The President of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Satybalda Daulealin, participated in a webinar on the theme “Protection of workers at work”, organized by the ILO Office for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV).
Trade union leaders exchanged views on the most pressing labour issues during the pandemic and discussed ILO proposals for effective trade union protection of labour rights and social support for the most vulnerable workers.
The current precarious situation and limited access to adequate social protection for youth, women, migrant workers and informal workers is of concern to the experts.
According to ILO, there are approximately 1.6 billion informal workers worldwide affected by the effects of the pandemic. Many of them have no social support from the State.
According to webinars, non-standard, unprotected forms of employment threaten the well-being of the whole society.
Sergius Glovaccas, Head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Division of the ILO Bureau of Workers, stressed the high importance of the meeting in the context of developing sustainable social and labour practices.
According to him, strengthening labor safety, adjusting working conditions, ensuring social justice and social guarantees are essential components of an effective response to the crisis.
Maria Elena Andre, Director of ACTRAV, presented the ILO’s approaches to post-pandemic recovery. They include four elements: stimulating the economy and employment, government support for enterprises, jobs and income, protection of workers in the workplace, and social dialogue.
“Today, solidarity is the main value for employees and trade unions. We must maintain this solidarity in order to solve the problems we face, ” the expert stressed.
Director ACTRAV called on the leaders of trade Union organizations to maximize prizentsov coordinate actions to effectively protect the rights of workers in the period of plant closure, shutdown and resume.
As a guide to action, the international labour organization has developed 10 anti-crisis items on the trade Union agenda.
In particular, the ILO recommends establishing a dialogue with social partners on the issues of preserving jobs and wages, preferential provision, and occupational safety and health. It is also proposed to clearly define risk prevention measures, methods and means of personal protection.
Most important, from the point of view of international experts, are measures to implement international labour standards, including Recommendation No. 202 on minimum levels of social protection, Recommendation No. 204 on transition from the informal to the formal economy, and Recommendation No. 205 on employment and decent work for peace and resilience.
At the same time, the importance of conducting joint classes on labor protection measures, risks of COVID-19 infection, sanitary and hygienic standards, as well as consultations on social security issues was noted.
In General, the ILO encourages trade unions to become the voice of employees ‘ interests before employers and authorities.
These measures, according to the developers of the strategy, are designed to further ensure the stability of society to new crises.
Maria Elena Andre recommended that each trade Union organization develop its own proposals for social partners based on the measures presented.
“Social protection should cover all categories of citizens,” she stressed.
A senior specialist in working with workers, ACTRAV Victor Ricco, drew attention to the problem of the growing number of cases of violence in isolation.
According to him, women who work at home are at an increased risk of domestic violence. At the same time, he emphasized the norms of the ILO Convention No. 190, which recognizes domestic violence as an occupational problem, which also States that employers, governments and trade unions must take appropriate measures to identify and mitigate the consequences of domestic violence in the workplace.
The issues of protecting the rights and interests of medical and other workers who are directly involved in the elimination of the epidemic were widely discussed.
We are talking primarily about doctors, employees of rescue services, trade and other strategic areas. ILO experts note the importance of providing these workers with the necessary information on occupational safety, sufficient personal protective equipment, and access to health services and adequate social support.