V. THE ILO
10. Youth Unemployment at All Time is High
Youth unemployment has increased worldwide over the past decade to some 88 million, representing nearly half the world's jobless, according to a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO).
“Global Employment Trends for Youth 2004”, a new a nalysis prepared by the ILO's Employment Strategy Department, has found that while youth represent 25 per cent of the working age population, they made up as much as 47 per cent of the total 186 million people out of work(1) worldwide in 2003.
But the problem goes far beyond the large number of young unemployed people: the report says that young people represent some 130 million of the world's 550 million working poor who work but are unable to lift themselves and their families above the equivalent of US$ 1 per day poverty line(2). “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2004” found that rising worldwide unemplo yment has hit young people hard, especially young women. Those who can find work often face long working hours, short-term contracts, low pay and little or no social protection such as social security or other social benefits. Young people are thus increasingly dependent on their families and more susceptible to illegal activities (3), the report says.
As the report points out, people who get a good start to working life are less likely to experience prolonged unemployment later. “We are wasting an important part of the energy and talent of the most educated youth generation the world has ever had,” says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. “Enla rging the chances of young people to find and keep decent work is absolutely necessary.”
In developing regions (4) – which have the largest shares of youth within th e working-age population – the fate of the youth ente ring the labour force in the near future will depend on the rate of growth of the economy as well as an improvement in the growth of the employment content, the report says. In industrialized economies, where youth population is expected to fall, the effects of demographic change (5) are likely to reduce youth unemployment.
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But the report warns that this will not happen automatically. A combination of both targeted and integrated policies on youth unemployment is needed to enable young people to overcome their natural disadvantage against older, more experienced workers.
The ILO is providing technical support and policy advice to countries within the partnership. One such tool is the recently released guide, “Improving prospects for young women and men in the world of work”, which sp ecifies basic considerations and experiences that can be drawn upon to develop and implement policies, including National Action Plans on youth employment.
Do the Following Tasks:
Vocabulary Practice
1.In groups, choose the best definition for each word / phrase in italics:
(1)a) self-employed;
b)unemployed;
(2)a) the income below which a person or a family is officially considered to be very poor and in need of help;
b)the income which shows that a person gets enough money to live on;
(3)a) activities which are not allowed by the law;
b)activities which involve unprofessional deeds;
(4)a) countries that try to increase their industry and improve trade;
b)countries with advanced industries and a lot of business activities;
(5)a) the study of social situation in a country;
b)the rise and fall of human population.
Text Analysis
1. Prove the following ideas using the text:
1)Young people often have to make both ends meet because their incomes are very low.
2)It’s very important to give excellent job opportunities for young professionals.
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3)Demographic situation influences the unemployment rate in different countries.
4)The ILO uses various procedures to support youth employment.
Discussion
1.Comment on the present situation concerning youth employment in our country and all over the world.
2.Make your own suggestions on this problem. Imagine that you are consultants of the ILO, write down the plan of actions and measures which will help to improve the situation.
11. International Organizations and International Co-operation
The formation of international organizations has been a 20th - century phenomenon. Nowadays there are more than 2,500 international organizations. Among them, more than 130 are intergovernmental unions. The United Nations Organization is the most notable one. Other important organizations are the European Economic Community, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization of American States and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
The creation of international organizations on a wide scale in the 20th-century is the result of the progress in the technology of communication, transportation, warfare, and the spread of industrialization. These developments gave rise to a sense of interdependence among the people all over the world, and made people recognize the importance of international co-operation to avoid the dangers, solve the problems, and use the opportunities which confront the society of nations on a world-wide scale. Some organizations are concerned only with single and relatively minor problems, while others, such as the United Nations and the UNESCO, deal with a great variety of matters. Moreover, international organizations function as intergovernmental or nongovernmental agencies.
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The European Union was created on November 1, 1993 out of the European Economic Community.
The European Economic Community (EEC) was founded in 1957-58 to oversee the economic integration of the nations of Western Europe. In 1967, the EEC united with the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community to form the European Communities, or EC.
The European Union is an organization of most of the states of Western Europe that works toward and oversees the economic and political integration of these states. The European Union consists of the European Community. The original members of the EEC were Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined in 1973. Greece was admitted in 1981. Portugal and Spain entered in 1986. The former East Germany entered as part of reunified Germany in 1990. Greenland, a dependent state of Denmark that had been brought into the EC when under full Danish rule, withdrew in 1985. The Maastricht Treaty paved the way for other European countries to join the EU. Austria, Finland, Sweden - all members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - became members of the EU in 1995.
The European Union General Assembly meets once in four years. As a rule the European Union member-states have regular annual meetings.
The influence of the international organizations is great. They deal with political, social and economic problems. They are concerned with the environmental problems as well. For example, such international organization as the United Nations is aimed at modifications of the national and international laws for the good of the people. The chief modification introduced by the United Nations Charter is the limitation of the rights of subjects of international law under international customary law to threaten or resort to armed reprisals and war.
The results of the activity of the international organizations are significant. The UN General Assembly passed a number of resolutions and declarations. They are the Nuremberg Principles that dealt with crime against peace, war crime, and crime against humanity; genocide; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the right of
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peoples and nations to self-determination; permanent sovereignty over natural resources; denuclearization; and non-intervention. The most important of them is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This general agreement that all human beings are entitled to some basic rights marked the birth of the international and universal recognition of human rights.
Do the Following Tasks:
Vocabulary Practice
1. Match the underlined words from the text with the correct definitions, then use them in your own sentences:
a)v., to deal with something very difficult or unpleasant in a brave and determined way;
b)n., a formal decision or statement agreed on by a group of people, especially after a vote;
c)n., the basic rights which every person has to be treated in a fair, equal way without cruelty, especially by their government;
d)n., an important statement saying that something such as war, peace etc. has officially begun; an official or serious statement of what someone believes;
e)n., a group such as a club or business that has formed for a particular purpose;
f)n., a word meaning the activity of fighting in a war, used especially when talking about particular methods of fighting;
g)n., the deliberate murder of a whole group or race of people;
h)adj., important, interesting, excellent, or unusual and therefore deserving to be noticed or mentioned.
2. Underline the most suitable words to complete the sentences (try not to consult the text!):
1) Some organizations face / are concerned / are interested only with single and relatively minor problems.
2) The European Union was created/ was developed/ was popular on November 1, 1993.
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3) The Maastricht Treaty developed/ established/ paved the way for other
European countries to join the EU.
4) The European Union member-states have regular annual tea parties/
meetings/ festivals.
Text Analysis
Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Prove your ideas:
1)The United Nations Organization is well-known all over the world.
2)Due to the progress in the technology, communication, transportation, industrialization many organizations were created.
3)The UNESCO deals with relatively minor problems, such as wages and taxation.
4)The European Union General Assembly meets every summer in Switzerland.
5)The influence of the international organizations is great.
6)The UN General Assembly published a number of books and manuscripts describing the life of famous people.
7)The most important document is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Discussion
Discuss the following questions:
1.What international organizations do you know?
2.Why did people create international organizations?
3.When was the European Union created?
4.How did the European Economic Community come into being?
5.What are the member-states of the European Union?
6.How often do the members of the European Union meet?
7.What are the results of the activity of the international organizations?
8.What role do the international organizations play today?
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VI. LABOUR UNIONS
12. Ford Russia: The New Face of Russian Labour Unions
Last week, 350 employees of Ford Motor's Russian plant in Vsevolozhsk outside St. Petersburg went on warning strike demanding a 30% increase in wages and the introduction of the so-called 13th salary at the end of each year as labour productivity and inflation rates have increased. There has been no official reaction from the plant's top management, save for the announcement that the strike will have no negative effects on the plant's deliveries. The protestors warn executives that if they do not listen to their claims, they will hold a series of strikes. The so-called Italian strike − when workers do not leave their working places even if bosses order them to do so − is scheduled for this week if last Wednesday's action fails.
Ford's Russian plant became the site of a conflict between the management and the workers in September. The negotiations with the labour union have brought no results, although the management said it hoped to avoid a strike. The labour union insists that the workers' wages be raised by 30% with the so-called 13th salary paid at the end of the year and that collective management of the social insurance fund's assets be introduced at the plant. The head of the plant's labour union said that at present time Ford's workers receive from 10,000 to 17,000 rubles ($350-$600) a month. This is approximately 5 times less than the labor pay that Ford's workers get in such countries as Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.
The labour union unites 1,070 of the plant's 1,700 staff members and the majority of them are workers. Meanwhile, up to August of this year the labour union, which was created three years ago, was only 112 members strong.
The strike at Ford's plant in Vsevolozhsk is yet another chapter in the history of world labour unionism, but it is absolutely new in the post-Soviet history. In the times of the Soviet Union labor unions were an official establishment that was invented for keeping workers in harness. There were no industry-specific labour unions. There was no talk of organizing strikes in demand for better conditions.
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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many workers found themselves unneeded, as plant after plant was cutting production and closing down, but the labour unions of old times were not much help in this matter. The situation is changing now, as economic growth brings investments to the industrial sector, and workers once again find themselves in demand. Labour unionism in Russia is still in its nascent stage, and the fear of layoffs still runs deep in the workers' hearts, but the movement is picking up. And this active labour union movement is a sight of a truly market society.
Do the Following Tasks:
Vocabulary Practice
1.Match the halves of these phrases from the first two columns, then choose the correct definition from the third column:
Go |
in demand |
pay union dues to provide a union fund |
Have |
salary |
get money for work |
Bring |
on a strike |
stop working because of a disagreement |
Receive |
negative effects |
leave a situation without changes |
Collect |
no results |
bad or harmful changes of a situation |
Find (oneself) |
union fees |
realize that your job is important |
2. Underline the most suitable words to complete the sentences (try not to consult the text!):
1)The protestors warn representatives / executives / government that if they do not listen to their claims, they will hold a series of strikes.
2)The management said it hoped to avoid a meeting / quarrel / strike.
3)The labour union unites / collects / gathers 1,070 of the plant's 1,700 staff members.
4)There was no talk of organizing strikes in need / demand / addition for better conditions.
5)The situation is changing now, as economic growth brings no effects / specialists / investments to the industrial sector.
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Text Analysis
1.Comment on the following facts. What general trends do they outline?
1)Ford's workers receive $350-$600 a month. This is approximately 5 times less than the labour pay that Ford's workers get in such countries as Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary.
2)The labour union unites 1,070 of the plant's 1,700 staff members. Meanwhile, up to August of this year the labour union, which was created three years ago, was only 112 members strong.
Discussion
1.Discuss in groups why this strike at Ford's plant is yet another chapter in the history of world labour unionism?
2.Compare achievements of labour unions in Russia in the present and in the past.
13. Labour Unions in Europe: A 40 hour Week?
Staff at Siemens, the electronics company based in Germany, have just agreed to work longer hours for less money. As a result, the company should save around 30% of their overall wage bill. Management achieved the deal with the unions by threatening to close down plants and move production to Hungary.
Germany has one of the highest wage costs in the world. What has caused the storm is the agreement to return to a 40-hour working week after the conflict in the 1980s when the unions finally won the right to a 35-hour week. The move has started a debate over working habits. Some parts of the media have taken the view that “the Germans need to work more”. For some economists, th e real issue is flexibility – that workers should be happy to work more hours when needed.
In a similar decision, DaimlerChrysler has also asked employees to work longer hours for lower wages. The tactic? The firm threatened to cut 6,000 jobs at the Mercedes plant, and move production to cheaper sites elsewhere. It seems that
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managers in the company will take a 10% pay cut. The change will save DaimlerChrysler over €500million a year.
Management argues that the changes will enable better productivity to fight competition from Eastern Europe and Asia. The unions argue that it is blackmail: “you can work for less money, or you can lose your job”. As another German car manufacturer, Volkswagen, faces a difficult year, with poor market conditions, will we see further similar deals – and will they improve p roductivity and efficiency?
In this case the effectiveness of labour union activity is put in doubt. What are the problems of a modern labour union movement in European countries? The average employee traditionally represented by European trade unions was a male blue-collar worker with a specific apprenticeship. He had an eight-hour shift per day and got his salary in the event of illness. However, this traditional "average employee" has not existed for some time. Instead, there are more part-time workers and casual workers.
Apart from their role in working life and policies, trade unions are struggling with a number of problems that will impact their future influence. The main problem is the increasing loss of members without gaining new ones. And those who remain are typically male, educated, blue-collar worker over forty years of age. Every fifth member is already retired. One reason for membership loss is the high rate of unemployment.
Young and female employees working in the service sector or in the new sectors like information technology, telecommunication, or biotechnology do not see the advantage of joining a union. The employees in start-up companies do not need protection from long working hours and do not have to fight for good wages. Most are willing to work sixty hours a week while being paid extremely well. Besides, if an employee is dissatisfied with his job, he or she will not try to change some things at the workplace with the help of the union, they will just change companies.
Furthermore, many economists believe that the labour unions are trying to solve the problem of unemployment with old and no longer effective instruments such as early retirement at age sixty, fewer working hours per week, and protection against dismissal.
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