Address by the President of the Republic of Slovenia at the 97th Session of the International Labour Conference

Geneva, 2.6.2008  |  speech

Address by Dr Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia, at the 97th Session of the International Labour Conference
Geneva, 2 June 2008
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Mr President,
Mr Director-General,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen.

I feel honored and privileged to have the opportunity to take part in the work of the International Labour Conference and in one of the most important contemporary debates, the debate on the Decent Work Agenda. I wish to commend the International Labour Organization and its Director-General, Mr. Juan Somavia for the pioneering work which has already generated a high level of acceptance of the concept of decent work and its relevance for policy making both at the national level of states and internationally.

Later in the Session the Minister of Labour of Slovenia will speak in more detail about our own, i.e. Slovene experience. For my part, Mr. President, I would like to share with you some of the more general thoughts on the concept of decent work in the context of globalization, on the role of the European Union - the rotating presidency of which Slovenia currently holds.

But at the outset, let me put my remarks in context.

We live in an era of globalization which is driven by a very dynamic development of new technologies, in particular communications technologies, and is characterized by an impressive global economic expansion. This has created an impression that some factors of production such as technology and capital are decisive, while the significance of the other factors has been diminished. This impression corresponds to the belief that globalization is something entirely new in human history and that new technologies have an inevitable transformative effect on societies. According to globalization optimists the effects of globalization have made the world flat: According to this view, modern technologies have leveled the playing field thus offering comparable opportunities to everyone in the world and a promise of a great future to all.

However, this line of thinking has been giving way to more nuanced, more realistic and less enthusiastic views. First, the processes of globalization had started centuries ago and have earlier surges, including the industrial revolution of the 19th century. The difference between the globalization of today and its earlier periods is that the processes of today affect a much larger number of people around the world much more immediately. Second, expressions of technological optimism should be taken with care. Historical experience is relevant here. Technological advances, such as introduction of electricity into daily lives of large numbers of people a century ago, transformed societies in many ways. However, this has not brought prosperity to all and has not prevented social or political upheavals and armed conflicts. New technologies and economic opportunities do not automatically translate into greater freedom and justice or more durable peace. Peace and justice, including social justice, require special efforts.

It is not surprising that the current debates on globalization concentrate on the issues of the uneven distribution of its results, on the ethical and legal aspects of technological development and on a variety of social and political problems generated by the current phase of globalization. Issues revolving around employment and work are an important part of this debate. This is not surprising. A mature understanding of the advances of the past decades necessarily involves greater emphasis on their social and political dimensions. The current financial upheavals and the rising food prices have only added drama to this understanding.
Ladies and gentlemen,

This is the context in which the International Labour Organization is expected to offer an effective strategy of decent work to guide its member states, employers and workers. It is not an exaggeration to say that the recent evolution of the debate on globalization deepened the understanding of the centrality of issues of decent work at this point in time. The excellent report by the Director-General has confirmed this conclusion with great clarity and has addressed the key strategic challenges in a manner which invites a serious discussion. Implicitly, the report also reminds us of the ethical basis of the concept of decent work and, importantly, of the fact that a significant body of existing law already seeks to ensure that decent work becomes a reality. It is therefore entirely appropriate for the international community to insist on the basic principles advocated by the ILO and to strengthen the implementation of the existing legal standards.

Labour is not a commodity;
Labour adds value in the process of production and is a value in itself;
Labour and creativity go hand in hand and they represent a basic guarantee of decent human existence and a basic guarantee for development.

Ethical postulates such as these are of great importance in any discussion on the strategies of decent work. Based on these postulates the strategies of decent work can effectively develop both their legal and policy dimensions.

Legal standards of decent work have been developed over time and their importance is undiminished. Quite to the contrary: The report by the Director-General on strategic challenges has shown (para. 90) a fifty per cent increase in the ratification of the eight fundamental ILO conventions in the past ten years. Indeed, as the Director- General recognized, the significance of this hugely encouraging outcome is yet to be fully appreciated. Premature conclusions are not in order. However, the fact that the acceptance of the basic labour standards has grown so steeply at the time when it appeared that the significance of labour became less appreciated than it had been in the past conveys a powerful message. It tells us something about the enduring importance of the ethical basis of labour standards and about their legal soundness. The effort to bring the actual practices in compliance with the labour standards has to be strengthened. At the same time, the labour strategists should be encouraged by the high rate of acceptance as such, and use it in the process of policy making.

It is necessary to understand the variety of ways in which international labour standards help. Implementation of economic and social rights, including the right to work, requires application of a variety of policies, depending on the relevant circumstances. Taken together, such policies constitute progressive realization of human rights. But how does one measure progress? Economic and social indicators, a variety of statistical data which, at the end, allow a judgment on the level of achievement, represent one of the tools. But techniques of statistical measuring of progress rarely provide a sufficiently comprehensive picture. They have to be combined with the implementation of legal standards, in particular those enshrined in the eight basic ILO conventions. A combination of statistical measuring of the effects of policies and legal assessment of the level of compliance with the accepted labour standards can provide the best available insight into the question of realization of the postulates of decent work. The two processes of evaluation – statistical and legal – have to go hand in hand. Statistics provide the basic understanding of the levels of achievement. Information about the implementation of legal standards tells us about the actual situation of human beings and makes the dependence on statistics less vital. Therefore, the current high acceptance of international labour standards provides an opportunity which must be seized by the strategists of policies of decent work.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Decent work is of vital importance in every society because it represents the first and critical step out of poverty. This is the case even in affluent societies where material deprivation is mitigated by higher levels of social transfers. However, subsidies and social transfers do not eliminate poverty. Very often in such circumstances poverty continues to linger on in the form of social exclusion. Social peace based on exclusion is precarious. Decent work for all provides inclusion and is the only viable solution. In poverty stricken societies, on the other hand, this fact is even more pronounced. There simply is no way out of poverty without development. There is no substitute for the basic requirements of development – i.e. expanding employment and decent work.

This is why worldwide implementation of the concept of decent work is called for. Creation of employment opportunities and implementation of the basic labour standards, creation of opportunities for an adequate income, social protection and social dialogue between the main partners within a society are objectives of global importance. They are also among the criteria by which history will judge the quality of our era of globalization.

But the conditions for achievement of these criteria are significantly different in different parts of the world.

In Europe, combining social justice and economic competitiveness represents the essence of development. Therefore, inclusion of the concept of decent work as a part of the European Social Agenda is a natural choice. The concept of decent work is also an essential element in the Lisbon Strategy on growth and employment which the European Union adopted in 2000 and which has been subject of an intense policy discussion since 2005. This discussion is expected to energize the implementation of the Strategy and to add new incentives for development. Active employment policies are emphasized in this context. They constitute the basis for an improved social cohesion and for the new cycle of development. At the same time it will be necessary to modernize European systems of social protection, to improve the level of flexibility of labour markets and to strengthen investment in human capital so as to ensure the needed knowledge and skills.

Social partnership is a key guarantee for success in the processes called for in the Lisbon strategy. The relevance of social partnership at this point in time is twofold: First, it helps the young to attain the opportunity to work with the necessary attention to development of their knowledge and skills and to permanent learning which is necessary to retain and develop flexibility for young person's future work and employment. In addition, it also assists the older workers who, in an ageing population in Europe, have to work longer, who need to retain the necessary flexibility and skills and to develop new skills in a prolonged period of employment. Social partnership is a strategic necessity for an effective policy making. It involves a variety of local, regional and national institutions as well as the institutions of the European Union.

The European Union is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of investing in people and of improving the labour market. At its most recent session last March, the European Council emphasized the need to strengthen the education element in the triad »researc-innovation-education«. High quality education and increasing investment in human capital and creativity were defined as »essential« for Europe to succeed in the globalized world of today. This is the way towards the knowledge based economy, towards adequate employment opportunities and towards fiscal stability. And it goes without saying that these policies are the means for eradication of inequality and poverty in Europe and for the reduction of youth unemployment, which breeds poverty in many parts of Europe today.

In the countries of the European Union, these policies are being devised to address the specific, European typology of problems of development and social cohesion. It is clear that decent work, measured by a high standard of this concept, is at the core. It is particularly important that - in order to achieve that high standard - work is understood and cultivated in a close relation with creativity. Investment in education is critical for the system to be effective.

While working intensely on development of its own policies, the European Union is also aware of its global responsibilities. The European Union supports the ILO system of implementation of labour standards and believes that these standards must progress globally. Decent work agenda is also a source of policy making in the context of cooperation of the European Union with a variety of its partners. They include partners working with the EU in the context of the European neighborhood policy, as well as strategic partners in Africa, in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Asia. The existing diversity of partnership arrangements with countries around the world provides an opportunity for inclusion, in an appropriate manner, of the requirements of decent work as an element of European Union's international cooperation.

The existing and evolving cooperative frameworks will also represent an important opportunity for testing of policy choices and methodologies to be applied in the realization of strategies of decent work. Thus, the European Union and, in particular, the European Commission, will continue to strengthen external assistance for social adjustment in countries and regions outside the EU which are involved in trade liberalization. Trade liberalization should be promoted in a manner which will help to achieve high growth, higher employment and progressive realization of standards of decent work. This is a difficult task, but one which must not be avoided and which will give the full meaning to the concept of international cooperation in the era of intensive globalization.

In the globalized world of today, international cooperation is indispensable for the realization of the concept of decent work. The role of international institutions is essential and among them the ILO has a central importance. This has been repeatedly recognized by a variety of international bodies, including the World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalization. The ILO itself has embarked upon the task of strengthening its capacity, and its bodies are constantly engaged in the process of refinement of its working methods, in the strengthening of its knowledge base and in making the assistance of member states more effective. This process should continue with the necessary vigor. The work done so far in the preparation of the Authoritative text promises success. I would like to add my voice to those who wish the ILO success in this endeavour.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The International Labour Organization is one of the oldest and the most experienced members of the UN family. It has emerged as a result of the realization, arrived at after World War I, of the enduring importance of labour relations and their regulation so that social and political stability can be maintained. It has developed a unique tripartite structure to make the process of decision making and implementation of decisions coherent and effective. It has involved a significant part of the civil society in its work. In many ways the ILO practices have paved the way to the forms of international cooperation existing today in the UN system and beyond. All this experience is a tremendous asset in our era of globalization. Let this experience inform and, wherever necessary, guide the discussions and policy making. The ILO does not only have great historical experience. It also has a great mission today and a great role to play in the future.

Thank you for your attention.