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Gerardo Martinez speech at 102nd Session at ILO Annual Conference

Speech: audio and text

MR. PRESIDENTE: 

                          REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL: IS A POLITICAL RESPONSE TO GLOBAL REALITIES WHICH RESTATES THE IMPORTANCE OF AGREEMENT BASED ON SINCERE AND PROACTIVE SOCIAL DIALOGUE WHERE THE WORKERS ARE CATEGORIZED AS POLITICAL INTERLOCUTORS.

TODAY THE CRISIS IS WORSENING, INEQUALITY IN THE WORLD IS GROWING AS A RESULT OF PRECARIOUS LABOUR CONDITIONS

IN THIS NEW INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO THE VALUES OF WORKING AND PRODUCTION HAVE CHANGED.

WHEN FINANCIAL CAPITAL RULES IT IS ALWAYS TO THE DETRIMENT OF WORKERS AND IT WORSENS INEQUALITIES.

AS POPE FRANCIS HAS SAID, HUMANITY HAS FOUND A NEW AND CRUEL IMAGE IN MONEY AND THE DICTATORSHIP OF AN ECONOMY WHICH IS FACELESS.

GIVEN THE CURRENT MODEL OF MONETARISM WHICH OVERLOOKS THE SOCIAL, LABOUR AND ENVIRONMENTAL PILLARS… THERE IS ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE.

GIVEN THIS SCENARIO THE ILO DIRECTOR GENERAL PROPOSAL TO TRANSFORM THE ILO BY CONSOLIDATING ITS GUARANTOR ROLE OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE BECOMES MORE EFFECTIVE AND MARKS A CHANGE

AT THE NEXT SUMMIT OF THE G 20, THE ILO WILL REQUIRE GOVERNMENTS THAT KEEP THEIR PROMISE TO TACKLE THE CRISIS THROUGH MORE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BY MAKING EASIER THE ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES, AND ESPECIALLY BY EXTENDING THE SOCIAL SECURITY COVER AND CREATING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT.

GOVERNMENTS MUST GIVE PRIORITY POLICY VALUES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITH SOCIAL INCLUSION, OVER ECONOMIC REMEDIES WHICH USE WORKERS AS A VARIABLE OF ADJUSTMENT.

THERE MUST BE REFORMED INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
TODAY PEOPLE ARE REACTING TO THESE PERMANENT ADJUSTMENT POLICIES, GOING OUT TO THE STREETS TO DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

WE RECALL THE THEME OF THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS HELD IN ARGENTINA IN 2005 WHICH CALLED FOR CREATING JOBS TO TACKLE POVERTY AND STRENGTHEN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

MANY OF THESE OBJECTIVES HAVE NOT BEEN ATTAINED:

WHILE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS ARE BEING CONSOLIDATED AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC GROWTH RATES, THE INDICATORS OF POVERTY AND INEQUALITY ARE THE SAME.

AND THIS IS BECAUSE IN MOST COUNTRIES THERE IS NO SOCIAL DIALOGUE AND THERE IS NO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, SO WEALTH DISTRIBUTION JUST REMAINS IN FIGURATIVE SPEECHES

THIS SITUATION IS WORSENING DUE TO LACK OF UNION FREEDOM, UNEMPLOYMENT, INCREASING PRECARIOUSNESS OF LABOUR CONDITIONS, WITH BREACHES IN HEALTH AND LABOUR SAFETY; AND VIOLENCE AGAINST UNIONS INCLUDING PERSECUTION AND DEATH.

OUR CHALLENGE AS UNION MOVEMENT IS BEING COMMITTED TO A KEY ROLE TO PUT AN END TO THIS INJUSTICE, WITH THE MOBILIZATION OF WORKERS TO THE DEFENSE OF OUR RIGHTS.

IN ARGENTINA, FROM A DECADE, THE GENERATION OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKERS ARE THE FOCUS OF PUBLIC POLICIES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF PRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT.

THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN SOCIAL AND LABOUR CONDITIONS OF OUR PEOPLE, TO REBUILD THE SOCIAL AND PRODUCTIVE FABRIC WHICH WE HAD LOST

MEASURES TO ENHANCE EMPLOYMENT GROWTH, DECENT WORK AND A FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH HAVE BEEN KEY THEMES ON OUR GOVERNMENT’S AGENDA.

•	THE ENFORCEMENT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 
•	THE STRENGTHENING OF MINIMUM SALARY
•	FULL ACCESS TO PENSIONS AND RETIREMENT
•	BENEFITS FOR UNIVERSAL CHILD BENEFIT OR THE BENEFITS FOR WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT, THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AS A TOOL OF SOCIAL INCLUSION ARE SOME OF THESE POLICIES DEVELOPED IN ARGENTINA

WE STILL FACE GREAT CHALLENGES TO CREATE MORE AND BETTER EMPLOYMENT TO ERRADICATE INFORMAL WORK, TO REDUCE THE TAXES ON LEVIES TO WORK AND DO AWAY WITH POCKETS OF POVERTY AND MARGINALITY WE STILL HAVE. 

WE CONFIRM THAT WE NEED TO CALL A TRIPARTITE OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TO DISCUSS AND ARTICULATE THESE POLICIES AIMED AT PAYING OFF THE SOCIAL DEBT

ONE EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE RESULT ON SUCH DIALOGUE CAN BE SEEN IN THIS CONFERENCE, IN THE COMMITTEE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT , DECENT WORK AND GREEN JOBS WHERE WE MANAGED TO ACHIEVED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE ILO
 
WE THE WORKERS COUNT ON POLITICAL WILL AND DETERMINATION, ORGANIZATION AND STRENGTH TO WRITE A NEW CHAPTER IN HISTORY, WHERE WE WILL ACHIEVE FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH ON A UNIVERSAL BASIS, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DECENT WORK, TO MAKE IT A LASTING LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

THANK YOU MR.PRESIDENT.

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