International Labour Organization Research Articles

Empirical Evidence from Nigeria on Environmental Health and Occupational Safety at Work

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has developed numerous conventions, protocols, and recommendations on minimum labour standards, with the majority relating to occupational safety and health systems (OSH). However, environmental issues like deforestation, desertification, flooding, erosion, oil spills, and air and water pollution, particularly in Nigeria, pose a threat to the health and safety of the many organizations in developing nations. Using a hybrid of research designs such as survey and content analysis and based on the Risk Society Theory and Sense-making Theory, this paper reviews, environmental health and occupational safety at workplaces in Nigeria. This study aims to identify environmental health and occupational safety issues in Nigeria's manufacturing sector, specifically in the iron and steel and aluminium industry, by examining inaccurate data on male and female workers. Using in-depth interviews with a total of 17 participants, the primary data was gathered from managers and senior staff members of chosen firms in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, and Lagos State, Nigeria. These were Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) and Alumaco Aluminium Manufacturing Co. of Nigeria Ltd., Ikeja, Nigeria. It discovers a high level of occupational health awareness, insufficient funding for safety intelligence initiatives, and a high frequency of workplace dangers. The study also finds that Nigeria was among the signatories in Africa who failed to comply with this directive. It recommends promoting occupational health services, training doctors to recognize work-related diseases, and complying with the ILO's Convention 155. The article also suggests updating laws, conducting education campaigns, investing in training, and holding employers accountable for non-compliance

Quantifying the Cost of Shigella Diarrhea in the Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella Surveillance Study.

Comparative costs of public health interventions provide valuable data for decision making. However, the availability of comprehensive and context-specific costs is often limited. The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study-a facility-based diarrhea surveillance study across 7 countries-aims to generate evidence on health system and household costs associated with medically attended Shigella diarrhea in children. EFGH working groups comprising representatives from each country (Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Pakistan, Peru, and The Gambia) developed the study methods. Over a 24-month surveillance period, facility-based surveys will collect data on resource use for the medical treatment of an estimated 9800 children aged 6-35 months with diarrhea. Through these surveys, we will describe and quantify medical resources used in the treatment of diarrhea (eg, medication, supplies, and provider salaries), nonmedical resources (eg, travel costs to the facility), and the amount of caregiver time lost from work to care for their sick child. To assign costs to each identified resource, we will use a combination of caregiver interviews, national medical price lists, and databases from the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization. Our primary outcome will be the estimated cost per inpatient and outpatient episode of medically attended Shigella diarrhea treatment across countries, levels of care, and illness severity. We will conduct sensitivity and scenario analysis to determine how unit costs vary across scenarios. Results from this study will contribute to the existing body of literature on diarrhea costing and inform future policy decisions related to investments in preventive strategies for Shigella.

Application of Machine Learning Modeling for the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Injury Rate Prediction

Introduction: Yearly, the International Labor Organization report indicates many workplace accident occurrences. The degree of the happenings depends on the workplace environment setting and the incident regulatory measures implemented. By the nature of its work environment, the oil and gas upstream sector is susceptible to high incident rates. In the current fierce business competition and practices, improving productivity, quality, and other processes, such as Safety, is vital. Implementing well-designed safety procedures is the key to managing and reducing the risk level of workplace incidents. Methods: Recently, the application of Machine learning (ML) modeling for accident/injury prediction has been reported in the construction, mining, transport, and health sectors. Likewise, the objective of this paper was to implement three machine-learning-based models to predict injury rates in a drilling operation. The petroleum safety authority of Norway provided the datasets. First, the dataset was pre-processed, and then the selected features and target dataset were used for the modeling. Finally, the model prediction and performance accuracy analysis were performed. Results: Results showed that multivariable regression (MVR), Random Forest (RF), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) machine learning algorithms-based models predict the test data with R2 values of 0.9576, 0.793, and 0.97036, respectively. Conclusion: As the common saying goes, 'prevention is better than cure.' For this, implementing methods such as improved work processes and Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) mitigation procedures, workplace injuries, and accidents allow for reducing the risk level of workplace injuries. The application of integrated machine learning tools, along with carefully built-in workplace accident database implementation, will provide early detection and possible remedial precautions that can be taken to prevent workplace injuries/accidents/fatalities. However, extensive research and development are required to deploy the method in real life. Combining Machine Learning modeling and carefully designed safety measures is vital for successful and robust predictive tools.

Implementation of the MLC Convention in Albania and its Role in Seafarer’s Standards

The Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) is an international labor standard adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2006 [1] . The MLC was designed to ensure that seafarers receive decent working conditions on board ships, without any difference regardless their nationality. The convention sets out minimum requirements to be met by authorities, shipping companies, for seafarer’s employment rights, working conditions, and social protection. Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC 2006) on 28 Oct [2]ober 2016, and the convention entered into force in Albania on 28 October 2017. The amendments of the Code of the Convention approved by the International Labor Conference (ILC) in 2018 entered into force in Albania on 26 December 2020. The aim of this paper is to examine the implementation of MLC requirements and its impact in Albanian maritime industry, and to identify the needed steps to be undertaken by Albanian maritime authorities to fully comply with MLC requirements.
 
 Received: 23 February 2024 / Accepted: 18 March 2024 / Published: 23 March 2024

Ensuring equality in the field of labor is one of the fundamental tasks of the state

Guaranteeing rights and freedoms for citizens and forming new, equal relations in society are currently one of the main directions of our state's activity. Because equality is one of those fundamental values that must be enshrined in legislation and implemented in practice in a state that is declared legal, social, and democratic. The purpose of the article is to consider the issue of ensuring equality of rights and opportunities and their impact on a person's ability to work in today's realities. After all, in practice in the field of labor there are many cases of violation of the principle of equality, when employees are actually deprived of the opportunity to protect their rights in case of illegal refusal to accept employment and in case of dismissal due to the fact that employers do not provide an official refusal indicating the valid reasons for refusal work or try to formulate the reasons for dismissal at the employee's own will or with the consent of the parties, which causes concern in view of their massiveness, especially today, when the country is in a state of war against the Russian aggressor. Summarizing the conducted research, it is stated that today Ukraine is already on the way to ensure equal rights of workers and implementation of norms, principles and provisions enshrined in international legal acts in the field under consideration. This is evidenced by the adoption of legislative acts, which will contribute to bringing domestic legislation into compliance with the legislation of the European Union, the practice of the International Labor Organization and will have a positive impact on the market environment. At the same time, it was noted that during the reform of domestic labor legislation, in particular, it is necessary to prevent the narrowing of the existing rights and guarantees of employees, to provide legal instruments that will contribute to the implementation of the principle of equality in the field of labor, in particular, the equality of regulation of the status of subjects of labor law, equal protection labor rights and interests of employees and employers, equality of subjects of labor law when labor relations arise.

Work Related Rest-An Employer’s Favour or Employee’s Right? A Perspective of Ghana’s Legal Regime

Work related rest is highly ignored by employers especially in Ghana’s private corporate sector. In a highly competitive job market and scarce job opportunities, employers tend to perceive jobs as favour being made to employees. This perception tends to influence employers to deprive employees of their necessary work-related rest breaks rightfully due them. Such actions by these employers in most cases seem uncontested by employees since they are not privy to their rights to work related rest or tend to apprehend fear that they might lose their jobs in a bid to agitate for their legal rights to rest breaks. Alternatively, an employer may not restrict an employee’s right to rest breaks but rather, employees may tend to ignore their rights to rest especially in the form of annual leave for want of excessive financial gain. This paper highlights provisions on work related rest from Ghana’s Labour Act,2003 (ACT 651) which is a domestic law drawn from the International Labour Organization. The manuscript advances practicality of the sections on rest breaks highlighted by the Labour Act of Ghana by introducing both Ghanaian and Common law cases on rights and obligations of employers and employees in relation to rest breaks in Ghana.

Inclusive Labor Market and Participation of Person with Disabilities: Case Study in Indonesia, Denmark, France, and Ireland

An inclusive labor market for persons with disabilities is one of the priority issues discussed in the G20, especially in the Employment Working Group (EWG) field. Typically, the number of individuals with disabilities participating in the labor market is lower than that of their non-disabled counterparts, mainly due to the company’s reluctance to hire disabled workers. This study aims to investigate the impact of disability on participation in the inclusive labor market. This research uses panel data from four countries - Indonesia, Denmark, France, and Ireland - spanning the years 2016 to 2021, sourced from the International Labor Organization (ILO). The variables used to determine the factors that influence the participation of individuals with disabilities in the labor market are their educational level, the number of disabled individuals in rural areas and their average income. By using the Fixed Effect Model, it is known that people with disabilities who have received education and the number of people with disabilities living in urban areas have a positive and significant effect on the participation of people with disabilities in the labor market. Meanwhile, the average income of people with disabilities has a negative and insignificant effect on the participation of people with disabilities in the labor market. Efforts to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the labor market are important as welfare reform, indicators of the success of inclusive development and poverty alleviation among groups of people with disabilities.

Comparative Analysis of the Labour Act Status of Seafarers in the Republic of Croatia and the Surrounding Countries of the Adriatic Sea

The aim of this article is to present and compare the regulations concerning the specific labour act status of Croatian seafarers with those of seafarers in neighbouring countries that have access to the Adriatic Sea. These countries were part of the legal system of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until the 1990s. The question of the professional and social status of seafarers is a specific and complex issue in Labour Act. Seafarers, as employees, have a distinct labour and social status compared to shore-based workers in many respects. To address this, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has adopted 68 instruments (conventions and recommendations) related to their labour status regulation. Today nearly all these ILO documents are consolidated in the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention, making it the most significant legislation concerning the work, life, and social rights of seafarers in international shipping. In this context, this paper examines and analyses Croatian national regulations governing labour and social status of seafarers. It also compares these regulations with those of the neighboring countries such as Slovenia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in terms of the standards prescribed by Maritime Labour Convention.

Migrating Concepts

Abstract The Bracero Program (1942–64), a bilateral agreement to regulate labor migration between the United States and Mexico, oversaw more than four million contracts enabling Mexican men to work “temporarily” in the United States. Historians of the Mexico-US borderlands and of global migration have interpreted the program through hemispheric as well as broader imperial lenses. Yet this article shows that the program’s foundational ideas emerged from two decades of transatlantic exchange and circulation that cannot be contained within a single continent, nor a single framework such as imperialism. During the interwar period, Mexican politicians, intellectuals, and migrant labor activists eagerly participated in transatlantic and inter-American dialogues about migration policy, compared themselves to Italy, and admired the bilateral labor migration agreements that had recently emerged in Europe. Meanwhile, US officials heard but resisted pleas from migration scholars and the International Labor Organization to emulate European receiving countries. The two parties’ differing engagements with European migration policies meant that when World War II pushed US officials to suddenly propose the agreement, Mexican actors’ transatlantic knowledge inspired their participation and crucially shaped the program’s design. This article thus pushes historians of migration policy towards studies of not just comparison but also entanglement.

COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome as an occupational disease

An occupational disease is one that occurs exclusively or mainly under the influence of the harmful factors of the working environment and is included in the list of occupational diseases. Since the early stages of the pandemic, it has been proposed that COVID-19 be recognized as an occupational disease worldwide, but to date the situation varies from country to country. Even more serious turn out to be the complications of the disease (the so-called long COVID or post- COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). Patients may experience symptoms for up to 3 months or more after the onset of infection, which significantly reduces their ability to work and impairs their quality of life. To date, COVID-19 and long-term COVID-19 are not included in the lists of occupational diseases provided by international organizations (International Labor Organization, World Health Organization (WHO), European Union (EU)) and are not recognized as an occupational disease in Bulgaria and in most countries. This leads to a number of economic complications both for the patients (and their families), as well as for the employer and the state.

Translators in the platform economy: a decent work perspective

ABSTRACT In the wake of the platform economy’s transformative influence on translation work, this study aims to address a critical concern: the alignment of translation workers’ labour conditions with the principles of decent work. Through a quantitative analysis of a subset of questionnaire data collected from translators in Turkey engaging with various digital labour platforms, the findings suggest substantial disparities in meeting the six fundamental conditions of decent work, as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO). These include insufficient earnings, excessive and asocial working hours, difficulties in achieving work-life balance, absence of a safe and healthy work environment, limited social security access, and a deficiency in social dialogue, representation, and workplace democracy. The identified issues align with the findings of prior studies, which warn that the techno-political developments in the translation industry, coupled with the dominance of capitalist business structures, may introduce new challenges and constraints to translation work and its workers, ultimately leading to exploitative and unsustainable working conditions.

Право на забастовку в современной России

The article presents different approaches to the right to strike as part of another right (the right to association, the right to labor disputes, the right to collective action). The objectives of the strike, stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation and proposed by the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labor Organization are compared. The cases in which it is expedient to simplify the procedure for conducting a strike are highlighted and justified: 1) non-fulfillment by the employer of a collective agreement; 2) non-fulfillment by the employer of agreements reached by the parties to a collective labor dispute; 3) non-fulfillment by the employer of a labor arbitration decision.

Determinant Analysis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Phalen’s Test Examination of Tobacco Sorting Workers at Jember District

Tobacco sorting officers in Jember Regency are still sorting tobacco leaves manually using hand muscles which can cause Musculo Skeletal Disorders (MSDs) complaints.One of the MSDs registered at the International Labor Organization (ILO) is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) which is a disorder resulting from compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel at the wrist with the main symptom being tingling, pain radiating to the fingers which can be accompanied by numbness, weakness. muscles, stiffness, and possible muscle atrophy. This study aims to determine the factors associated with CTS supported by Phalen's test. This research is expected to provide information to workers and the public regarding health problems that can be experienced by tobacco sorting workers as well as being a consideration for increasing health insurance for these workers. This research was conducted using a cross-sectional survey design at PTPN A and PT B, Jember Regency with a sample calculation using the Slovin formula and obtained 246 respondents.The data analysis technique used was univariate SPSS analysis of frequency distribution, bivariate Chi Square analysis and SEM PLS multivariate analysis. research results show that education had an effect on the symptom severity scale, age had an influence on the symptom severity scale, age had an effect on the functional status scale and age had an influence on the Phalen's test. Conclusion:Age is the dominant factor affecting the symptom severity scale, functional status scale and Phalen's test. Keywords: CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), BCTQ (Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire), SSS (Symptom Severity Scale), FSS (Functional Status Scale), Phalen's Test

Formation of strategic partnership between the state, employers and trade unions to ensure the workforce capacity of the post-war industrial recovery: condition and prospects

Abstract The authors of the article justified the need for the formation and implementation of a strategic partnership between the state, employers and trade unions in order to create favorable conditions for ensuring workforce capacity for the post-war recovery of Ukraine's industry. The author's research is based on the structural-functional approach. Its purpose is to identify and justify the possibilities of forming a strategic partnership between the state, employers and trade unions to ensure the workforce capacity of the post-war industrial recovery based on the analysis of the condition and specifics of their activities and interaction under conditions of full-scale armed aggression. The content and logic of the author's research included the following: 1) assessment of the general state of the domestic industry, key challenges and threats affecting it under conditions of martial law; 2) identifying the dynamics of changes in the supply of labor to industry, existing sharp contradictions, as well as positive changes in the recovery of certain branches of industry; 3) determination of key guidelines for the renewal of the system of institutions and mechanisms that regulate employment in industry and affect the justification of priorities regarding the processes of formation of workforce capacity for the recovery of Ukrainian industry; 4) analysis of the current state of the system of collective agreement regulation, the activities of key partners of the partnership, the functions of the National Tripartite Socio-Economic Council and the activities of specialized state structures regarding the prospects of personnel support for the recovery of Ukrainian industry; 5) conceptualization of the vision of the formation of a strategic partnership between the state, employers and trade unions to ensure the workforce capacity for the post-war recovery of industry, with the definition of priority tasks. It is substantiated that the modernized system of social dialogue is the basic tool for achieving mutual agreement and synergy in the implementation of strategic partnership in Ukraine. This system should be aimed at solving strategically important issues regarding the stability of the national economy, ensuring the workforce capacity for the post-war development of the industrial sector. Key guidelines for updating the system of relevant institutes and mechanisms are: 1) focusing on the concept of decent work, following the principle of the International Labor Organization (ILO) – 'build back better', as well as not focusing on the indicators of the pre-war level, but rather on achieving a qualitatively new level of functioning of the economy, social labor sphere, Ukrainian industry; 2) implementation of the European integration course and ensuring compliance of the system of relevant institutes in the industry with EU requirements and standards. Keywords strategic partnership, post-war recovery, workforce capacity of Ukrainian industry, trade unions, employers, state, social dialogue

IMPORTANT ISSUES OF PROTECTING WOMEN FROM HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

This article addresses current challenges related to protecting women from workplace abuse and harassment. The article also includes recommendations and comments on the ratification of the International Labour Organization Convention No. 190 "On the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work" (ILO Convention No.190), as well as the legal status of gender equality and legal issues associated with ensuring gender equality.

The medical care of seamen of civil shipping: the role of non-commercial organizations

According to the International Labor Organization, health protection and access to medical treatment are to be guaranteed to seamen in the same way as to people working ashore. However, in practice, formal measures and mechanisms do not always make it possible to provide medical care to crew members of civil vessels due to peculiarities of legal systems of the States in whose territorial waters the vessel is located, remoteness of the vessel from coastline and objective situation that permits to receiving medical care from the shore. As far as possible these problems are resolved by non-profit organizations of seamen. The overview of their activities is presented in this article.

KONSEP SEGITIGA EPIDEMIOLOGIDI TEMPAT KERJA

The workplace is a potential source of hazards and risks for workers. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is a priority in efforts to reduce these risks through cooperation between employers and employees. Data from the International Labor Organization (ILO) shows a high number of deaths and injuries due to work accidents and work-related diseases. In Indonesia, reports from the Social Security Implementation Agency (BPJS) for employment reveal an increase in cases of work accidents from year to year. Occupational safety and health is an important factor in creating a proper working environment, with the concept of epidemiology helping to understand the host-agent-environment contribution. OHS protection efforts are crucial to reduce risks and improve well-being in the workplace.

The Global Institutionalization of Human Rights Discourse: A Cross-national Analysis of the Language used in the International Labour Conference during the Cold War

ABSTRACT Although human rights discourse has become a central element of international political rhetoric, the process through which it came to reach its contemporary importance is disputed. In this article, that process is examined by conducting a cross-national analysis of the language used at sessions of the International Labour Conference during the Cold War. Although the mainstream understanding is that human rights discourse diffused ‘from the West to the rest’, here it is argued that the global proliferation of human rights discourse can best be explained by the existence of world culture in which actors engage in ‘epistemic governance’. In other words, to advance their own aspirations actors try to shape the way in which others perceive reality by utilizing well-respected values in their argumentation. The values invoked become increasingly institutionalized and thus more useful for epistemic governance, leading to a synchronization of those discourses in international politics. Although actors from different ideological, cultural, and political backgrounds have emphasized different rights and topics when invoking human rights, these invocations almost exclusively drew from the same globally shared understanding of human rights’ importance and essence.

Introduction to carcinogenesis of nickel compounds in ILO criteria for Diagnosis and Exposure Standard for Occupational Diseases

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies nickel compounds as Class Ⅰ carcinogens. International Labour Organization (ILO) also lists nickel compounds as carcinogenic factors of occupational cancer. At present, China is revising the Classification and Catalogue of Occupational Diseases, and cancer caused by nickel compounds may also be included in the statutory occupational diseases. The Diagnostic and Exposure Standards for Occupational Diseases published by ILO in 2022 discussed the pathogenic characteristics, occupational exposure, main health effects, diagnostic criteria and key preventive measures of nickel compounds in detail. This article mainly introduces its contents, in order to provid a basis for the formulation of relevant standards in China.

Culture-based Innovation: A Localized Approach for Designing

Egypt’s craft industry encompasses many dependent businesses, while crafts are slowly dissipating in the flourishing digital age, designers are emerging and becoming more substantial. Handicrafts are actually in their majority environmentally friendly, offer a quick and short monetary cycle, and most of all are a reflection of the local culture and identity. Globally, cultural inspired designs can easily be trendy and fashionable. This paper argues that designers play a major role in solving this matter. Culture integration into the new designs is rather challenging as there is no solid theoretical framework linking design and culture. Designers have the ability to address how core components of culture can be embedded in innovative functional objects. The paper analyses the role of design from the outcome of local startup project and based on a design intervention conducted in collaboration with the International Labor Office (ILO) in Egypt.