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Workers’ Rights Situation in Asia and the Pacific, (with specific reference to South Asia). Pong-Sul AHN Senior Specialist on Workers’Activities ILO Subregional Office for South Asia. Overview of Key Labour Issues in South Asia. Key labour Issues. Impacts of globalisation
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Workers’ Rights Situation in Asia and the Pacific, (with specific reference to South Asia) Pong-Sul AHN Senior Specialist on Workers’Activities ILO Subregional Office for South Asia
Key labour Issues • Impacts of globalisation • Expansion of the informal economy • Poverty • Political uncertainty • Migration • Gender issues • OSHE issues • HIV/AIDS • Unemployment and underemployment
Impacts of Globalisation • privatisation, liberalisation of financial market, flexible labour market
Workforce in the Informal and the Formal Sector in South Asia
Male and Female Labour Force Participation in South Asia
Employment/ Underemployment Situation in India • In India, as of 2004, out of 406 million labour force, 397 million are employed and around 9 million are openly unemployed • Over 40 million job seekers are registered with 945 employment exchanges in the country. • Over 4 crore job seekers are registered with the 945 employment exchanges • 70% of these job seekers are young educated unemployed • One fourth of them are young women
Every year 7-8 million job seekers enter the work force • High underemployment and lack of employment opportunity • Educated unemployment (14.7%) is much higher than the normal unemployment rate of around 2.235 • Around 9 million open unemployed plus 123 million working poor
Number of Registered Trade Unions and their Membership in India
Trade Union Situation in South Asia • Low unionisation rate – India - 3 %, Pakistan - 2.69 %, Bangladesh - 3 % Nepal - 5 %, Sri Lanka - 22 % • Weak capacity of trade unions – finance, staffing, administration, etc • Political affiliation • Non-implementation of labour law • Negative Impacts of the Informal economy
Child labour in South Asia • Bangladesh in 2000, 19 percent of about 6.3 million children between 5 and 14 years are child labour • Nepal, in 1996, an estimated 2.6 million children were working. • Pakistan, 3.6 million in 1999 • India, around 10.2 million in 2000
Ratification and Implementation of ILO Core Conventions in South Asia, 2006
AFHANISTAN TRADE UNIONS • CCNUAE – Central Council of National Union of Afghanistan Employees • AAFTU (1) – All Afghanistan Federation of Trade Unions • AAFLU (2) – All Afghanistan Federation of Labour Union • ALO – Afghanistan Labour Organisation
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Unemployment • Lower level of living standards in sheltering, schooling, medicare, etc • Return migration • Layoffs in the public/civil service sectors • No labour law and social dialogue mechanism
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Training on a new labour law submitted • IT training for youth and women to network trade unions inside and outside the country • Establishment of independent and democratic national union umbrella • Establishing a tripartite social dialogue mechanism
IRAN WORKERS’ ORGANISATIONS • Syndicates (trade union) • Islamic labour councils at workplaces (1) Workers’ House (2) Independent trade unions– Journalists, Musicians, food industries, Truck/ bus drivers, etc
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Privatisation • An open market policy to join WTO • Unemployment, especially for women and youth • Contract labour system • Violation of FOA, not recognising independent unions
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Realising freedom of association by launching a ratification campaign on ILO Con. No.87 and No.98 • Strengthening the capacity of NLAC • Increasing the participation of women in trade unions • Capacity-building of newly organised trade unions
BANGLADESH TRADE UNIONS • National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE) – affiliating 16 federations
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Job insecurity in the RMG sector after the termination of MFA • Violation of labour rights • Denial of Freedom of association in EPZs • Privatisation • Out-migration from Bangladesh • Universal application of a minimum wage • Child labour
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Strengthening the capacity of NCCWE as a national union umbrella • Developing training modules on amended labour law Increasing the participation of women in the activities and decision-making bodies of trade unions Organising workers in informal economy social compliance in the garment sector
INDIA 1. Trade unions in the formal sector • Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS); • Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), with an affiliation of ICFTU • Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), with an ICFTU affiliation • All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), with a membership of WFTU • Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) • Self-employed Women’s Association (SEWA) 2. Trade unions in the informal economy • National Centre for Labour (NCL) • Working Women’s Forum (WWF)
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Violation of freedom of association in the public sector, textile and garment, and EPZs • Lack of social security system for informal workers • Child labour • HIV/AIDS • Downgraded working and living standards in tea/ coffee plantation, rubber, RMG • Privatisation in civil aviation, banks and insurance, telecom
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Organising the unorganized workers Gender mainstreaming and women empowerment in trade union • Capacity-building of trade unions through the middle-level leadership training
NEPAL TRADE UNIONS • General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) • Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC) • Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Unions (DECONT) • All Nepal Federation of Trade Unions (Maoists) • Confederation of Nepalese Professionals (CONEP)
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Privation in hotel & tourism industry and financial sector • Youth unemployment • Non-implementation of collective agreement • Poverty and downgraded livelihoods • Political uncertainty
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • establishing comprehensive social security • Ratification of ILO convention No.87 • Organising the Informal economy workers • respect for trade union rights and collective bargaining
PAKISTAN TRADE UNIONS • Pakistan Workers’ Confederation (PWC) • All Pakistan Trade Union Congress (APTUC), affiliated to WCL • All Pakistan Trade Unions Federation (APTUF), affiliated to WFTU • Pakistan Trade Unions Federation (PTUF) • Pakistan Labour Fedeation (PLF)
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Privatisation on electricity, PIA, telecom • Violation of ILS (Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002) • Exempting labour inspection in industrial zones • OSH issues
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Capacity-building of the Pakistan Workers’ Confederation (PWC) after the merger in Sept. 05 • Training union office bearers on ILS • Increasing the participation and leadership development of women in trade unions • Organising the informal economy workers • Youth employment and poverty reduction
SRI LANKA TRADE UNIONS • National Association for Trade Union Research and Education (NATURE) – established in 1998 with affiliation of 18 national federations
MAIN LABOUR ISSUES • Violation of freedom of association in EPZs and public sector like port and dock • Inflation-linked wage negotiation • Social costs of migration • Unemployment against youth and women
ILO/ACTRAV Activities • Strengthening the capacity-building of the NATURE • Trade union second-level leadership training • Organising the Tsunami-affected people through vocational training • Dispute settlement in the public sector • Participation of women in the decision-making of trade unions