WHILE admitting serious shortcomings in the IMF-World Bank package of structural adjustment programme, Juan Somavia, director general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), surprisingly advocated the same path of globalisation, with minor modifications, as a solution to the problems facing the world today. He was presenting his report entitled "Reducing the Decent Work Deficit: A Global Challenge" to the 89th International Labour Conference held in Geneva from June 5 to 21.

The report noted: "The gaps and imbalances between countries are vast and growing. In 1960, per capita GDP in the richest 20 countries was 14 times that in the poorest 20 countries. By 1998, the gap had widened to 34 times." Then it added: "Many countries are marginalised from the world economic system."

Referring to the serious unemployment situation all over the world, the report observed: "The employment gap is the fault line in the world today. We estimate that there are 160 million people openly unemployed in the world. Behind this stark statistic lies a sea of human misery and wasted potential. The headline figure underestimates the true extent of the tragedy, because whole families are its victims. If we consider the underemployed, the number skyrockets to at least one billion." Quoting from the World Employment Report, Somavia said 500 million new jobs will be needed over the next 10 years to absorb the new entrants to the labour market.

The report estimated that 250 million children are working worldwide. The International Institute of Labour’s studies suggest that close to two out of five countries have serious or severe problems of freedom of association.

Regarding the erosion of social protection, the report clearly stated: "Our global information is patchy, but it seems likely that only some 20 per cent of the world’s workers have truly adequate social protection. In many low- income countries, formal protection for old age and invalidity, or for sickness and health care reaches only a tiny proportion of the population. Meanwhile, 3000 people a day die as a consequence of work-related accidents or disease…. Two hundred million workdays per year are now lost in the United States alone as a result of work-related depression…. There are often obstacles to representation and social dialogue in export processing zones (EPZs) which account for 27 million workers worldwide."

Somavia even made a mild criticism of the World Bank and IMF in his report. He said: "..…the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which made serious errors in the 1980s by neglecting social costs of structural adjustment, have modified their macro policy stance in both developing and transition countries….. They still fail to give enough importance to employment, however." The MNCs also came under attack in the report: "Multinational enterprises are creating integrated global production systems both by their direct investment and through a complex chain of subcontracting. Representing the interest of the workers in these systems is faced with many difficulties."

The director general admitted serious lapses in the globalised economy. "The present model of globalisation is losing support," he noted. However, he did not make an attempt to present an alternative to globalisation. He was rather keen to find a solution within the framework of globalisation itself when he said, "At the same time, most people understand that under fair rules, open markets and open societies are part of the solution." When he referred to "open market" and "open society," he meant the capitalist system, and the entire report was devoted to arguing this point.

To make his logic clear, the director general observed while referring to the question of management of enterprises: "Ultimately, this is a matter that goes to the heart of the private enterprise system, because it reflects the basic demands that society makes of those who want to exercise the economic freedoms it offers." It should be noted here that the director general had openly attacked the socialist countries in his report last year, which was totally unwarranted.

BMS vice president K Thakkar and the workers’ delegation from India expressed their disagreement with the director general’s approach. The BMS leader criticised the policies of globalisation and the role of IMF, World Bank and WTO in his speech in the plenary session.

Sukomal Sen, general secretary of the Trade Union International of Public Employees, also criticised the director general in his plenary session speech. He pointed to the growing resistance to structural adjustment policies by the working class all over the world.

Several worker delegates from developing countries and many government spokesmen joined in severely criticising the IMF-World Bank policies that are hitting the developing countries’ interests.

Participating in the debate in the committee on application of labour standards, CITU general secretary M K Pandhe pointed out how the policies of financial globalisation are adversely affecting the working and living conditions of the working class all over the world. The proposals advanced by the director general in his report would only increase the deficit of decent work, he noted.

There was a special session on occupied Arab territories. AITUC general secretary K L Mahendra spoke on behalf of Indian workers, condemning the role of Israel and the support it is receiving from imperialist powers. He supported the Arab people’s struggle for vacation of all Israel-occupied territories.

There was a special discussion on forced labour in the plenary session. On behalf of the Indian workers’ delegation, Pandhe examined how forced labour is the direct outcome of poverty and destitution, and pointed out that mere legislation cannot abolish the system. Eradication of poverty and an end to exploitation of workers for cheap labour is necessary to fight the evil.

In line with the criticism of globalisation made by the developing countries’ spokesmen, union labour minister Satyanarayan Jatia noted the adverse impact of these policies in India. It is another matter that his own NDA government is vigorously adopting the same policies.

According to the list of delegations, India sent 5 ministers to the ILO conference, more than any other country in the world. The labour ministers of Gujarat, Punjab and Jharkhand, from the NDA-ruled states only, were included in the team --- on the basis of merely political considerations. There was deep resentment among the worker and employer delegations over staying arrangements. While the government delegation was accommodated in deluxe hotels, others were put in medium type hotels. This was perhaps in keeping with the NDA concept of austerity.

Adoption of a new convention concerning the safety, health and working conditions for agricultural workers was an important aspect of the session. Despite opposition by the employers’ representatives, the convention was finally adopted by the session. From workers side, HMS general secretary Umraomal Purohit and INTUC vice president R C Khuntia represented India on the committee.

The session completed the first reading of the report on cooperative movement in different countries and suggested some possible international standards to improve the functioning of the cooperatives. From workers’ side, K L Mahendra (AITUC) and Mukund Gore (BMS) participated in the discussion. The report was finally adopted, and the draft of the convention will be finalised in the next ILO conference in 2002. The government of India cut a sorry figure in this committee, when India’s amendment came up for consideration. As the GOI representative was absent, the amendment had to be sponsored by Mexico. It was, however, passed unanimously.

In the committee on application of labour standards, there was an indepth discussion on the survey conducted by the ILO on night work by women in industry. The survey found that an increasing number of countries are no longer implementing the ILO convention on this subject while some countries, particularly the advanced capitalist ones, are surprisingly denouncing the ILO convention on the subject on the plea that this and other such conventions discriminate against working women and provide them less job opportunities. The survey report, therefore, stressed that "there is a risk of complete deregulation of night work through the removal of all protective measures for women and the failure to replace them with a legislation offering appropriate protection to all night workers."

While participating in the debate on the survey, Pandhe pointed out how the Indian government was trying to amend the law to permit night shift for working women in the export processing zones and how it is likely to be extended to other areas later on. Several other speakers also expressed concern at this global trend and wanted the convention to be implemented. The employers, however, justified the night shift for working women.

In a discussion on the prison labour, the workers’ representatives criticised it as forced labour. But the governments’ and employers’ representatives from advanced capitalist countries justified it in a shameless manner. Goods worth over 12 billion dollars are produced in the US alone through prison labour. Criticising the attitude, the CITU pointed out that the US has ratified only 11 ILO conventions, excluding the core labour standards.

The ILO had considered forced labour in India on 8 occasions during the last 15 years, and it came up for consideration once again this year. The government of India elaborated the measures it has taken. This several of the speakers considered to be "repetitive."

The CITU representative pointed out the GOI’s failure in taking measures against poverty and generating jobs, as responsible for continuation of the system. He also said the failure to introduce land reforms was the root cause of debt bondage in rural areas. Other trade unions too deplored the system’s continuation and asked the GOI to take expeditious measures to assess and rehabilitate the bonded labourers.

The deliberations in the ILO session underlined the need for the developing countries to get more assertive and more systematically coordinate their stand. Otherwise the domination of advanced capitalist countries on the ILO activities cannot be combated. The trade union movement in developing countries has to come together so that the ILO’s orientation and the deliberations in its forums are changed in favour of developing countries.