ILO decries lack of social justice, others

[TGD]

 THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) has decried a lack of global social justice system and economic growth anchored on sustainable development to address crises at workplaces.

The Director-General of ILO, Juan Somavia, who spoke yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland at the opening of the 100th edition of the yearly International Labour Conference (ILC) explained that the world urgently needed a coherent social justice system.

A statement made available to The Guardian yesterday from Geneva, Switzerland quoted the ILO chief scribe as positing that the world of work was facing multiple crises, including an unacceptably high level of youth unemployment, stagnant levels of world investment in the real economy, marginalisation of job-creating small enterprises, and "indecent levels" of income and wealth concentration.

Citing his report to the conference entitled "A new era of social justice," he told some 3,000 government, employer and worker delegates that, "whether a new era of social justice remains just an idealised vision of a desired future, or becomes a practical reality that takes hold in our societies, will depend in many ways on you, on us, on the ILO family."

He added that the time for a stronger ILO had indeed come. Expressing concern over complacency regarding a still fragile recovery, he warned:  "We have in front of us the bigger danger of further consolidating inefficient growth patterns and unfair globalisation rules that were at the root of the crisis, and that have systematically increased inequality almost everywhere in the last 30 years. Slipping back into business as usual will lead us all, sooner rather than later, into another crisis."

Explaining the discontentment in some parts of the world, Somavia submitted: "No wonder people are upset and angry. Too many feel squeezed – including the middle classes between the immediate social impact of the crisis and these long-term trends."

Somavia said that people were also angry over the perception that it seemed some financial institutions were regarded as "too big to fail" while many people were seen as "too small to matter."

He added: "And let us not forget that as we speak, the daring and courageous commitment of the Arab world and beyond is giving us a powerful message: that real change today demands widespread peaceful social and popular mobilisation that can project the voice and demands of people into the heart of political decision-making. We must also hear them. Let us be as bold and ambitious as our forebears have been."

Somavia maintained that the ILO policies had contributed to a world with fewer tensions, greater fairness and strengthened security, saying: "With our values and policies, we are on the right side of history."

The ILO helmsman declared that the new era of social justice must be a different growth pattern with different market outcomes; outcomes with freedom, dignity, security and equity; productive outcomes combining the strength of markets, the responsibility of enterprises, the skills of workers, the power of social dialogue, the incentives and regulations of public policies to sustain efficient growth with social justice.

He, therefore, urged the participants to dedicate themselves to fashioning out policies that would leave the world a better place.



Source: ILO decries lack of social justice, others