Juan Somavia, director general, International Labour Organisation (ILO), yesterday criticised the developed world for taking the moral high ground on labour issues.
Instead, he asked the world to address the problems individuals face seeking `decent work' in an era of globalisation. Somavia was speaking at a lecture on `Decent Work in the Global Economy'.
He said, "The history of slavery and colonisation; the treatment of their own workers in the early stages of industrialisation; and the compromises with democracy made for strategic reasons in the Cold War era, are too fresh in memory. Yet, he noted, there were many in the South who respond to the moral claims of the North.
"We need to address the larger question of ensuring that globalisation benefits ordinary people. Our attention should not be deflected by the recent controversies in Seattle," he said.
Somavia said there was no agreement in ILO on the issues raised at Seattle. This indicated that it could not be linked simply to trade. Labour rights were a realisation of human rights and struggle for empowerment. Unfortunately even among workers, these were not recognised as rights.
"The trade link debate provides a convenient shelter for both protectionists and socially retrograde elements in all countries." he said.
K C Pant, deputy chairman of Planning Commission, who also addressed the same meeting said obtaining productive work was important, but it also had to be of acceptable quality. He said there was scope for ILO and Brettonwoods institutions like the World Bank to work in this direction.
Pant said the labour force was expected grow at 2.5 per cent per annum during the Ninth Plan. This implied an addition of 10 million persons per annum to the labour force. Work has to be created
to suit skill profile of this labour force. The commission had set up a task force to recommend means of employment.
He saidmuch of this labour force would have to find employment in agriculture, and the government was concerned with strategies to raise productivity of land, sustain prices of agricultural products, maintain prices of food, provide supplementary income opportunities during the the lean season and provide a regulatory framework for ensuring a floor level of wages along with a policy to support labour cooperatives.
