Chair,

I speak on behalf of the European Union and its Members States.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia[1], Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Georgia align themselves with this statement.

We align ourselves with the IMEC Statement.

We thank the Office for the elements of a potential ILC outcome document on a global response for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

We are living through a crisis that is affecting every aspect of the world of work. In such a crisis the ILO needs to take a leading role in the socio economic response, and we welcome the elements identified in the paper.

In its response to the ongoing pandemic, the ILO office immediately put in place a wide range of initiatives that provided guidance and information to its constituents and called for international solidarity.

One year on, saving lives and jobs is still an immediate priority. However, while the ILO constituents have to respond to these immediate challenges, they also need to look ahead to the future of the World of Work.

The ILO’s unique tripartite structure and primary mandate in the normative framework of international labour standards are significant advantages, which illustrate how it, as an organisation, is ably suited to lead this recovery.

The Centenary Declaration is more relevant than ever and provides a sound basis for a recovery, not only in the World of Work but in the wider multilateral sphere.

Our focus should now shift to an accelerated implementation of the Centenary Declaration through a new action oriented plan.

Therefore, the EU and its MS commend the action-oriented nature of the draft proposal presented to the Governing Body, which is based on the ILO’s four-pillar policy framework for recovery.  It is important that the actions we propose are heard and understood in the other International Organisations and that we offer relevant methods to build back better after the crisis through coordinated actions.

Many of the concerns raised in the document reflect our own concerns that we have emphasised since the beginning of the consultations: inequalities and the disproportionate impact on specific groups, increasing their vulnerability; the importance of occupational safety and health in all recovery plans; the focus on job creation and productivity, including in the digital and green economy; upskilling and reskilling; the pivotal importance of social dialogue, labour standards and respect for fundamental principal and rights at works in particular, and lastly, universal access to social protection. All of these are critical elements for building back better through a just transition.

This document’s vision is our vision: an inclusive, resilient and sustainable green recovery.

Chair,

While we support the evolution of this document throughout the drafting stages thus far, the EU and its MS believe that critical issues such as global supply chains and cross-border social dialogue; the digital transition and digital gaps, remote work and related labour policies and the normative and supervisory role of the ILO are insufficiently addressed, or, in some cases, absent from the current document.   

We also wish to highlight the following issues as we believe that they require a tailored and timely response due to the negative impact of the pandemic; these are forced labour, child labour and the lack of decent labour conditions in global supply chains; the precariousness of jobs in the platform economy and the informal sector; and, lastly, the disproportionate and adverse effects on women and youth in the world of work.

Finally, we wish to raise some queries on the method and implementation of the proposed recovery plan.

How does the Office and its constituents foresee the links between this outcome document and the ILC Technical Committee outcomes? How will the ILO engage globally and in the field with the UN system to promote this action-oriented agenda? How can we ensure that the outcome document gives the ILO the necessary visibility at the international level?

We must avoid an outcome document that represents a list of very relevant goals without concrete means or outcomes. In order to achieve maximum impact, we recommend a clear, and concise policy statement with an action-focused appendix, which would include a menu of options. We are looking forward to discussing these and other issues during this session and in future consultations in order to build consensus on the text in advance of the ILC.

All parties can count - as always - on a constructive and engaged European Union.

Thank you Chair. 

*The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.