ILO plans centenary celebrations

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Announced by ILO Deputy Director General Greg Vines during an Africa Group Meeting at the ILO’s 334th Governing Body Session taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, the centenary will run under the theme ‘Advancing Social Justice, Promoting Decent Work’.

Dubbed ILO100, the celebrations will officially be launched on 22 January 2019, as the International Labour Office releases the report of the Global Commission on the Future of Work in Geneva.

President Cyril Ramaphosa co-chairs the commission, which is tasked with assessing the rapid transformation taking place in the world of work, identifying the key challenges and what must be done to make the future of work better and fairer.

The work of the Global Commission aligns with government's focus on the creation of decent and sustainable jobs, and efforts to ensure young South Africans have the skills necessary to thrive in the changing workplace.

According to Vines, the ILO has received more than 300 proposals and ideas from across the globe on its centenary, covering a broad scope of activities including awareness-raising campaigns, high-level thematic conferences, meetings and fora, global media campaigns and special commemorative events.

One of the major events will be the 24-hour Global Online Tour in April. This will showcase the ILO journey over 24 hours, across four continents.

Viewers will be able to watch the celebrations on online platforms as the tour moves around the globe from one event to another.

The ILO also plans to hold a centenary ratification campaign, which will get all ILO member countries to ratify at least one convention in the centenary year and universal ratification of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention and the Tripartite Consultation Convention.

South Africa will host the 45th Governing Council of the African Reginal Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) from 26 to 28 February 2019 in Durban.