ILO Convention, Number 182, which deals with the worst forms of child labour and which was
adopted last year, is a significant achievement as such. Its ratification and
implementation should be promoted throughout the entire world. This gives us a joint goal
which requires international cooperation on a large scale. Many countries, and Finland is
amongst them, have already ratified the Convention. This is encouraging. However, there is
further work still to be done in order to promote the ratification of the ILO Minimum Age
Convention, Number 138.The opportunity for a basic
education should be ensured for every child. Only then can the foundations for economic
and social development be laid.
The trade union movement must develop its own operations
and campaigns for the abolition of child labour and for the achievement of basic rights in
the working world, such as the right to organise, the right to a living wage, the
outlawing of forced labour, a safe working environment, legislated working hours and the
abolition of discrimination. In order to achieve these goals, it will be necessary for us
to work jointly with those non-governmental organisations which share these basic values
with us and which acknowledge the status of the trade union movement. We will also need a
system of networks which will assist us in our efforts.
There are many non-governmental organisations which have,
over a period of several years, campaigned for fair trade and for a decent standard of
living. So far however, these campaigns have remained quite random. The consumers, the
trade unions which represent production workers in various fields, and retail employees,
should create a network amongst themselves in order to give more weight and a louder voice
to the demands on basic rights.
To date, a reasonable number of companies have adopted
ethical business programmes and some are developing their organisations along the
guidelines of the Social Justice Standard SA8000. Such projects are large and require a
great deal of effort. All supply chains need to be examined and those which fail must be
axed. A company must, in addition, be prepared for inspection by a neutral body from
outside the company.
The trade union movement is currently participating in
projects of this kind, for example with some clothing companies in Sweden and in Finland.
These projects are based on the idea of the Clean Clothes campaign which originated in
Central Europe. It may be however, that sports equipment campaigns are more widely known.
FIET, the predecessor of UNI, for example, came to an agreement with the International
Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation and with FIFA, the International Football
Association, that no footballs produced by child labour would be used in any World Cup
matches. It was easy for FIFA to give such a promise and to sign the agreement, but
monitoring its implementation was altogether different. Random checks soon revealed that
footballs were still being sewn in Bangladesh and Pakistan by children of 6 and 7 years of
age. The monitoring therefore, of the implementation of basic rights, has become a crucial
factor in the development of sustainable change.
The social dimension of globalisation must be
strengthened
It will be impossible for the expansion of the global
economy to continue, without causing serious problems, unless human rights in the world of
work are to be implemented everywhere - and this requires extensive cooperation on a
global level. The ILO has a significant role to play in the strengthening of social
justice throughout the world, and its efforts towards the advancement of human rights in
the working world have been noteworthy. The Declaration on the basic principles and rights
in the world of work, which was adopted two years ago, was a breakthrough.
The entire global community should promote the universal
implementation of human rights in the world of work. This cannot be left solely on the
shoulders of the NGO activists and the trade union movement. Naturally, the role of the
WTO is particularly significant in this process, whilst the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank should also promote, in practice through their operations, the
implementation of basic rights in the working world.
We should additionally further develop, both on a national
and an international level, the activities of the trade union movement. The trade union
movement must be able to act and react wherever necessary, both quickly and effectively.
The necessity of building networks, which I mentioned earlier, presents us with an immense
challenge. We need to learn how to use information networks, we must improve
communication, whilst resources should be allocated for the promotion of the creation of
networks.
UNI, the most recent International Federation within ICFTU,
has indicated its chosen methods, wanting both to operate online and also to be involved
in direct activities. This in turn means the creation of networks on various levels, for
example amongst the shop stewards in multinational companies and amongst sectoral trade
unions, whilst simultaneously being influential on a global level. This will certainly
present a huge challenge.
The fruits of the global economy ought to benefit the whole
of mankind. This goal will be reached only when workers have equal opportunities for
influence and have human rights in the world of work.
|
