Reply to the 15th Report of the International Labour Organisation

Resolution 341 (1967)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

. Assembly Debate on 27th January 1967 (24th Sitting) (see Doc. 2154,Doc. 2154, report of the Social Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 27th January 1967 (24th Sitting).

The Assembly:

1 Notes with interest the 15th report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to the Council of Europe for the period 1st January 1965 - 30th June 1966, during which time the International Labour Conference held its 49th and 50th Sessions ;

2 Stresses once more the complementary nature of the activities of ILO and of other international organisations, notes with satisfaction the great number of fields in which ILO co-operates with other international organisations, expresses the hope that this practice will develop further, so that all the efforts being made, at both world and European level, to promote social development and welfare can be as fruitful as possible, and refers to its request, in paragraphs 33 and 34 of Resolution 331 (1966) setting out its opinion on the Programme of Work for the intergovernmental activities of the Council of Europe, that the said Programme should in future map out the Council's role in relation to other international organisations ;

3 Recalling the principles concerning economic and social progress set forth in the Statute of the Council of Europe, draws ILO's attention to the first Intergovernmental Programme of Work of the Council of Europe, particularly Chapter III dealing with social structures, and to its own observations in Resolution 331 (1966), and more especially in Sections 3 and 8 of the Appendix thereto which are the opinions of the Social Committee and the Committee on Population and Refugees ;

4 Notes the drawing up by ILO of a programme and methods of study and action, seemingly prompted by the same considerations as those which gave rise to the Council of Europe's Intergovernmental Work Programme ;

5 Observes the general pattern of ILO's assistance to developing countries, some of which are Members of the Council of Europe, and welcomes the substantial contribution which the Council of Europe Governments are making to this activity ;

6 Notes with satisfaction the latest ratifications of International Labour Conventions by Council of Europe member States ;

7 Singles out from the 13th report of ILO ;

a the studies on the main functions of social institutions, in connection with which it may be recalled that, in Recommendation 466 (1966) on the shortage of social workers, the Committee of Ministers was asked to have a study made of the role of social work in contemporary society ;

b the assistance which the International Labour Office gave to the Council of Europe's governmental Social Committee in connection with its survey of national labour inspection systems, and the bearing which this association is expected to have on ILO's studies on labour inspection in agriculture ;

c the programme for workers' education both in Europe and in developing countries ;

d the studies being made, as a result of the adoption of the International Labour Conference's 1964 Convention and Recommendation on employment policy, particularly the problems of the employment and training of young people in developing countries, which were a major subject of discussion at the Second Seminar on International Voluntary Service, convened by the Consultative Assembly to study "the role of non-governmental organisations in the development of Africa" ;

e the 1965 Recommendation of the International Labour Conference on the employment of women with family responsibilities ;

f the revision of the International Classification of Occupations which, it is to be hoped, will be completed as soon as possible because of the Classification's importance for the free movement of workers ;

g the whole range of activities in the wide field of vocational training, in which the recently inaugurated International Centre for Advanced Technical and Vocational Training, at Turin, seems destined to play a prominent part, while it may be regretted that the International Vocational Training Information and Research Centre (CIRF), which the Council of Europe helped to found, does not seem to have any medium or long-term work programme and policy ;

h the activities regarding the movements of workers, particularly the research which the International Institute for Labour Studies plans to do on the problems connected with the return of migrants to their home countries - here it may be noted that, as stated in the Intergovernmental Work Programme, the Council of Europe intends shortly to make a recommendation to member Governments on this subject, which it has been studying since 1964, and that it is desirable to avoid any overlapping ;

i the studies designed to provide means of dealing with the serious problems arising for workers from structural changes in the economy, regarding which it should be recalled that the Assembly's own awareness of these problems led it to adopt a resolution relating to an individual but important sector, viz. Resolution 327 (1966) on reconversion in the mining industries and re-employment of miners ; the progress of automation, to which ILO has devoted special attention, is of very great importance in this context ;

j the collaboration established with other international organisations in the field of social security, and in particular with the Council of Europe in connection with the drafting of a convention on social security for foreigners and migrants and the preparation of report forms on the application of the European Code of Social Security ;

k the studies on the problems of certain categories of workers, including : urban transport workers, whose working conditions illustrate the need for noise and air pollution abatement, on which the Council of Europe is carrying out important studies ; young miners, to whose problems the principles stated in the above-mentioned Assembly Resolution 327 are relevant ; and agricultural workers, regarding whom reference may be made to Assembly Recommendation 456 (1966) on the social protection of independent farmers ; attention may also be drawn in connection with these studies to Assembly Recommendation 468 (1966) on "au pair" employment ;

l the efforts being made to improve and standardise labour statistics (an obvious need) in collaboration with other international organisations ;

m ILO's participation in the recent European Population Conference organised by the Council of Europe ;

8 Appreciative of the effort of concentration and selection which has produced, in so concise a report, a description of the activities of ILO of special interest to the member countries of the Council of Europe, expresses the desire that the report will in future include a short list of the decisions of the International Labour Conference, particularly the adoption of International Labour Conventions and Recommendations, and the chief subjects to be discussed at future sessions.