DUSHANBE, February 16, 2009, Asia-Plus — On February 13, the 8th European Regional Meeting of the International Labor Organization (ILO) concluded in Lisbon with calls for a coordinated effort to maintain employment and restore economic growth amid “the most serious economic crisis to hit Europe for 60 years,” press release issued by ILO said.
Delegates said it was vital to ensure that “coordinated stimulus packages are designed to expand aggregate demand, avoid deflationary spirals and maintain employment and decent work opportunities” and that “reformed finance markets supply the capital needed by sustainable enterprises for productive investment and decent work”.
Representatives of governments, workers and employers from European and Central Asian member States of the ILO also called for protection for the most vulnerable members of the population so that they do not become separated from the labor market or become working poor and stressed “the urgent need for effective social dialogue and collective bargaining due to the gravity of the crisis”.
They urged “greater policy coherence at national, regional and global levels” as a way to “avoid protectionism in all its forms, which can only exacerbate the effects of the crisis in the longer term”.
ILO Constituents also pledged to “remain extremely vigilant of the risks of a resurgence of political reactions to rising unemployment and social exclusion in the form of race and religious hatred, discrimination against immigrants or ethnic minorities, victimization of union representatives and protectionist economic policies that would aggravate the crisis”.
In the conclusions, government, worker and employer delegates said that “the severity of the economic crisis is affecting a large number of workers on the labor market, including many who had secure jobs… Until more normal conditions return to credit markets, the threat of wage cuts, further lay-offs and rising unemployment will remain”.
The conclusions of the meeting also stressed that fundamental principles and rights at work should be safeguarded, international labor standards promoted, skills development and training increased and institutions for social dialogue fully utilized. They also stated that fundamental principles and rights at work are “an important defense against the risk that recession may lead to an increase in worker exploitation”.
The meeting also called for the increased participation of constituents in Decent Work Country Programs, which have become a valuable means for the ILO and its constituents in the region to develop integrated approaches to the implementation of the Decent Work Agenda.
The ILO European and Central Asian member States meet every four years to forge policies and set priorities for the area.
