TWENTY-FIVE countries are currently under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) examination for labour rights violation. The ILO said in a recent report that “from child workers in China to migrants in Israel, from trade unionists in Pakistan to indigenous people in Peru, some of the worst stories of violation of core labour and human rights were brought to the attention of the international labour conference, the annual meeting of the ILO, in Geneva.”

According to the 2009 report of the Committee on the Application of Standards, a much longer list of countries were questioned for non-application of international labour conventions.

Based on observations and information on the application of conventions at the international labour conference in 2009, forced labour was prominent  in Myanmar, while there was a serious concern on Old-Age Insurance (Industry, etc) in  Chile, and the issue raised concerning Nigeria was in the area of poor Labour Inspection.

However, while some members wanted the congress to lie low with the allegation, Comrade Omar was said to have refused but insisted that the issue should be charged to court in order to establish the veracity of the allegation.

The NLC president presented a strong position that the newspaper involved should be sued, so that the case could be properly investigated, while he is ready to face the music if found guilty.

“I am ready for arrest if it is finally established that we have collected money to back deregulation. If we sue the paper and the writer, the people will be forced to come out and present the fact and if it is established Countries where Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise was a serious issue of concern were in Belarus, Colombia Ethiopia, Guatemala, Myanmar, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Swaziland, Turkey and Venezuela.

Meanwhile the governing body of the ILO has called for comprehensive crisis response and long-term sustainable development based on global jobs pact.  It called for an “employment oriented” response to the global economic crisis based on policy measures set out in the ILO’s Global Jobs Pact.

In its conclusion, the governing body said: “A more balanced economic growth pattern must not lose sight of the need to urgently address large-scale unemployment, underemployment and rising income inequality. These issues deserve the same high level political priority that has been given to the rescue of financial institutions.”

“Getting those who have lost their jobs back to work and ensuring that the millions of young women and men who search for work each year get a good start in their working lives is a vital first step for recovery and sustainable growth and development,” the governing body concluded.

It said: “Making the transition then from crisis response to stronger, more sustainable, equitable development and a fair globalization will need an employment oriented framework for the medium and longer term.”

The body stated further that the ILO’s Global Jobs Pact, adopted by the organisation’s tripartite constituents in June, contained “a policy package of practical measures to counteract the immediate crisis and set a course for sustainable recovery.” It described the response of the multilateral system, including the United Nations, the G20, the G8 and other international and regional organisations as encouraging.

“It is time to apply the same efforts and policy creativity to create jobs and support enterprises that was deployed in saving banks and rescuing the financial system,” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. “This is a fundamental yardstick by which the future evolution of this crisis will be looked at.”

The governing body requested the director-general of the ILO to deepen support for countries applying the Pact, seek additional resources to fund policy initiatives within the framework of the Pact, and increase the office’s capacity to respond to constituents’ requests, including through South-South cooperation. It encouraged the office to further develop its cooperation with multilateral financial institutions.

The governing body also discussed the impact of the global economic crisis on various economic sectors and wages, and technical cooperation in support of the ILO’s response to the crisis, as well as a new ILO-UNDP-led United Nations Policy for post-conflict employment creation, income generation and reintegration.