intimately connected. But now, the effects of climate change are making farmers’ livelihoods even more vulnerable. By monitoring severe weather, a project implemented by the International Labour Organization is helping protect farmers from the worst effects of climate change, and insuring those most at risk.

  2. Working conditions

    South Africa could do more for miners, says ILO mining specialist

    24 August 2012

    The killings of more than 30 workers in the Marikana platinum mine have put the spotlight on working conditions in South Africa’s mining industry.

  3. Article

    On course for decent shipping

    20 August 2012

    When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention in February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it “making labour history”. Following the ratification by Russia and the Philippines, the Convention will come into force in 12 months’ time. What does this mean for the world’s 1.2 million seafarers?

  4. Video News Release

    Return to Chitwan: The Bote people in Nepal

    08 August 2012

    Throughout the world, the traditional lifestyles of indigenous people are threatened by changing times, economic development and poverty. In Nepal, one group of tribal people barred from their traditional hunting grounds for nearly 40 years may yet see the old way of life return, thanks to a new law protecting their rights.

  5. Video News Release

    Transitioning to Green Jobs in Sri Lanka

    03 August 2012

    “Green jobs” can be created in the most fundamental of workplaces, and the result can benefit traditional industries. That’s what is happening in Sri Lanka, where former “waste pickers” at Sri Lanka’s garbage dumps were given new skills to work more efficiently and protect their health, and that is benefitting one of the island’s iconic industries.

  6. Video News Release

    Making Labour Migration Safer for Laotian Workers

    01 August 2012

    Many people dream of a better life in a foreign country, but without job skills and good connections the risk of exploitation is high. There’s a new initiative by the Laotian government to give people who want to try for a better life abroad the chance to make it work safely and legally.

July 2012

  1. Social protection scheme

    Cambodia's social protection scheme helps rebuild shattered lives

    24 July 2012

    The ILO/Korea Partnership Programme in Asia and the Pacific works with the Royal Government of Cambodia to implement an employment injury insurance programme.

  2. Article

    Why stress at work matters

    05 July 2012

    A wave of suicides at France Telecom that shocked France four years ago is back in the headlines. The ILO warns of a rise in mental ill-health due to stress at the workplace.

June 2012

  1. Press release

    ILO signs US$1,140,000 partnership with Korean Government

    27 June 2012

    The ILO and the Government of the Republic of Korea have signed an agreement that will provide US$1,140,000, as well as technical expertise, to support the development of decent work in more than 15 Asian countries.

  2. News

    Singapore Ratifies the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187)

    11 June 2012

    The Government of Singapore deposited the instrument of ratification for the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) with the International Labour Office on 11 June 2012. Singapore is the 23rd member State to ratify the Convention.

  3. Press release

    Malaysia ratifies key international labour standard on occupational safety and health

    08 June 2012

    The Government of Malaysia deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187). Malaysia is the 22nd member State to ratify the Convention.

April 2012

  1. Statement

    Message by Juan Somavia Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2012

    25 April 2012

    In his message for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, celebrated 28 April of each year, the ILO Director General reiterated the need to focus on the promotion of safer and healthier workplaces in the transition to a greener economy.

  2. Video interview

    An interview with Manuela Tomei on Occupational Safety and Health in the Green Economy

    25 April 2012

    ILO TV interviews Manuela Tomei, Director of the Labour Protection Department about the new report "Promoting safety and health in a green economy" in the lead up to this year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

  3. News

    ILO says jobs in the green economy should be safe and healthy

    24 April 2012

    A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched for World Day for Safety and Health at Work says the greening of the economy should be accompanied by the proper integration of workplace safety and health measures.

  4. Press release

    World Day for Safety and Health at Work: Promoting a safety culture in Indonesian small and medium enterprises

    23 April 2012

    Employing more than 95 per cent of the world’s working population, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the main source of employment in developing countries, including Indonesia. In Indonesia, SMEs have also become a significant support to the sustainable development of the economy and important channel to absorb surplus labour. In fact, more than 60 per cent of the labour force is employed in SMEs.

  5. Q&A

    Zooming in on the safety and health dimension of greening the economy

    23 April 2012

    The 2012 World Day for Safety and Health at Work focuses on the promotion of occupational safety and health (OSH) in a green economy. The shift to a green economy is perceived as a way to reconcile the world’s economic and social needs with environmental sustainability. However, even if certain jobs are considered to be “green”, the technologies used may protect the environment but not be safe at all. In this interview, Ms Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO Labour Protection Department (PROTRAV), looks at the less visible dimension of green jobs and the greening of traditional sectors.

December 2011

  1. Press release

    Libreville: Sub-regional workshop on the evaluation and consolidation of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training programmes for Workers' Organizations in Francophone Africa.

    16 December 2011

    The ILO's Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) and the Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork) have held a sub-regional workshop on the evaluation and consolidation of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training programmes for workers' organizations in francophone Africa.

November 2011

  1. News

    Korea ratifies three ILO Conventions

    14 November 2011

    The Government of Korea ratified the Unemployment Convention, 1919 (No. 2), Forty-Hour Week Convention, 1935 (No. 47) and Occupational Cancer Convention, 1974 (No. 139).