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GENERAL
A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. III)
14 August 1992
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
(Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992)
Chapter 29
STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF WORKERS AND THEIR TRADE UNIONS
PROGRAMME AREA
Basis for action
29.1. Efforts to implement sustainable development will involve
adjustments and opportunities at the national and enterprise levels,
with workers foremost among those concerned. As their representatives,
trade unions are vital actors in facilitating the achievement of
sustainable development in view of their experience in addressing
industrial change, the extremely high priority they give to protection
of the working environment and the related natural environment, and
their promotion of socially responsible and economic development. The
existing network of collaboration among trade unions and their
extensive membership provide important channels through which the
concepts and practices of sustainable development can be supported.
The established principles of tripartism provide a basis for
strengthened collaboration between workers and their representatives,
Governments and employers in the implementation of sustainable
development.
Objectives
29.2. The overall objective is poverty alleviation and full and
sustainable employment, which contribute to safe, clean and healthy
environments - the working environment, the community and the physical
environment. Workers should be full participants in the implementation
and evaluation of activities related to Agenda 21.
29.3. To that end the following objectives are proposed for
accomplishment by the year 2000:
(a) To promote ratification of relevant conventions of ILO and
the enactment of legislation in support of those conventions;
(b) To establish bipartite and tripartite mechanisms on safety,
health and sustainable development;
(c) To increase the number of environmental collective
agreements aimed at achieving sustainable development;
(d) To reduce occupational accidents, injuries and diseases
according to recognized statistical reporting procedures;
(e) To increase the provision of workers' education, training
and retraining, particularly in the area of occupational health and
safety and environment.
Activities
(a) Promoting freedom of association
29.4. For workers and their trade unions to play a full and informed
role in support of sustainable development, Governments and employers
should promote the rights of individual workers to freedom of
association and the protection of the right to organize as laid down in
ILO conventions. Governments should consider ratifying and
implementing those conventions, if they have not already done so.
(b) Strengthening participation and consultation
29.5. Governments, business and industry should promote the active
participation of workers and their trade unions in decisions on the
design, implementation and evaluation of national and international
policies and programmes on environment and development, including
employment policies, industrial strategies, labour adjustment
programmes and technology transfers.
29.6. Trade unions, employers and Governments should cooperate to
ensure that the concept of sustainable development is equitably
implemented.
29.7. Joint (employer/worker) or tripartite
(employer/worker/Government) collaborative mechanisms at the workplace,
community and national levels should be established to deal with
safety, health and environment, including special reference to the
rights and status of women in the workplace.
29.8. Governments and employers should ensure that workers and their
representatives are provided with all relevant information to enable
effective participation in these decision-making processes.
29.9. Trade unions should continue to define, develop and promote
policies on all aspects of sustainable development.
29.10. Trade unions and employers should establish the framework for
a joint environmental policy, and set priorities to improve the working
environment and the overall environmental performance of enterprise.
29.11. Trade unions should:
(a) Seek to ensure that workers are able to participate in
environmental audits at the workplace and in environmental impact
assessments;
(b) Participate in environment and development activities
within the local community and promote joint action on potential
problems of common concern;
(c) Play an active role in the sustainable development
activities of international and regional organizations, particularly
within the United Nations system.
(c) Provide adequate training
29.12. Workers and their representatives should have access to
adequate training to augment environmental awareness, ensure their
safety and health, and improve their economic and social welfare. Such
training should ensure that the necessary skills are available to
promote sustainable livelihoods and improve the working environment.
Trade unions, employers, Governments and international agencies should
cooperate in assessing training needs within their respective spheres
of activity. Workers and their representatives should be involved in
the design and implementation of worker training programmes conducted
by employers and Governments.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
29.13. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this
programme to be about $300 million from the international community on
grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and
order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies
and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Capacity-building
29.14. Particular attention should be given to strengthening the
capacity of each of the tripartite social partners (Governments and
employers' and workers' organizations) to facilitate greater
collaboration towards sustainable development.
END OF CHAPTER 29
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