Heads of state and government from Jamaica, Burkina Faso and Serbia, as well as the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority and representatives of employers and workers, addressed the International Labour Conference (ILC) on the third day of its Centenary session.
A steady stream of world leaders have expressed support for the ILO’s social justice mandate, with more high-level visits expected in the last days of the June 10-21 Conference.
Addressing delegates, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Michel Holness said; “the humanness of the world of work is diminishing, as automation subsumes labour input.” He spoke of, “an overarching covenant that links the past to the future,” and “places a moral and philosophical obligation on governments to ensure all citizens share in the progress and prosperity of their countries.”
The Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire, said that any consideration of the future of work must be “a consideration of the future of mankind…the majority of whom live in the southern hemisphere and half of them on the African continent.”
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, told delegates, “there are two key areas where we need to invest to prepare for the future which has already started: one is education and the other is creativity.”
Speaking on behalf of the workers’ group, the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Sharon Burrow, spoke of “the urgent challenge of putting a floor of dignity under all workers,” which she said “lies with all of us.”
The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohamed Shtayyeh , praised the Global Commission on the Future of Work , which presented its landmark report in January.
“The Future of Work Recommendations are important for us. Investing in people’s capabilities and in institutions is important for the Palestinians, who are striving to build an independent Palestinian State that is capable of serving its citizens and meet their needs.”
This year’s ILC seeks to address the challenges presented by the profound transformations in the world of work and could adopt a landmark ILO Centenary Declaration focused on a human-centred approach to the future of work. The more than 5,700 delegates – representing governments, workers and employers – will also discuss a possible standard on preventing violence and harassment at the workplace.
Original source: ILO
Published on 12 June 2019
