GRTU at the International Labour Conference

GRTU
President Paula Abela formed part of Malta's tripartite delegation that took
part in the ILO held in Geneva in June.The
ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision
based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if
it is based on social justice.

The ILO became the first specialized agency of
the UN in 1946. The
unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers,
employers and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are
closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping policies and programmes.

Guy
Ryder, executive director of the ILO, reaffirmed his commitment to
implement "Seven Centenary Initiatives" – covering governance, standards,
enterprises, green jobs, poverty, women and the future of work – which were outlined in his report to the
conference and which received broad support from the over 4,700 delegates
who attended the ILC. Ryder said that the initiatives would give the
organization the tools and strategic direction it needed to make its work
better, more relevant and influential.

Speaking
of a Future of Work Initiative, the ILO Director-General said that "a
forward-looking examination of the place of work in our lives and societies is
needed. It will frame policy choices and it will be appropriate to the marking
of the ILO's 100th anniversary."

He
said there had been "strong convergence" on the need for the ILO to establish a
platform of engagement with enterprises – as proposed in the Enterprise
Initiative.

"In
addition, there was widespread interest in defining and implementing an ILO
role in respect of global supply chains and more generally in respect of
corporate social responsibility," he added.

Ryder
observed that the "Women at Work" Initiative – which aims to
establish a picture of the place and conditions of women in the world of work,
and to catalyse action to realize equality of opportunity and treatment – had
received less comment than the others. He said he hoped that this reflected a
well-established commitment among delegates to this issue which did not require
further restatement.

GRTU's
participation was made possible through the assistance of the Industrial and
Employment Relations within the Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs
and Civil Liberties.