ILO Labour Inspection 2006

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Integrated Labour Protection System and Social
Dialogue
9-10 November 2006, Riga, Latvia
The Role of ILOs Labour Inspection Policy -
Strategies and Practice
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Integrated Labour Protection System and Social
Dialogue
Strategies and Practice

• Major Challenges for Labour Inspection
• Role of ILO in strengthening Labour Inspection
• Conclusions and Recommendations

3
Integrated Labour Protection System and Social
Dialogue
Strategies and Practice

• Major Challenges for Labour Inspection
• Role of ILO in strengthening Labour Inspection
• Conclusions and Recommendations

4
Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81)
andLabour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention ,
1969 (No. 129)
Conventions
Define the functions of Labour Inspection,
especially asto secure the enforcement of the
legal provisionsrelating to conditions of work
and the protectionof workers while engaged in
their work

• Legal provisions relate to
• hours, wages
• safety, health and welfare
• employment of children and young persons
• other connected matters

Effective Labour Inspection needs
effectivesocial dialogue and labour
administration
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Labour Inspection (LI) General Survey, ILC 2006
General Survey
A functioning LI system is a basic conditionfor
good governance employers Positive
impact on conditions of work,promotion of
workers right and sustainableeconomic growth
workers Important contribution to Decent
Work committee of experts
Labour Inspection is highly important
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Labour Inspection (LI) General Survey, ILC 2006
General Survey
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Major Challenges Facing Labour Inspection
Major Challenges

• Fragmentation of work
• Growth of the informal economy
• Increasing number of work related accidentsand
  diseases (6 000 fatalities a day)
• High number of vulnerable workers (migrant
  workers, HIV/AIDS, child and forced labour)
• Employment relations
• Social security
• Discrimination
• Lack of resources (often low salaries, no
  training)

How can Labour Inspection meetthese challenges ?
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Ratio Economically Active Population per Inspector
Population per Inspector
1 inspector per number of workers
!
Furtherneed toassess qualityof inspections
Estimations based on ILO information (annual
report, ILO questionnaires, countries
information) between 2003 and 2006
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The Labour Inspection System
Labour Inspection System

• National level actions
• Implementation oflabour standards
• Developing policy
• Operational strategy

• Enterprise level actions
• Advice, investigation,enforcement
• Collaboration with workplace representatives

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Integrated Labour Protection System and Social
Dialogue
Strategies and Practice

• Major Challenges for Labour Inspection
• Role of ILO in strengthening Labour Inspection
• Conclusions and Recommendations

11
ILO actions
ILO actions
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The Ontario Experience
Ontario Experience
Cost-benefit ratio from 1.15 - 8.00 for every
dollarinvested in a healthy workplace
Strengthening LI Low Risk - High Return
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Labour Inspection Prevention Campaign, Germany
Prevention campaign
Trips, slips and falls at work - Reportable
accidents in 1 000 (thousands)
-26
Compensationcosts reduced by 80 Million EUR
(2002-2004)
380 MillionEUR
300 MillionEUR
From HVBG
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Labour Inspection In Developing Countries
Developing countries

• Some rapidly growing economies, but
• Serious under-resourcing of labour
  inspectorates,even reduction in numbers, e.g. in
  Africa, Asia
• Recent acceptance of importance ofLabour
  Inspection for good governance,e.g. Brasil,
  ARLAC countries(high level meeting, Victoria
  Falls, 2005)
• Rapid increase in requests for technicalassistanc
  e from ILO

Need for more support for LabourInspection in
developing countries
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Integrated Labour Protection System and Social
Dialogue
Strategies and Practice

• Major Challenges for Labour Inspection
• Role of ILO in strengthening Labour Inspection
• Conclusions and Recommendations

16
Conclusions
Conclusions

• Labour Inspection has a key role to playin
  promoting Decent Work
• An effective Labour Inspection systemis an
  essential component ofgood governance
• Developing countries recognisethe increasing
  importance of LabourInspection, but need
  assistance
• ILO faces an overwhelming number of requestsfor
  technical assistance on Labour Inspection

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Recommendations
Recommendations
1.

• Develop
• Strategy for integration of LIwithin DWCP
• Good practice guides, fact sheets,etc
• Policy and training tools to increase
  effectiveness and efficiency.e.g. Tripartite
  Audits
• Continue Promotion of ConventionNos 81 and 129

2.
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Recommendations
Recommendations
3.
Discuss resourcing of such work as a component of
sustainable poverty reductionand Decent Work
strategies Invite the Office to develop
andimplement an international strategy forthe
support of the modernization and reinvigoration
of Labour Inspection
4.
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The Role of ILOs Labour Inspection Policy -
Strategies and Practice
Thank you for your attention
Gerd Albracht Coordinator, Inspection Systems
ILO - SafeWork albracht_at_ilo.org
www.ilo.org/labourinspection
www.ilo.org/safework