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Tag: International Labour Organisation

  • ‘2.78million workers die yearly due to work related injuries’

    ‘2.78million workers die yearly due to work related injuries’

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that an estimated 2.78 million workers, with an estimated Gross Domestic Product of 2.99 trillion dollars die every year from work related illness and injuries across the globe.

    Director General of the ILO, Guy Ryder told XXI World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, in Singapore that 2.4 million of these deaths can be attributed to work-related diseases alone.

    Ryder said the figures announced were developed by Finland, Singapore, the EU and the International Commission on Occupational Health, with the support of ILO. 

    According to him, the new figures point to a growing body of evidence demonstrating the global cost of failing to adequately address existing and emerging occupational safety and health (OSH) concerns, and to the importance of OSH to sustainable development, adding that “clearly, there is a recognition that certain OSH challenges are global challenges that require global solutions.

    The global economic impact of the failure to adequately invest in occupational safety and health is roughly equal to the total GDP of the poorest 130 countries in the world.

    He stressed the readiness of the ILO to engage in the development of a global coalition with key partners in meeting these challenges, adding that as co-organizer of the 2017 World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, the ILO is addressing key challenges for the future of work and the implications for the safety and health of workers.

    “How the future of work is forged will, of course, have the greatest impact on this and the next generation and they must have a voice in the process including on OSH,” said Ryder in addressing Congress participants. 

    “Youth and OSH is a key theme at the XXI World Congress and central to ILO’s flagship Occupational Safety and Health-Global Action for Prevention Programme.

    “Forty million youth are entering the labour market this year and they are the best-educated generation the world has ever seen. We must take advantage of this demographic dividend and unleash the potential and creativity of these young people,” he said.

    During the four-day Congress the ILO will participate in symposia and technical sessions on the need for reliable OSH data, improving occupational safety and health in global supply chains, creating mechanisms for the exchange of OSH data, knowledge and expertise globally, and fostering proactive occupational safety and health compliance strategies at national level. Engagement of youth around the world will be key to addressing these challenges.

  • Nigeria to contest membership of ILO governing board

    Nigeria to contest membership of ILO governing board

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige Friday announced that Nigeria will be seeking a return to the governing board of the International Labour Organisation during the forthcoming in 106the session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva.

    Speaking while inaugurating members of the various committees to articulate Nigeria’s position at the conference said his Ministry’s ground work and diplomatic shuttle in this regards has yielded positive result as Nigeria candidacy into the ILO Governing Body has been approved by other African Countries.

    He said the country must “harness all resources as a country, hence my Ministry thought it imperative for Nigeria to get back to the Governing Board of the ILO.

    “We have started the ground work and diplomatic shuttle and am happy to announce to you that we are going to Geneva this time around with Nigeria having been nominated by other African Countries under the auspices of Africa Union Commission for a place in the Governing Board of ILO with all the attendant benefits that accrue to countries that are in the Governing Body. We are going to represent West Africa at the Governing Board meeting. ”

    Ngige added that the meeting will be very momentous for Nigeria as a lot of benefits will accrue to Nigeria in terms of technical assistance, human and material resources that will assist the Nation’s drive towards economic recovery.

    He said further that “The big idea is for us to represent Nigeria well. Nigeria is going to the Conference at a very critical period when our nation is just coming out of recession.”

    The inaugurated committees include Committee on the Application of Standards, Committee for Labour Migration, Committee on Employment and Decent Work for the Transition to Peace, Committee for the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and Finance.

     

  • Buhari committed to safe and healthy work place – Ngige

    Buhari committed to safe and healthy work place – Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has affirmed the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to providing safe and healthy working environment that will stimulate decent working conditions for Nigerian workforce.

    Represented by the Director of Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku at the validation of the draft National Occupational Safety and Health Profile, the minister said the government was aware of the fact that a safe and healthy worker is an asset to his or her employer and the nation.

    He said the Federal Government will continue to take necessary steps to add value and strengthens policies and programmes aimed at providing safe and healthy working environment and stimulate fair working conditions for all workers.

    The Minister emphasized that a well-defined and popular profile document for the promotion of social dialogue in occupational safety and health is essential for effective consultations and collaboration for a robust safety and health culture.

    According to him, the validation of the Draft National Occupational Safety and Health Profile will be a catalyst to the nation’s drive to adopt international best practices in the promotion of preventive occupational safety and health culture.

    Country Director of International Labour Organisation, Demmis Zulu said that the ILO was committed to the development and preventive of OSH strategies which aimed to protect and promote workers’ health and wellbeing.

    Zulu said: “It goes without saying that the whole issue of National Health and Safety is paramount and needs to be given the seriousness, importance and priority it deserves.

    “For instance, there are quite a number of incidents and accidents in different sectors of Nigeria’s economy, particularly, in both the manufacturing and the construction sector. Workers who are affected by these incidents and accidents, due to lack of adherence to the minimum standards of occupational health and safety, are those between the ages of 18 and 30”.

    He added that the document would ensure that the manufacturing and construction sectors, among others, improve their working condition and environments.

  • NECA, Lagos Education ministry sign MoU

    The Lagos State Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) have signed an agreement on construction trade training (plumbing, concreting, tiling and carpentry.)

    The new initiative driven by NECA and Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and which will begin at the Government Technical College (GTC) Ikorodu in October, is aimed at making graduates more relevant to the demands of employment and entrepreneurship in Lagos State, according to Director-General NECA, Mr Segun Osinowo.

    The collaboration, which will be under the umbrella of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), will focus on upgrading facilities, provision of more equipment as well as integrating the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Entrepreneurship Development Module in the college curriculum.

    Osinowo noted that there had been a gap in skilled manpower, particularly in construction, resulting in the recruitment of quacks, which often has led to many collapsed buildings in the state.

    Also he said the situation has not helped by the procurement of skilled hands by developers and contractors from neigbouring West African countries to complete local projects.

    With the MoU however, Osinowo is optimistic Lagos State will produce an army of technical skill graduates that will upon graduation, set up construction/ building related enterprises.

    He said: The focus will be on producing these young graduates, highly skilled and supported to set up construction/building related enterprises as a way of creating employment and stemming youth restiveness.

    “We have since not been able to produce and meet the demand by construction companies for competent skilled workers. The skill deficit in these sectors is very evident with influx of foreign workers. The major challenge is therefore to produce these graduates for employment opportunity in NECA-member companies.

    Going down memory lane, Lagos State Commissioner for Education Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye said the initiative was the fallout of the first Lagos State Enterprise Day, where NECA provided its facility despite the short notice.

    She said the choice of TCI Ikorodu is because the school, like its counterpart in Epe equally has ample land enough for construction site.

    Lauding NECA for a good relationship with the Lagos state government, she stressed that the initiative was not only for the present generation, but also future.

    “What we are doing is for today, tomorrow and indeed our won; This new collaboration will galvanise entrepreneurship in Lagos State. With this initiative, a move has commenced in earnest to designate our technical colleges into specialisation.

    The projects which fully kicks off in October, according to her, is designed between 12 and 18 months in each skill trade area that will accommodate 30 candidates at a go. She said the project will be highly rigorous, with candidates being screened via written and interview.

     

    The Director LASTVEB Mr Gasper said an industry approved curriculum would be deployed for the training leading to an international certification of City and Guilds Institute in the relevant trade areas.