Every year since 1951 the I.L.O. has submitted a memorandum to the Council of Europe entitled " Activities of the International Labour Organisation in relation to Europe". In reply to a request from the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, the I.L.O. has prepared the present memorandum, which contains information on the activities of the Organisation between July, 1953 and July, 1954.
This Memorandum deals mainly with the activities of the I.L.O. which may be of direct interest to the Council of Europe ; a general view of the worldwide activities of the International Labour Organisation is to be found in the yearly report submitted by the I.L.O. to the United NationsNoteConsequently, the information the memorandum contains bears mainly upon the development of relations between the I.L.O. and European international organisations in general (and the Council of Europe, in particular) and the activity of the I.L.O. in the specifically European field. At the end of the memorandum some information will be found on the activities of the I.L.O. which are of a general character and applicable to all the States Members of the I.L.O. but may, nevertheless, be of interest to the member States of the Council of Europe.
At its sessions in November, 1953 and March, 1954 the Governing Body examined the general question of relations between the I.L.O. and other international or regional organisations in the social field. Its studies led it to certain conclusions concerning the relations between the I.L.O. and the regional organisations, and, in particular, the European regional organisations.
The Governing Body observed that collaboration among international organisations responsible for dealing with social questions must depend on proper co-ordination of effort, assured as far as possible by respect for fields of competence and by means of close co-operation at every stage in the examination of questions in which several organisations were interested. The Governing Body noted that considerable progress in that direction had been made in recent years within the family of the United Nations and that efforts towards close cohesion in the field of international action were being pursued continuously with a view to arriving, within the existing juridical framework, at the most practical and efficient solution. Among the essential means conducive to the achievement of. this result the Governing Body mentioned constant consultation among the institutions concerned and regular submission to the executive bodies of each institution of the reports of consultations between Secretariats and of the opinions expressed on those results by the executive bodies of other institutions.
The Governing Body also noted that, as in the case of the relations between the I.L.O. and world-wide organisations, the relations between the I.L.O. and regional organisations were liable to become complicated by the fact that there were questions where the interests of several organisations overlapped and that in sudh cases the problem of co-ordination of activities must be solved in a practical manner acceptable to all the organisations concerned. In addition, the Governing Body considered that the problems raised by collaboration between the I.L.O. and regional organisations outside the family of the United Nations presented certain special aspects. In taking part in such collaboration, the I.L.O. should be guided not only by the preoccupations which ruled its relations with the organisations belonging to the family of the United Nations but also by the need to have social questions of a regional nature examined within the world framework into which they must necessarily fit. It was by basing itself on such considerations that the I.L.O. had secured the opportunity to enter into relations and indeed to collaborate actively with the principal regional organisations, and in particular, with European regional organisations.
The Governing Body stressed the fact that a more extended application of the principle of reference to the I.L.O. of the examination of questions concerning workers would allow, first of all, social questions of a regional nature to be set in their world perspective ; it would also enable greater use to be made of the advantages presented by the technical competence of the I.L.O. ; finally, in appropriate cases, it would enable decisions of principle to be taken on international social questions by representatives of Governments, employers and workers, which is not always the case, as things are.
The Governing Body considered that if this practice wore to develop, the I.L.O. would have to study with close attention the procedure by which it could act most efficiently at the regional level. That procedure might include examination of certain questions by regional conferences of the I.L.O. or by meetings of experts or by special conferences composed of the States Members concerned, convened for the purpose of examining particular questions, as was the case with the conference which considered problems concerning Rhine boatmen.
Lastly, the Governing Body recalled that co-operation between international organisations and co-ordination of their activities were not only, or even mainly, the concern of the organisations themselves; they depended essentially on the Governments of States Members which were in a position to further that co-operation by means of the instructions they gave to their representatives on the various governing bodies of the institutions concerned.
These comments may be set alongside the statement made by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in its Special Message transmitting the programme of work of the Council to the Consultative Assembly, and, in particular, may be associated with the remarks it contains on the problem of co-ordinating the activities of international organisationsNote. The Message will be placed before the Governing Body of the I.L.O. at its next session.
During the past year the I.L.O. and the Council of Europe have consulted each other on various questions of common interest, in accordance with the Agreement between the two organisations adopted in 1951. A brief description of the subjets discussed is given below.
The International Labour Organisation was consulted by the Council of Europe on the programme of activities which the latter intended to undertake in the social field. The question was referred to the Governing Body of the I.L.O., which expressed a tentative opinion in June, 1953 on the memorandum on the subject prepared by the Secretary-General of the Council. This tentative opinion was mentioned in the last "Memorandum on the activities of the International Labour Organisation in relation to Europe"Note.
In November, 1953 the opinion of the Consultative Assembly on the role of the Council of Europe in the social field was submitted to the Governing Body, which re-examined the question. While noting that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe had not yet been called upon to take a final decision on the question, and that, consequently, the opinion of the I.L.O. would still be of a tentative nature, the Governing Body pointed out that the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe in his memorandum, as also the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Social Questions, had stressed, on the one hand, the political role which the Council of Europe was being called upon to play in promoting a greater measure of community between its member countries through action in the social field and, on the other hand, the assistance which the I.L.O. might be requested to render to the Council of Europe in the development of such action. The Governing Body emphasised the importance attached by the I.L.O. to the principle that the solution of labour problems should, as far as practicable, be worked out in collaboration with the Governments, employers and workers concerned. It further emphasised the importance that it attached, reflecting the widespread concern of the Governments of States Members, to the elimination of duplication and overlapping of activities and to the most effective use of the resources put at the disposal of the international organisations. The Governing Body considered that in order to achieve the most effective results and avoid duplication of initiative and machinery the I.L.O. and the Council of Europe, in taking action on problems of common concern, should bear in mind the different though complementary roles which, by virtue of their different constitutions and structure, they can play in the solution of those problems. Jix this connection, the Governing Body drew the attention of the Council of Europe to the fact that within the framework of the Agreement between the two organisations a suitable basis could be found for complementary action to be taken by them, in their respective fields of competence, in problems of common concern, and that with that end in view the Agreement provided that each organisation might refer to the other organisation matters which it considered could most appropriately be dealt witli by the other. The Governing Body went on to stress the importance it attached to the coordination of the activities pursued by the international organisations at the world and regional levels in order to prevent the various organisations taking measures which, if they coincided, might cause duplication and waste and, if they diverged, might weaken the efficiency of their work. Finally, the Governing-Body reaffirmed the willingness of the I.L.O. to give all possible assistance to the Council of Europe in securing on a regional basis a larger measure of common approach than could be secured on a wider international basis, in so. far as that was thought practicable and desirable by the countries concerned.
This opinion of the Governing Body was communicated to the Council of Europe and referred to the Consultative Assembly.
The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe also asked the I.L.O. for its views on the proposal to establish a European economic and Social Council within the framework of the Council of Europe. The Governing Body of the I.L.O. examined this question at its Session in November, 1953. As the United Nations had also been asked for an opinion on the question, while the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe was to prepare a report based on Governments' replies to the questionnaire sent to them, the Governing Body considered that the I.L.O.'s opinion would have to be purely .tentative in character and could not yet be given in detail.
The Governing Body noted that the point at issue was that of setting up an Economic and Social Council within the framework of the Council of Europe and not within the framework of the European Political Community ; consequently, the Governing Body wished to draw the attention of the Council of Europe to the possibilities offered by the provisions of the Agreement between the I.L.O. and the Council of Europe, particularly Articles 2 and 3, for consultation by the employers' and workers' organisations of the countries concerned. The Governing Body recalled that the specific aim of that Agreement, as stated in the preamble, was to "avoid unnecessary duplication and overlapping and [to facilitate] concentration of efforts with a view to securing the most effective use of the resources available to all international and regional organisations ". The Governing Body therefore considered that the Council of Europe should carefully examine the previous question as to whether the creation of an Economic and Social Council within the framework of the Council of Europe would at that stage meet a real need, in view of the opportunities for consultation of employers' and workers' organisations afforded by the Agreement between the I.L.O. and the Council of Europe. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Council of Europe should deem it useful to pursue its consideration of the question of setting up an Economic and Social Council within its own framework, the Governing Body considered that tho Council of Europe should pay the closest attention to the relations to tbe established between that Economic and Social Council and the I.L.O. in respect of all questions within the constitutional competence of the I.L.O. so as to ensure satisfactory co-operation between those institutions and the co-ordination of their activities and to avoid duplication of effort.
This tentative opinion was also communicated to the Council of Europe and submitted to the Consultative Assembly.
It will be remembered that the study of the European Code of Social Security, which was begun in 1950 by the Committee of Experts on Social Security of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, with the technical assistance of the International Labour Office, was interrupted during the discussion of social security standards by the International Labour Conference during 1951 and 1952. At its sixth session, held in the autumn of 1952, the Committee of Experts resumed its studies in the light of the provisions contained in the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, No. 102, adopted by the International Labour Organisation in 1952. At the request of the Committee, the I.L.O. prepared a questionnaire in order to ascertain the extent, to which the member States would comply with that Convention and the views of the Governments on the character of a possible European Code. On the basis of the replies to the questionnaire the I.L.O. compiled a very elaborate report, the consideration of which was the chief item on the agenda of the seventh session of the Committee of Experts, held in March, 1954. The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe subsequently requested the Director-General of the I.L.O. to submit the General Report of the seventh session of the Committee of Experts, to the Governing Body for information. This was done in May, 1954 ; the Governing Body took note of the report and decided to examine it in greater détail at its next session, which will take place in November of this year.
The first European Regional Conference of the I.L.O. is to be held some time before March, 1955 ; the exact date and place of the ' meeting are to be fixed at the next session of the Governing Body of the I.L.O. The European Regional Conference will be attended by representatives of Governments, employers and workers from all the European States Members of the I.L.O.
The Conference will first have to examine the report of the Director-General of the I.L.O., which is designed to provide a basis for a general discussion on the directions and. ways in which the work of the I.L.O. in the European region might be developed. The report will therefore contain information on the main long-term developments, achievements and current trends in social and economic policies in Europe, with particular reference to wages, employment, unemployment and the organisation of the employment market, migration, housing, conditions of work and labour-management relations. The report will also describe the work of the I.L.O. and of European regional organisations in the social field and will indicate the arrangements so far made for co-operation between the I.L.O. and these organisations, including the Council of Europe. The Conference will thus have an opportunity of studying more closely possible methods of improving such co-operation.
The second item on the agenda of the European Eegional Conference of the I.L.O. is the role of employers and workers in programmes to raise productivity. The report on this subject to be prepared by the I.L.O. is to contain accounts of the results achieved in certain undertakings which have been particularly successful in raising productivity and of the methods by which the results have been achieved. It will give examples of methods which have in practice been found successful in securing an equitable and satisfactory distribution of the benefits of higher productivity and in dealing with problems of redundancy and other problems which may be encountered in the course of efforts to raise productivity. It will also describe briefly the programmes and projects of the principal national and international agencies concerned with productivity in Europe. The report will furnish a basis for discussion for the Conference when it examines the work of the I.L.O. regarding productivity in Europe in relation to the work of national and other international agencies.
The third item on the agenda of the European Regional Conference will be methods of financing social security benefits. In view of the great variety of systems of providing benefits existing in different European countries, the Conference will have to consider whether the financing systems in use in the different European countries today are the most suitable or whether in certain cases methods of financing which have been adopted provisionally and for special reasons could not be improved upon. The Conference might thus formulate certain principles which would be useful for the development of future policy on the national and international planes.
Lastly, the Conference will have to consider the question of tho age of retirement. This problem is particularly acute in countries of Western and Northern Europe on account of the steadily increasing cost of old-age pensions in a steadily ageing population.
Whe n it placed these questions on the agenda of the European Regional Conference, the Governing Body had already been informed that certain European regional organisations, among others the Council of Europe, were keenly interested in them. The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, when consulted by the Director-iGeneral of the I.L.O. on the draft agenda before it was examined by the Governing Body, stated his conviction that such a Conference would be of great value and that such an agenda would not lead" to any overlapping between the work of the I.L.O, and of the Council of Europe. At the same time he informed the I.L.O. of the opinion on the European Code of Social Security expressed by the Consultative Assembly in its Recommendation 28, on the financing of social security and the retirement age, adopted in August, 1950. The attention of the European Regional Conference of the I.L.O., will be drawn to this RecommendationNote.
The standards laid down in the International Labour Convention on Minimum Standards of Social - Security (No. 102) are inferior to those already reached by most European countries, especially as regards the scope of social security schemes and the range of contingencies covered. Therefore the member countries of the Council of Europe have sought the help of the I.L.O. in working out a special code of social security which would recognise and give authority to the particular levels of achievement they have reached and, to some extent, their desires to improve their schemes. As has already been mentioned, the I.L.O. produced a very elaborate report on the question this year and is continuing to co-operate with the Committee of Social Security Experts of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
As Convention No. 102 does not deal fully with the problem of the international coordination of social security schemes in the interests of foreigners and migrants generally, two Interim Agreements on equality of treatment for all nationals of Members of the Council of Europe were signed in December, 1953. It will be remembered that these agreements were based on drafts prepared by the I.L.O. In addition, at the request of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, the I.L.O. has prepared a draft agreement to give more detailed and comprehensive protection to foreign or migrant workers moving from one country to another within the Community. This draft, which deals with the social security rights of all workers migrating from one State Member of the Community to another (whether or not they are connected with the coal or steel industries), was examined at a meeting of experts convened in Geneva on 29 June, 1954 by the I.L.O. and the High Authority. The aims of the Agreement are to remove any obstacles to the mobility of labour raised by national social security measures, to ensure equality of treatment of workers in different countries regardless of nationality, to preserve benefit rights acquired or in course of acquisition and to protect the social security position of dependents residing in a country other than that in which their breadwinner is employed. The agreement is therefore intended to bring the principal clauses of the 15 bilateral treaties already existing between the six Member States of the Community into line with one another and to take the place of the six additional treaties required to complete the system of bilateral agreements. The meeting of experts made a preliminary examination of the draft agreement and gave instructions to the Office to guide it in its future work on the subject. A further meeting of experts is to be held before the end of the year to draw tip the text which is to be submitted to the States concerned for signatureNote.
Reference has already been made to the fact that the European Regional Conference of the I.L.O. will have before it two questions arising from social security in Europe, namely methods of financing social security benefits and the age of retirement.
The manpower programme of the I.L.O. is directed mainly towards providing vocational training for workers. The Office has been asked for technical assistance in this field during the past year by a number of European countries and by certain European regional organisations.
The Italian Government has received technical assistance from the I.L.O. in the organisation of training courses for instructors and workers, in particular at the training centre for the metal trades in Genoa and the centre for the building trades in Naples. An ILO expert was attached to the Brazilian mission for the selection of migrant workers in Italy and Austria, and the advice on pre-selection methods and techniques he gave to the responsible officials resulted in a considerable drop in the proportion of applicants finally rejected by the mission. Another ILO expert was sent to Italy to teach T.W.I, methods there ; the Italian Government itself will take over the rest of this project.
In Turkey, between September, 1953 and March, 1954 eleven technicians and engineers were sent to France, Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany for further training. Another group of engineers is to attend training courses abroad beginning in September, 1954.
On 31 May, 1954 under the training programme for Yugoslav workers (to which reference was made in the last " Memorandum on the activities of the I.L.O. in relation to Europe ") 309 Yugoslav workers had been found employment abroad. The programme is being pursued, and the establishment of a vocational training centre in Yugoslavia is under consideration.
Mention was made in the last memorandum of the assistance given by the I.L.O. to the European Coal and Steel Community. Cooperation between the two institutions developed considerably during 1953-54. In answer to a request from th High Authority of the Community, the I.L.O. drew up a list of occupational definitions for the coal and steel industries so as to facilitate the free movement of workers with proven qualifications within Community countries. It also provided the High Authority with information and technical papers on identity cards for migrant workers and restrictions on the movement of workers due to reasons of security or public healthNote. The High Authority also asked the Office for technical assistance in the vocational training of coal and steel workers. A technical meeting was organised in October, 1953 to enable vocational training experts in the coal mining industries of the Community countries and observers from the United Kingdom and the United States to study the conditions and methods of imparting vocational training to young undergrotmd workers in the coal mining industry and the facilities available in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands. The I.L.O. has also helped to prepare the technical meeting of vocational training experts in the iron and steel industry, which will hold sessions in Germany, France and Luxembourg in September, 1954. These programmes are at present being expanded.
The High Authority has also availed itself of the services of the I.L.O. in its efforts to develop hygiene and safety in coal mines and the iron and steel industries.
The I.L.O. has continued to participate in the work of the Manpower Committee and of the' European Productivity Agency of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. The I.L.O. has submitted a number of number of operational projects'which are to be carried out on behalf ' of the O.E.E.C, some of which have already been approved. The projects relate to job analysis, occupational classification, absenteeism,. the training of supervisors, selection and training of vocational training instructors, the selection of candidates for vocational training and the recruitment and training of young workers for operative work. The I.L.O. has also provided the O.E.E.C. with information on systems of labour inspection, the standardisation of instructions and methods of training employees, with a view to the formulation of employment standards.
In co-operation with the I.C.E.M., the I.L.O. has put into effect a plan for technical assistance in the - pre-selection of migrant workers in Italy. Similarly, in co-operation with I.C.E.M. and the World Health Organisation, a meeting of experts was convened in' 1953 to lay down standards for the medical selection of migrant workers. The meeting drew up a list of standards which it recommended for use in the médical selection of migrants destined for normal work and a supplementary list of standards for use in the medical selection of migrants destined for heavy work or work requiring special physical capabilities.
It will be remembered that the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations has drawn up a General Agreement on economic regulations for international road transport in Europe. The agreement includes, inter alia, a standard set of rules governing conditions of employment in road transport; the clauses relating to conditions of employment were drafted with the assistance of ILO experts. The agreement was signed on 17 March, 1954 by representatives of ten European countries.Note
In the matter of conditions of employment of Rhine boatmen, it became apparent that the only way to obtain ratification by all the Governments concerned of the Agreement on the subject, (which was drawn up under the auspices of the I.L.O.) was by the parties agreeing on certain amendments or on the interpretation of certain points. With this end in view the Governments concerned decided to hold a second session of the Special Tripartite Conference on Rhine Boatmen. At this conference, which was held between 18 and 24 January, 1954, modifications were agreed upon, in particular regarding the position of owner-operators, night rest during navigation, the inclusion of the First of May among the annual holidays which may be recognised and the right to a part of the annual holidays with pay after six months' service instead of 12 months. These amendments were signed by the representatives of the States concerned but have still to be submitted for ratification.
The 37th Session of the International Labour Conference was hold in Geneva in June, 1954. The Conference adopted an International Labour Recommendation on holidays with pay. This Recommendation states that all employers, with the exception of certain categories (seafarers, agricultural workers and persons employed in family undertakings), should be entitled to an annual holiday with pay proportionate to the length of service performed with one or more employers during the year concerned and which should not be less than two working weeks for 12 months of service. The Recommendation states, in particular, that young workers under 18 years of age should receive an annual holiday with pay longer than the minimum fixed. The Recommendation lays down various methods for the application of its provisions, suggesting action by the public authorities or voluntary agencies (i. e. through législation, statutory wage-fixing machinery, collective agreements, arbitration awards and any other methods consistent with national practice).
The Conference also prepared three other draft Recommendations, concerning the vocational rehabilitation of the disabled, penal sanctions for breaches of contract of employment and the situation of migrant workers in under-developed countries, for examination at. its session next year. It adopted a resolution concerning the reduction of hours of work, which proposes that the I.L.O. should make a study of the question and that a tripartite meeting should be called to examine hours of work at the international level with a view to reducing them wherever desirable and praticable. Lastly, the Conference made a careful examination of the ILO technical assistance programme and discussed the question of housing policy at great length, on the basis of the Director-General's report.
The Council of Europe has shown interest in the ratification of International Labour Conventions by States Members of the I.L.O.; in 1953 the Consultative Assembly adopted a Recommendation on the subjecNote, which was examined by the Committee of MinistersNote. During the first part of its Sixth Ordinary Session the Consultative Assembly stated that it was favourably impressed by the number of ratifications of the Conventions concerned; it hoped that the difficulties cited by certain Governments could be overcome and considered that the fact that national laws and -regulations applicable to the field covered by the Convention did not correspond to the provisions of the law should not constitute a decisive argument in considering whether the Convention could be ratified or not, as the purpose of Conventions was precisely to promote the adoption of new legislation.
Since 12 August, 1953, the date on which the previous Memorandum on the activities of the I.L.O. in relation to Europe was drawn up, 90 ratifications of International Labour Conventions had been registered. Out of these, 13 were ratifications by Members of the Council of Europe. For instance, Belgium ratified two Conventions, including the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98), 1949; France ratified four, including the Migration for Employment Convention (No. 97), (Revised), 1949; the Netherlands ratified one; the Federal Republic of Germany ratified three, including the Employment Service Convention (No. 88), 1948; and Sweden ratified two, including the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention (No. 102), 1952. The United Kingdom also ratified the last-named Convention. It will bo remembered that Conventions Nos. 88, 97, 98 and 102 mentioned above are on the list of Conventions the ratification of which was recommended by the Council of Europe.
It should also be mentioned that since ]2 August, 1953, the competent authorities of a certain number of Members of the Council of Europe have approved the ratification of a number of Conventions (Belgium three, France four and the Federal Republic of Germany two). The Netherlands Government has submitted two Conventions (including the Social Security (minimum standards) Convention (No. 102), 1952) to the competent autorities for approval and ratification. The Turkish Government has taken similar action in respect of another Convention.
The Industrial Committees of the I.L.O. which have met during the past year have examined conditions of work of particular professions and categories of workers.
The Inland Transport Committee of the I.L.O. met in Geneva from 15 to 26 February, 1954. It adopted a memorandum on conditions of •employment in road transport and a detailed resolution on welfare facilities for dock workers. A Committee of Experts on the protection of dockers against accidents subsequently met in Geneva from 26 April to 5 May, 1954. The Committee concluded, inter alia, that the Protection Against Accidents (Dockers) Convention (Revised), 1932 (No. 32) had not become obsolete in-any important particular; however, the Committee considered that the Convention should be ; supplemented by a Code "of Practice to be drafted by the Office with the help of experts and submitted to a tripartite technical conference' for examination and adoption at the earliest possible date.
The Building, Civil Engineering and Public Works Committee held a meeting in Geneva during October and November, 1953. In particular, it studied questions of productivity and guaranteed wages in the building industry and suggested a certain number of measures which might be taken by engineers and architects to increase productivity in the industry. The Committee also adopted a number of resolutions concerning welfare in the building industry in under-developed countries, full employment policy in relation to national housing programmes and the action taken on the Resolution concerning the establishment of an international fund to finance building construction, adopted by the Committee at an earlier sessionNote.
The Committee also recommended that the Office should make a study of safety in the building industry, with particular regard to the situation concerning the ratification of the Safety Provisions (Building) Convention, 1927, and the measures taken by Governments and employers in regard to safety in the industry. Lastly, the Committee suggested that the agenda of its session might include questions selected from the following : the protection of young workers and of their conditions of work in the building industry, the prevention of industrial accidents, the reduction of working hours and practical measures to achieve and maintain full employment in the building industry.
The Coal Mines Committee of the I.L.O. met at Diisseldorf in December, 1953. It also examined the question of increasing productivity and defined the technical and social conditions which would make such an increase possible. It examined the question of social services for coal miners and recommended that the I.L.O. should give close attention to progress being achieved during the course of the next few years in regard to the development of medical services, research centres and the prevention of occupational diseases, of centres for physical rehabilitation, of housing construction programmes for coal miners and of action taken to facilitate workers' promotion. Lastly, the Committee suggested that the question of paid holidays for miners should be included in the agenda of a future session and invited the Office to place two of the three following questions on the agenda of its next session : recruitment and vocational training in coal mining, miners' pensions and safety and health in the coal mining industry.
The Third Session of the Advisory Committee on Salaried Employees and Professional Workers of the I.L.O. was held in Geneva in May, 1954. It adopted a detailed memorandum concerning unemployment among salaried employees and professional workers.NoteThe Committee also adopted resolutions on conditions of employment for teaching staff and the rights of performers in broadcasting, television and the ' mechanical reproduction of sound.
It should also be mentioned that the. Metal Trades Committee and the Iron and Steel Committee of the I.L.O. will be holding meetings during 1954. The Metal Trades Committee will examine the question of régularisation of production and employment at a high level and pratical methods of labour-management cooperation' in metal, working plants, while the Iron and Steel Committee will consider supplementary pension systems in the iron and steel industry and. their relation to general pension s'ejiemes, and also human relations in the industry. Agenda have already been decided upon for two. of the industrial committees which will meet in 1955. The Chemical Industries Committee will study the factors influencing productivity in the industry, giving special consideration to the rational organisation of work and systems of remuneration, and safety and hygiene problems in. the chemical industries (classification and labelling of dangerous substances). Two technical matters to be considered by the Petroleum Committee are conditions of employment of contract labour and human relations in the petroleum industry. It has also been agreed that thé Committee,will examine the subject of visual aids for training and instructional purposes.
During the year 1953/1954 the I.O.L. continued its technical, assistance work under the expanded technical assistance programme of the United Nations.and the Specialised Agencies. The .fundamental aim is to enable under-developed contries to benefit from the experience acquired by the highly industrialised countries. To achieve this end the I.L.O. has obtained the services of a number of experts, including nationals of Members of the Council of Europe. At the beginning of 1954, 159 European experts had been sent by the I.L.O. to under-developed countries to improve living and working conditions there.NoteIn addition, fellowships were awarded to nationals of under-developed countries to enable them to study in more highly industrialised countries and, in particular, certain European countries. 160 fellowships of this kind were awarded by the I.L.O. for purposes of study in Member countries of the Council of EuropeNote. In addition the I.L.O. has brought workers from under-developed countries to other countries to widen their vocational training; under this scheme 240 workers have received further training in member countries of the Council of EuropeNote.
It has already been mentioned that certain member countries of the Council of Europe have themselves received technical assistance from the I.L.O., particularly in connection with general manpower problems.
In addition to the expanded technical assistance programme of the Uunited Nations and the Specialised Agencies, the I.L.O. has during the past year been able to give technical assistance to European countries under its ordinary programme through the medium of European regional organisations. Detailed descriptions have been given above of the assistance given by the I.L.O. to the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, the European Coal and Steel Community, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and the Council of Europe.