People's Democracy

THE 90th conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) held from June 3-20, 2002 at Geneva strongly reflected the rising discontent against and loud disapproval to the ongoing process of neo-liberal imperialist globalisation. Not only most of the workers delegates attending the conference from both developing and developed countries, but even the government representatives from many of the developing countries, particularly from Asia, Africa and Latin America had made strong observations against the neo-liberal globalisation process perpetrated by the international monetary agencies at the behest of a few rich nations and their multinational companies.

No doubt, the increasing tempo of anti-globalisation protest-actions even in the western world from the very onset of the new millennium, against an economic order which generated filthy inequality and deeper poverty even in the highly industrialised countries has provided the backdrop for this expression of resentment. That is why, even the ILO director general’s speech while placing the report before the conference could not but comment on the so called shortcomings of globalisation policies reflected in aggravation of poverty and unemployment and marginalisation of developing countries.

In his speech before the full assembly, the director general, Juan Somavia had to mention that "There are a lot of things being said about globalisation, but….it is the fact that it is not producing jobs… People are told that this is extremely good for them but when they look at their life at work, they cannot see the result. Currently more than a billion women and men are unemployed, under employed or working poor….120 million migrant workers and their families had to leave their home countries in the hope of finding a job somewhere else….Today’s single minded globalisation has a price for everything but it has nothing to say about basic human values." And thus, the director general could not but comment that the globalisation is facing a crisis of legitimacy.

But as usual, and may be due to systemic compulsion, despite admitting the inefficacy of the present globalisation in providing a better humane living for all, the DG still sought to find a solution within the frame work of free market-globalisation itself. He wanted to "get the balance right" of the globalisation and advocated "open economies", and "active market policies". He advocated that "we need to concentrate much more on local development, on local market, on local entrepreneurship, on basic networks of organisation and social protection and on local capacity to cope" but avoided recognising the fact that the so called ‘open economies’ mechanism and free market policies promoted by globalisation are destroying local (national) economies, local industries, all social protection and are engineering massive informalisation.

Many speakers while participating in the discussion on the DGs report were forthright in denouncing the present globalisation process for its imperialist and neo-colonial character. Dr Mahathir Mohammad, prime minister of Malaysia, while describing the present globalisation as of neo-colonial character, citing examples of last South Asian crisis, succinctly observed that " International agencies, which were supposed to help, merely saw an opportunity to impose their rules for opening markets, among other things, instead of bringing relief to the people. Loans were withheld in order to gain compliance. And with compliance, the whole country, and all its businesses and banks had to be sold at fire-sale prices. If the loans cannot be repaid, then the country will become debt-slave indefinitely. No more independence. Everything will be decided by foreigners whose only interest is to open markets and to collect repayments on their loans. No subsidies for food or fuel for the poor people, no restriction on foreign ownership. No national agenda. And so, not only will there be poverty and unemployment, but also prolonged riots, instability and finally anarchy. But not to worry, the country is democratic, practices market economy and accepts globalisation in toto.

The Cuban deputy minister of labour also mentioned in his speech that " there is no mention or acknowledgement (in the DGs report) that in reality, the unfair international economic order imposed by rich countries has been the real cause of the calamities and sufferings experienced by the millions of the people throughout the world."

Barbados prime minister commented sharply while speaking on the report that "the free market cannot do it all. It does not contain the sum total of human endeavour, needs and concern."

Sukomal Sen, also spoke on the DGs report on behalf of Trade Union International of Public Service Employees. While referring to the mounting onslaughts against all public services and the concerned employees through reckless privatisation and also the growing resistance and strike actions all over the globe against such onslaughts, Sukomal Sen noted that neo-liberal globalisation is the root of all such anti-people and anti-worker machinations. He also criticised the DGs report for lacking any serious concern over such developments. He termed the suggestion for building consensus on globalisation as unrealistic and that there is practically no room for such consensus anywhere as being evidenced from growing dissent and struggle against such policies across the world. Sukomal Sen also urged that the governing body of ILO should be made truly representative, representing all trends and opinions.

The deliberations in the ILO conference also brought to focus increasing concern among all the workers organisations about the serious situation arisen owing to Israeli aggression on Palestine and voiced strong demand for immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Arab territories. Even the DGs report mentioned about the urgent need to establish pace in the region and withdrawal of Israeli forces. The Resolution Committee of the conference also debated on this issue. But unfortunately, no resolution on the subject could be adopted due to dilatory tactics of the government and employers’ group in connivance with some in the workers group.

As per the usual practice, discussion was held on four different subjects in four separate tripartite committees representing governments, employers and workers.

The four committees were:

• On Application of Standards (ILO Conventions)
• On Decent Work and Informal Economy
• On Promotion of Cooperatives, and
• Resolutions Committee.

The committee on application of standards discussed and examined the report of committee of experts, based on complaints of violation of ILO conventions in various countries. The deliberations in this committee exposed the blatant violations of basic rights of the workers in many countries in the background of globalisation.

The committee on promotion of cooperatives also produced a report detailing the approach of ILO in promoting cooperatives and cooperative movement as one of the tools to promote decent work and development and fight social exclusion. The report on cooperatives urged upon all the constituents to promote the cooperative movement and also urged upon the governments in particular to ensure a conducive legal, institutional environment for the same.

The committee on occupational accidents and diseases finalised the text of Protocol to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981(No 155) and also a Recommendation covering new list of occupational diseases and a new mechanism for updating the list. The protocol once adopted by the conference will be binding on all ILO member countries. In the committee, the employers group tried to block the drafting of the protocol but did not succeed as they have been voted out. When both the protocol and the recommendation were later placed in the plenary session of the conference, the employers’ group again tried to defeat the protocol but failed miserably. The conference adopted both the protocol and the recommendation. This will be a useful tool with the trade union movement in our country as well.

The Resolution Committee witnessed a heated debate on which resolution should be taken up first among a number of resolutions already submitted to the ILO as per procedure. The resolutions submitted included on tripartism and social dialogue; on sustainable development; on the conditions of workers in the occupied territory in Palestine and remedy thereof; gender equity; asbestos etc.

The resolution on Palestine received priority in the Workers Group as opined by the majority of the members in the workers group meeting although some leading members of the workers group tried to avoid the same by making a plea of tactics and pragmatic approach. Ultimately secret ballot was held in the tripartite committee to decide the priority list of resolutions. It was decided that the resolution on tripartism and social dialogue has to be taken up first. The committee deliberated on the resolution in detail. The proposed draft with the ILO contained many points not congenial to the trade union movement. The NGOs have been given too much importance over trade unions on the plea of promoting activities with the civil society organisations. Secondly, there has been a clause proposing involvement of ILO with Brettonwood institutions- IMF and World Bank- and other international agencies like WTO. There was a heated debate in the workers group and in the full committee on both the issues. Ultimately both the issues could be addressed properly. The resolution proposed selection of the NGOs and other agencies for involving them in ILO activities in consultation with the tripartite constituents only. Secondly, in the face of stiff resistance in all the three groups, the clause relating to involving Brettonwood institutions in the resolution had to be dropped. Thus the resolution as adopted by the conference stressed on tripartism and social dialogue in decision making process not only in workplace but also on general economic and social issues both at national and ILO level.

The Committee on Decent Work and Informal Economy has also drawn attention in the ILO conference. Notable is that in this committee, besides the representatives of workers, employers and government, at least 48 NGOs from all over the world were allowed to participate. The discussion paper prepared by ILO, while noting the widespread emergence of the many economic units in the informal sector in the background of globalisation, pointed out that workers in these sectors are deprived of decent work standards including below-subsistence wages, no social security benefits and job-insecurity etc as mostly they are not covered by any labour or social-security legislation. The intervention made by the workers group maintained that the priority action for addressing the problems of the informal economy workers must be to make good the governance deficit first, i.e., to bring those workers under labour legislation to regulate their wages and service conditions, and ensure the right to organise and provide for a suitable legal and institutional frame work for them. This should also be accompanied by suitable economic policy measures to prevent the trend of informalisation of the economy which was aggravated by the policies of globalisation. The conclusion drawn by the committee, inter alia, focused on the issues of governance as pointed out above, besides their effective representation, social protection and poverty reduction. But there remained one shortcoming in the conclusion. It recommends ILO to involve and work with Brettonwoods institutions and other international agencies. This was opposed by many representatives from the workers group and some governments as well but ultimately they were voted out.

The workers group also adopted unanimously a joint statement expressing concern on the ‘escalating situation of the border dispute between India and Pakistan in Kashmir’ and urging upon both the governments for a peaceful solution through dialogue as a ‘confrontation will inevitably undermine the pursuit of regional peace, security and development.

Certain pernicious trends have also been noticed in the whole conference exercise. Although the conference reflected widespread resentment against the policies of globalisation, a move is also afoot to divert such resentments to collaborative routes, that too with the perpetrator agencies of the neo-liberal globalisation like IMF, World Bank etc. The same theory of cooperation and coordination with Brettonwood institutions both at the international and country level has also been put forward in the Report of the Chairperson of the Governing Body of ILO. This theory is being sought to be pushed through in the conclusion of various committees. And secondly, the effort to marginalise and undermine the role of the trade unions and focus more on the so called NGOs, having little accountability was spotted. Also there was an effort to replace the organised interventionary role of trade unions by so called advocacy groups by the interested quarters in all the three groups. The trade union movement can ignore these trends only at their peril.

The workers delegation from India to ILO conference included K J Thakkar and Ravi Raman(BMS), N Adynthaya (INTUC), Tapan Sen(CITU), H Mahadevan(AITUC), Christin Natahan(HMS), Shankar Saha (UTUC-LS) and Renana Jhabwala(SEWA). Among them, Christin Nathan was the workers’ spokesperson in the Committee on Informal economy, and spoke on the plenary session. Other speakers among Indian delegation in the Plenary session were KJ Thakkar(on DG’s Report), Tapan Sen(on Resolution on Tripartism), H Mahadevan(on Occupational Diseases and Accident) and Ravi Raman(on Cooperatives).

N Adynthaya(INTUC) and I P Anand(Employers orgn) were elected as deputy members of the Governing body of ILO from India. Most notable is that for the first time from China, Xu Xicheng , vice chairman of All China Federation of Trade Unions was elected as deputy member of the Governing Body of ILO despite not being in the ICFTU panel.