Labour Organization Research Articles

The roman saltworks of the Atlantic coast of Gallaecia: Traces and evidence of a large sea salt production complex

Judging by the numerous references to its many uses and applications in the literary sources, salt was a precious commodity in Antiquity. However, the archaeological traces of sea salt production are rather scarce with only a few known sites throughout the Mediterranean preserving remains of ancient salinae. In the Roman Empire as a whole, it is the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula that has provided the greatest amount of direct evidence of sea salt production. After analysing the archaeological evidence documented in excavations and field surveys conducted during the past 10 years, this paper describes the Roman salt landscapes on the Atlantic coast of ancient Gallaecia, the distribution of evidence, and the chronological indicators allowing to date them to the Roman Imperial period. The legal and tax system determining the forms of ownership and labour organization of saltworks is also examined. In light of the results, it is possible to conclude that on the northwest Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula there was a major sea salt and fish salting production network which had a direct impact on the socioeconomic structure of provincial society.

Reference data for the hand grip and palmar pinch force sense errors and the relationship between school-entry-age in young adults.

Hands execute intricate tasks vital for everyday life and professions such as cooking, tailoring, and craftsmanship. This study aimed to establish reference data for hand grip and palmar pinch force sense in young adults, accounting for gender differences, and to determine the correlation between these data and school-entry ages. The cross-sectional observational study comprised 284 participants (156 females and 128 males). Demographic details, including age, gender, weight, and height, were recorded. Participant ages ranged from 18 to 29, representing the youth workforce population as defined by the International Labour Organization. Factors like hand dominance and school-entry age were ascertained based on participants' self-reports. Hand grip and palmar pinch force senses were separately assessed in the dominant and non-dominant hands of 130 randomly chosen participants to evaluate test-retest reliability. Hand grip (dominant: p < 0.001, non-dominant: p = 0.002) and palmar pinch force sense errors were significantly lower in male participants compared to females. Palmar pinch force sense error for the dominant hand was reduced in males (p = 0.002), but no significant disparity existed between genders for the non-dominant hand (p = 0.222). Healthy adults who began school at age five or earlier exhibited a decreased force sense error rate (p < 0.05). Force sense error reference values vary based on gender and school-entry age. This reference data will aid rehabilitation specialists working with young adults in physiotherapy and occupational therapy fields in identifying potential impairments.

The cloak of equality in STEM education: institutionalised masking of gender differences in STEM expectations, task values, and participation

ABSTRACT Do gender parity and egalitarian values in STEM education mask institutionalised gender inequalities in STEM? This study uses student background questionnaire data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) supplemented by national level data on gender parity in educational enrolment and female participation in the STEM workforce from the United Nations and International Labor Organization to empirically examine the evidence. Using two-level hierarchical linear models, we analyse the effects of students’ STEM expectancies and task values on their anticipated STEM education and career participation. Results confirm that gender equity and egalitarian values dominate the cross-national expectancies and task values for STEM education, both across genders as well as for female and male students separately, even though there is wide variation and significant gendered inequality that persists in both educational access and STEM workforce participation. Thus, the ‘cloak of equality’ hypothesis is supported by the evidence presented.

Survey of international labor organization conventions on health and safety at work

U ovome radu prikazane su konvencije Međunarodne organizacije rada s posebnim osvrtom na konvencije u području zaštite zdravlja i sigurnosti na radu, kao univerzalna, pisana vrela suvremenih (kolektivnih i individualnih) radnih odnosa. Naime, prirodno pravo (ljudsko pravo, pravo čovjeka) čovjeka je da uživa pravedne i povoljne uvjete rada koji, napose, osiguravaju: pravo na plaću i naknade (jednake za jednake uvjete rada, odnosno jednake vrijednosti bez ikakvog razlikovanja), ravnopravnost muškarca i žene, pristojan život radnika i njihovih obitelji, sigurne i zdrave uvjete rada, jednaku mogućnost napredovanja, ograničeno radno vrijeme, odmor i dopuste, plaćene blagdane i drugo. Bez obzira na različite podjele konvencija, u radu su prikazane konvencije Međunarodne organizacije rada koje je Republika Hrvatska ratificirala (i to onim, kronološkim, redom kako su donesene) jer upravo „redoslijed“ donošenja konvencija kazuje o razvoju radnog prava, odnosno brige za radne i životne uvjete radnika. U sadržaju ovog rada posebni dio odnosi se na konvencije u području sigurnost i zaštite zdravlja na radu.

How does working time impact perceived mental disorders? New insights into the U-shaped relationship.

Based on a large-scale nationally representative survey in China, this paper uses the exogenous impact of automation on working hours as the instrumental variable to examine working time's impact on perceived mental disorders, on the basis of dealing with endogeneity. Different from existing literature, it is found that the impact of working time on perceived mental disorders is U-shaped, rather than linear. Mental disorders firstly decrease with working hours. After working more than 48.688 h per week, further increases in working time carry notable mental health costs, leading to a positive relationship between working hours and depression. The turning point of this U-shaped relationship is almost in line with the International Labor Organization's 48 working hours/week standard, justifying it from a mental health perspective. In addition, we further exclude the possibility of more complex nonlinear relationships between working time and perceived mental disorders. Furthermore, heterogeneities are found in the effects of working hours on mental disorders across different subgroups. Males are more depressed when working overtime. Older workers have a lower tolerance for overwork stress. The turning point is smaller for the highly educated group and they are more sensitive to working longer. Those with higher socioeconomic status are less depressed after exceeding the optimal hours of work. The increase in depression among rural workers faced with overwork is not prominent. Perceived mental disorders are lower among immigrants and those with higher health status. In addition, labor protection and social security help to weaken mental disorders caused by overtime work. In conclusion, this paper demonstrates that working time has a U-shaped impact on perceived mental disorders and highlights the vulnerability of certain groups, providing a reference for setting optimal working hours from a mental health perspective.

Labor welfare policy, practices, and deficiencies with the ILO: evidence from the garment industry of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Labor welfare, aligned with the standards set by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and effectively practiced, plays a vital role in ensuring the optimal functioning and protection of the labor force within an industry. The garment supply chain is a significant contributor to the national economy in Bangladesh. However, labor welfare in this sector falls short of expectations due to inadequate access to facilities and benefits such as transportation, recreation, housing, and education. As such, it is of interest to see whether the labor welfare policies in Bangladesh’s garment factories align with ILO guidelines, how these policies impact workers’ overall well-being, and the extent to which the garment industry adheres to the prescribed labor welfare standards in the country. Using a mixed-method research design, the study reveals that nine welfare factors significantly correlate with worker well-being. Nevertheless, the study underscores the disparity between current labor welfare policies under labor law and those recommended by the ILO, revealing substandard labor welfare provisions and practices. The study’s outcomes can guide policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders in enhancing labor welfare practices, ultimately aiming to improve worker well-being and work efficiency.

Projects of transition

This paper develops an analysis of the politics and temporality of infrastructure through a focus on the idea of a project. A project (noun) is an assemblage of expertise, labour, materials and resources. The development of a project to build a port, pipeline, a mine, or a hydropower plant entails the mobilization of ideas, finance, political support and the law, the containment of material forces, as well as the organization of expertise, resources and labour. To project is also a verb; to throw forwards or to imagine, visualize or speculate on a possible future, which may or may not be actualized in practice. Moreover, individual infrastructural projects are often built on the legacy of earlier projects and conceived as contributions to ambitious projections of the future – including modernization, socialism, development and state building. Our analysis of the politics and temporality of projects is both developed and illustrated through an account of infrastructural projects in the Republic of Georgia which are also understood as contributions to a larger project of transition.

Ворохобова Департамента здравоохранения города Москвы.

To reduce the workload of nursing staff, it is necessary to develop new approaches to the organization of work, new methods and forms of managing these personnel. Purpose of the study is to develop a system for the distribution of duties of non-medical personnel in order to improve the efficiency of medical organization functioning, basing on the example of the Vorohobov’s City Clinical Hospital № 67. The system will significantly reduce the workload of medical personnel, increase staff motivation and improve the quality of medical services provided. Material and methods. The features of the the Vorohobov’s City Clinical Hospital № 67 functioning, as well as the personnel reform carried out, contributing to the optimization of the activities of medical personnel, are considered. A quantitative analysis of the costs and structure of the nurses working time in the Vorohobov’s City Clinical Hospital № 67 was carried out on the basis of statistical accounting methods: an inventory of tasks and a survey of nurses in a separate building of the medical organization were performed. Results. It was revealed that the greatest time costs for performing labor operations that do not require medical qualifications during the working day fall on the nurses of treatment (procedure) room and dressing examination (bandaging room). Specific job responsibilities that can be delegated to non-medical staff have been identified. According to the results of a quantitative study, the modernization of labor organization principles in medical organizations on the example of the Vorohobov’s City Clinical Hospital № 67 consists in delegating labor operations, such as document handling and working with electronic resources, to non-medical personnel. Findings. The results of the study can be used by the management of medical organizations in the organization of labor and the distribution of the workload of medical and non-medical personnel to improve the quality of medical services provided.

Chapter 4. Locating field systems in the southern Peruvian Andes

AbstractIn this paper, we review current understandings of anthropogenic field systems, focusing on trends and variations in the chronology of field construction, use, and in some cases, abandonment, as well as labor organization of agrarian production across the Lake Titicaca Basin. These trends indicate that agricultural intensification increased both during the political centralization of the Tiwanaku state and during periods of political fragmentation. In contrast to prior work on fields in the region, we argue that there was no single cultural, environmental, or historical impetus that ignited the construction of any particular field type. Additionally, we present the results of pedestrian survey of terraces carried out in 2018 in the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. While there were regional commonalities across survey areas in the masonry design of terrace risers, presence of pathways and radiating walls separating vertical tracts of terraces, and a general absence of irrigation, we found deviations from each of these trends in individual terrace complexes. While preliminary evidence indicates that more terraces were built or cultivated during the Late Intermediate period (1100–1450 CE) than in other time periods in the northern Titicaca basin, some terraces were likely built earlier. Our findings point to the multiplicity of strategies that ancient farmers employed in the varied ecological settings of the Lake Titicaca basin under diverse sociopolitical programs. This contrasts with previous research on agrarian field systems, which is mostly single‐sited and tends to emphasize individual strategies over the quiver of agrarian options available to Andean farmers.

Identification of a Human Trafficking Victim: A Simulation.

This case was designed for emergency medicine interns and residents. Human trafficking is unfortunately an ever-growing and wide-reaching problem in the United States as well as the rest of the world. The International Labor Organization estimates 49.6 million people were affected by this modern-day slavery worldwide in 2021.1,2 The emergency department represents an opportunity to identify and provide aid to victims of human trafficking. Studies have shown that 63.3% of survivors interacted with the emergency department during their time of exploitation; however, most of these patients are not identified as human trafficking victims and opportunities for intervention are missed.3,4. By the end of this simulation, participants will be able to: (1) Identify signs of human trafficking. (2) Demonstrate the ability to perform a primary and secondary assessment of a patient when there is concern for human trafficking. (3) Demonstrate the ability to appropriately separate an at-risk patient from a potential trafficker. (4) Identify resources and a reliable course of action to permanently remove the patient from the harmful situation. A hybrid teaching model was employed that included both a lecture and a standardized patient simulation session followed by a structured debriefing session. A simulation with a standardized participant was implemented at an urban academic emergency department with a three-year EM residency program. Participants were evaluated with a survey prior to and after the simulation, where they responded to questions regarding human trafficking patients on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 represented the greatest level of agreement. Nineteen emergency medicine interns and residents participated in this project. Prior to simulation training, and after the lecture, residents were surveyed on their confidence in identifying and treating patients who are affected by trafficking, their level of previous training in this topic, and whether they considered trafficking an important issue in emergency medicine. When asked if human trafficking is an important issue faced by the emergency department, 15 of the 19 of residents who completed the survey rated the importance a 5/5 on a Likert scale ranging from 1-not important to 5. Residents were also asked if they had received prior training in human trafficking on a scale of never (1) to often (5). Eight residents responded with either never or close to never. Two months after the simulation, the residents were again sent an optional survey. Ten residents responded. All who participated in the simulation now rated themselves a 4/5 on a scale from not confident to very confident. Of those who did not attend the simulation, the median value was a 3/5. Out of the residents who attended the simulation training, every resident rated the experience 5 out of 5 in terms of usefulness. One hundred percent of residents would recommend simulation training on human trafficking to other emergency medicine residents. This was an effective educational initiative because this education model allowed the residents to feel more comfortable identifying individuals affected by human trafficking, and all the residents who responded to the survey stated that they would recommend the use of simulation to others for education on human trafficking. High-fidelity simulation, human trafficking identification, human trafficking response.

The International Labour Organisation’s Recommendation No. 198 and Self-Employed Workers

The International Labour Organisation’s Recommendation No. 198 and Self-Employed Workers

Regulacja schematu pracy i odpoczynku dla personelu przedsiębiorstw transportowych w Ukrainie. Czas pokoju a specyfika czasu wojny

The article substantiates the relationship between human working capacity and the work and rest pattern of the personnel of transport enterprises. Driving vehicles requires increased working capacity, that is why the legislation must clearly regulate the working time of the personnel involved in transportation. The specifics of the legal regulation of the work and rest pattern of employees of air, road, rail and water transport enterprises are considered in accordance with the norms of the legislation of Ukraine and some conventions of the International Labour Organization. Unfortunately, there are currently no legal norms regarding the regulation of the work and rest pattern for carriers in conditions of martial law, depending on the region in which they operate. The authors make conclusions about the need to study the experience of European countries regarding the regulation of the working time and rest time of transport workers according to: different modes of transport; intensifying the process of ratification by Ukraine of international agreements on regulation of the work and rest patterns; strengthening the responsibility of employers for non-compliance with the requirements of legal norms regarding the working time and rest time of employees; cooperation of employers, trade unions and state authorities in the development of program provisions and effective mechanisms for the implementation of defined norms for the protection of socio-economic and labour rights of employees at transport enterprises; revising the work and rest pattern of transport sector workers in accordance with the conditions of martial law; legal recognition of higher social guarantees for carriers working in front-line zones and combat zones.

Организация труда среднего медицинского персонала как фактор повышения эффективности деятельности медицинских организаций.

The shortage of mid-level medical personnel is one of the most urgent problems of healthcare system in the Russian Federation and affects negatively the efficiency of hospitals. This deficit is partially caused by a high burden on mid-level medical staff and their necessity to provide a number of non-specific non-medical activities. This leads to the medical services quality reduction, negatively affects the motivation of employees and decreases employment in this area. Purpose of this study is to identify the key problems of the organization of labor of mid-level medical staff and the formation of a new concept of labor organization taking international experience into account. Materials and methods. The research is based on the analysis of existing academic literature, sources of official statistical data, regulatory documents, theoretical and practical aspects of labor management and organization in the field of healthcare, the study of relevant international experience in order to identify innovative approaches and methods of labor organization. Results. According to the research the main problems of organizing the work of mid-level medical personnel include shortage of this personnel, its high workload, problems of regulation etc. The reasons for the shortage of mid-level medical specialists are identified: low wages, dissatisfaction with working conditions, low prestige of the medical profession. A system for delegating non-medical duties of mid-level medical personnel to non-medical assistants is introduced as the most effective way to solve these problems based on examples from international experience. According to this approach the tasks of assistants should include non-medical care of patients, work with documents, communications, cleaning, preparing rooms, and so on. International experience shows that assisting staff increases the efficiency of medical organizations and reduces the burden on mid-level medical staff. Findings. The need has been identified for further elaboration of the concept of labor organization in the healthcare system of the Russian Federation based on the principle of delegating non-medical duties of mid-level medical staff to non-medical assisting staff.

Movement for Black Lives at Work? Racial Justice Spillover, Labor Organization, and New Worker Militancy

ABSTRACT Emerging from a confluence of events – including Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) – racial consciousness has intensified in recent years. In the wake of a long declining labor movement, there has also been a surprising upsurge in labor militancy. Are these two currents systematically related? Situating our analysis in the sociological literature on social movement spillover, we ask if there is evidence of racial justice spillover into and stimulating workplace militancy. Employing all known strikes and worker protests during 2021 and 2022, we find: (a) racial justice demands did, indeed, appear as part of workplace militancy during this period; (b) racial justice demands were voiced in both worker protests and strikes launched most heavily by unions but also by alt-labor/SMOs and by unorganized workers; (c) weekly time-series regression models indicate that BLM demonstrations stimulated the frequency of workplace protests and strikes with racial justice demands which, in turn, stimulated wider worker militancy over other issues; and (d) interdependency analysis of worker actions reveals that unionized worker protests served as a key catalyst driving other forms of worker militancy with racial justice demands. We discuss the implications of our findings for social movement spillover theory and for moving racial justice and labor movements forward.

Система управления как конкурентное преимущество (на примере ГАУЗ «МКДЦ»).

The article is devoted to the issue of effective management in a healthcare organization. It reveals the basic principles of a management system used at the State Autonomous Institution of Healthcare «Interregional Clinical and Diagnostic Center»: approaches to the role of the object and subject of management, manager’s tasks, structure of the information-algorithmic management process. Particular attention is paid to creation of a comfortable environment as one of the main tools of the management process. The outcomes of the management system’s implementation are presented in the paper. Purpose of the study. to consider the management system as a competitive advantage using the example of «Interregional Clinical and Diagnostic Center», to substantiate its key principles, to characterize its constituent elements, to summarize the results in order to transfer positive management experience to interested organizations. Materials and methods. The theoretical basis of the study relies on the works of foreign and Russian scientists, containing classical and modern concepts and hypotheses on the theory of management and scientific organization of labor, as well as on seventeen years of managerial experience at «Interregional Clinical and Diagnostic Center». A wide range of methods is used throughout the paper: comparative analysis, qualitative systematic analysis, ergonomic and environmental analysis, statistics. Results. The article explains the management system of «Interregional Clinical and Diagnostic Center» and its underlying principles. This management system has resulted from the application of the methods described above. Further, the article demonstrates practical results of the system’s application, which emphasize theses about the role of the management system and the importance of the environment. Conclusions. The article confirms the hypothesis about the key role of the management system in the success of the professional activities of the organization.

Improving Quality of Work for Positive Health: Interaction of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 and SDG 3 from the Sustainable HRM Perspective

Evidence indicates that harmful work practices such as long working hours in high-income countries kill more people than road accidents (International Labour Organisation, 2021). The Global Reporting Initiatives (GRIs) for Sustainability—Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) 403 standards (2018)—include ‘work-related leading indicators’, but currently, a limited understanding of these exists to prevent an increase in deaths due to work-related non-communicable diseases. The health harm of work construct, which is different from work stress, is a recent development in the sustainable HRM literature explaining employees’ perception of the restrictions imposed by work practices on achieving positive health. To promote health and well-being for all in the employment stage of life (SDG 3), this study aims to establish the health harm of work that is caused by work intensification as work-related leading indicators of adverse/decent working conditions (SDG 8). A total of 605 white-collar full-time employees completed work intensification, the health harm of work, and mental well-being questionnaires, and self-reported on health risk factors and chronic health conditions. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the mediational research model of the dynamic transitionary effect of work intensification on employee health and well-being through the health harm of work. The findings indicate that work intensification improves employee mental well-being (SDG 3), but the mediation transitionary effect of the health harm of work highlights that mental well-being is reduced when work intensification (SDG 8) started increasing the health harm of work among individuals. The health harm of work from the sustainable HRM perspective is found to be effective work-practice related leading indicators of health and well-being in the working population. Research and practical implications to develop a business-health agenda of shared values are discussed.

14Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organization, Case no. 3432, November 2023

14Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organization, Case no. 3432, November 2023

Muslims for and Against Slavery: Debates on the European Abolitionism Within the Muslim Elite of Saint-Louis, Senegal (1844)

ABSTRACT This article explores the efforts of an inquiry in Saint-Louis, Senegal to abolish slavery in the nascent French colony between 1842 and 1844. It discusses the perspectives of a professional Muslim elite and highlights those who resisted slavery and those resisting abolition. The article thus demonstrates the complex positions Muslims took in facing emancipation and their implications for relationships between them and French colonialism. On the one hand, those Muslims in favour of the ransoming of enslaved people cited the Quran to assert the conditions under which slavery was permitted or denied, stressing the illegality of the current practice in Saint-Louis. On the other hand, those resisting emancipation claimed that abolitionism would destroy their society and traditional ways of living. Debates revolved around the organization of labour markets and the indemnity proposed by the French government to release captives from African or European masters. Those for and against slavery both drew their arguments on Islamic tenets, which shows that different ideas of liberty and society were mostly grounded in social classes rather than a single Islamic discourse.

Отруєння фосфором як професійне та екологічно обумовлене захворювання в умовах війни у світлі рекомендацій Міжнародної організації праці 2022 року

Abstract. The issue of diagnosis, registration and monitoring of diseases related to phosphorus poisoning is extremely important, taking into account Russia’s use of phosphorous ammunition on the territory of Ukraine. The system of recognition and monitoring of occupational and environmentally determined diseases needs to be adapted to modern requirements of European legislation. Aim. Analysis of the system for determining occupational phosphorus poisoning in Ukraine and its comparison with modern requirements of The International Labor Organization. Materials and Methods. The analytical review of scientific publications is carried out using abstract databases of scientific libraries PubMed, Medline and text databases of scientific publishers Pub Med, Central, BMJ group and other VIP databases. The analysis of reporting materials of The State Labor Service of Ukraine (SLSU), methodological approaches of The International Labor Organization (ILO) is carried out. Methods of system, comparative, and content analysis are used. Results. The results obtained in the study indicate an extremely low prevalence of toxic lesions of occupational and environmentally determined genesis in Ukraine: chemical intoxication accounts for less than 0.2% in the structure of occupational diseases, and phosphorus poisoning has not been registered in the last 20 years. Significant discrepancies were found in the system of recognition of occupational phosphorus poisoning in Ukraine in comparison with the methodological recommendations of The International Labor Organization-2022. In contrast to the instructions for the application of the list of occupational diseases (LOD) of The International Labor Organization-2022, similar documents in Ukraine do not provide a characteristic of phosphorus properties, its toxicological profile, the minimum duration of exposure that causes occupational disease, the duration of the latent period, which complicates the recognition of occupational diseases, objectification of the diagnosis, and also leads to a distortion of statistical indicators regarding occupational morbidity. Conclusions. The recognition system of occupational phosphorus poisoning in Ukraine needs to be adapted to the European recommendations and requirements recommended by the ILO. First of all, this concerns the list of occupational diseases and instructions for its use, bringing them to the norms of international legislation will allow unifying the diagnostic system, objectifying it and establishing a system for registering occupational diseases at the proper level. The problem is particularly relevant given the high risk of phosphorus intoxication of the population, military and certain professional groups on the territory of military operations in Ukraine. Keywords: phosphorus, occupational poisoning, military operations, list of occupational diseases.

Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Education as the Basis for Successful Digitalization of the Economy

The determining influence of the effectiveness and quality of education systems on all spheres of human activity has been studied: economic, social, socio-political, everyday and spiritual. The most important conditions are considered and the main ways are analyzed to significantly increase the efficiency of modern vocational education while simultaneously improving its quality. The necessity of using adaptive educational technologies is substantiated, the features of algorithmization of the adaptive learning process are shown in order to improve its quality, and ways of creating an effective model of the professional field for adaptive educational systems are analyzed. The comparative analysis method was used to select these paths. The possibilities of creating modern adaptive vocational training systems based on the use of the concept of the International Labor Organization “Labor Competency Modules” are illustrated. Examples of results obtained during many years of professional activity are given.