ILO makes history with the adoption of resolutions on occupational safety and health, apprenticeships, and the social and solidarity economy

Occupational safety and health, apprenticeships, and the social and solidarity economy were among the items discussed on the 110th Session of The International Labour Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILC) that was held from 27 May to 11 June 2022.

The results of the discussions were adopted in form of International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) resolutions providing important guidance for the world of work and aiming to improve lives of millions of workers across the world.

“The 110th International Labour Conference had made history with its work on safety and health, apprenticeships, and labour standards, among other areas” said ILO Director-General, Mr. Guy Ryder speaking to more than 4,000 delegates representing Governments, Workers’ and Employers’ Organizations from 178 ILO Member States.

Summary of resolutions

A safe and healthy working environment. Protection of workers against occupational injuries and diseases is an integral part of decent work. The COVID-19 pandemic which has had a profound and transformative impact on the world of work, has reiterated the importance of occupational safety and health, while the country responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the importance of an effective collaboration between social partners in preventing occupational accidents and diseases, as said in the 2022 ILO Report published on World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

This year, the ILC declared that safe and healthy working conditions are fundamental to decent work and subsequently adopted the Resolution on the inclusion of a safe and healthy working environment in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. This means that the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) are considered as fundamental Conventions within the meaning of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998), as amended in 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified both Conventions.

The link to the Resolution is available here.

Quality Apprenticeships. Unemployment and underemployment rates continue to be high globally; inequality persists; and rapid transformations in the world of work exacerbate skills mismatches and skills shortages, requiring people of all ages to reskill and upskill continuously. The promotion and development of quality apprenticeships can lead to decent work, contribute to effective and efficient responses to current challenges and provide lifelong learning opportunities to enhance productivity, resilience, transitions and employability and meet current and future needs of apprentices, employers and the labour market. In this respect, the ILC adopted the Resolution related to the development of a new ILO Recommendation on Quality Apprenticeships which is expected to provide guidance on promoting apprenticeships and providing adequate protection to apprentices, including a definition of apprenticeships, a regulatory framework, and equality and diversity issues. Members should incorporate and promote quality apprenticeships within their relevant education, vocational training, and employment policies.

The link to the Resolution is available here.

The social and solidarity economy. Although the social and solidarity economy (SSE) is not new, its policy importance and visibility have grown significantly since the beginning of this century and the ILO has led the promotion of the SSE within the United Nations (UN) system, including through standards-related action. A number of ILO documents: The Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193), the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204) and the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205) acknowledge the contribution of the SSE to poverty reduction, to inclusive societies, to the transition from the informal to the formal economy, to enabling recovery and to building resilience.

In this respect the ILC adopted the Resolution concerning decent work and the social and solidarity economy which sets a number of the obligations for Members, just to mention few such as: to establish a conducive environment consistent with the nature and diversity of the SSE; treat SSE entities on terms no less favourable than those accorded to other forms of enterprise, in line with ILO Recommendation No. 193; enact policies that foster the creation of quality jobs for all, including in the SSE; and recognize their role in the transition from the informal to the formal economy.

The link to the Resolution is available here.

ILC, often called an international parliament of labour, meets once a year and establishes and adopts international labour standards, and is a forum for discussion of key social and labour questions.