Keynote Address
By MR. CHUTHATAWAT INDRASUKSRI
Permanent Secretariat
Ministry of Labor, Thailand
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
In many Southeast and South Asian cities, around 50 to 60 percent of the workforce belonging to the informal sector is a major provider of urban jobs. While the informal sector generates jobs and incomes for the urban poor, with relatively little capital investment, the quality of employment still needs to be improved. Many Asian countries owe their dynamic nature in part to the entrepreneurial spirit of the urban informal sector. However, for every successful entrepreneur there are many more struggling operators providing low-income jobs in poor working environments. Working conditions have remained unchanged for many governments and the agencies concerned.
Most of the informal sector workers, self-employed or unpaid family workers including homeworkers, are neither registered nor covered by labor laws and basic labor standards. There are many more outside formal employment, such as those engaged in small scale operations, who lack knowledge and awareness, and have low income levels. They are usually not covered by labor regulations governing hours of work, weekly rest, paid leave, minimum wages and so on.
International labor standards – ILO Conventions and Recommendations adopted by the tripartite International Labor Conference – play a major role in enabling workers, employers and where applicable, governments, to develop employment relations in a sound and equitable manner. Specifically, Convention 177 and Recommendation No 184 are the instruments targeting homeworkers.
Different groups of homeworkers encounter different workplace problems. The most common are poor lighting, lack of ventilation, excessive heat, poor housekeeping, inadequate workspace, poor work tools and workplace design, awkward posture, exposure to dangerous chemicals, lack of clean water and other basic welfare facilities, and long working hours. Workers accept the situation because they are simply preoccupied with survival and are not fully aware of workplace hazards.
There is no established mechanism to monitor workplace injuries and illnesses in the informal sector, as compared to the formal sector. Injuries often go unreported and are settled by operators and workers, sometimes through small cash payments or termination of employment. Even for severe injuries, where they are not enrolled in a social protection scheme, workers are frequently deprived of benefits that would have otherwise been available. It is often difficult to establish the relationship of work to illness.
Improving working conditions in this sector remains a primary concern. The link between better working conditions and increased productivity must be clearly demonstrated. As a priority, in order for any program to be effective, it must initially be able to create awareness among operators and workers. In particular, women workers, workers with disabilities and child workers, must be targeted.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have no doubt that this Subregional Workshop on Fair Trade Standards and Occupational Safety and Health to Strengthen Organizing among Homebased Workers today will have impact on our ability to work together towards a common goal: “the development of fair trade standards to improve occupational safety and health for homebased workers”.
Thank you very much. |
