VZCZCXRO3251
RR RUEHHM RUEHJO RUEHPOD
DE RUEHBS #0947 0820602
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230602Z MAR 07
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/DOL WASHDC
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEHXI/LABOR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000947 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB SOCI KWMN PREL EUN
SUBJECT: ITUC REPORT ON INTERNATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED CORE 
LABOR STANDARDS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 
 
 
¶1.  ITUC Report Summary 
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) report on 
Internationally-Recognized Core Labor Standards in the 
European Union issued on February 26, 2007, assesses the 
performance in law and practice of each Member State with 
regard to the eight International Labor Organization (ILO) 
core labor Conventions, divided into four categories: trade 
union rights, discrimination and equal remuneration, child 
labor, and forced labor.  All 27 Member States have adopted 
all eight Conventions, with the exception of the Czech 
Republic and Estonia which have not adopted the Minimum Age 
Convention, and are thus, for the most part, legally 
compliant; however, practices vary greatly throughout the 
Union.  Regarding trade union rights, especially in the new 
Member States, there are reportedly problems with anti-union 
discrimination as well as restrictions on the right to 
strike, particularly regarding broad definitions of 
'essential services' and worker representation. Regarding 
equality, there is significant evidence of economic 
discrimination against women in all 27 Member States. The 
pay-gap is due not only to discrimination, but also 
concentration by sector, under-representation in senior 
positions, and part-time employment.  However, most Member 
States have implemented official programs to address this 
problem in the form of a committee or action plan. Other 
groups that face discrimination are minorities, particularly 
the Roma community, and people with disabilities. Sexual 
harassment is also a problem in many countries.  As to child 
labor, this practice occurs in almost all Member States, 
mostly in the form of informal activities, agriculture, and 
family business, but also in trafficking for the purposes of 
forced domestic labor, prostitution, begging, and criminal 
activities.  Forced labor is a problem in all Member States 
in the form trafficking of persons for the purposes of sexual 
exploitation and domestic service, with the Western countries 
as transit points and destinations but the Eastern countries 
as origins as well.  Another issue in several countries is 
labor practices for prisoners.  The recommendation of the 
report is generally calling for greater attention to and 
cooperation on these issues. Below is the link to the full 
report: 
" http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ 
EU TPR CLS Report - 2007 final.pdf " 
 
¶2.  COMMENT.  In a broader perspective, we note that Member 
State governments within the EU Council have been supportive 
of the Commission's call to promote core labor standards with 
the EU's partners.  In particular, the EU had sought to 
include "trade and labor" in the Doha Development Agenda. 
Though the EU has not been successful on this point, it still 
pursues this objective, including in the context of its own 
trade policy, and seeks to promote greater coherence between 
trade and labor issues in the representative international 
organizations.  A key vector of this strategy would be a 
reinforced ILO and the promotion of a more effective dialogue 
between the WTO and ILO.  The EU also tries to use its 
Generalized Scheme of Preferences as an incentive for the 
promotion of core labor standards. 
Gray 
.