Friday, May 26, 2006
[IWS] ILO: Situation of WORKERS in OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES (Annual Report) [26 May 2006]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Office Geneva (ILO)
International Labour Conference, 95th Session, 2006
Report of the Director-General
Appendix
The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories [26 May 2006]
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/pdf/rep-i-a-ax.pdf
[full-text, 51 pages]
Contents
Page
Preface............................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1
1. The political context: Evolving positions following the 2006 elections........................ 3
2. Closures and their impact on Palestinian livelihoods ................................................ 6
3. An economy under occupation................................................................................... 19
4. Social dialogue and its part in good governance....................................................... 30
5. Summary and conclusions ......................................................................................... 33
References......................................................................................................................... 39
Annex ................................................................................................................................. 43
See Press Release 26 May 2006
New ILO report on the situation of workers in occupied Arab territories
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2006/22.htm
Friday 26 May 2006 (ILO/06/22)
GENEVA (ILO News) - The annual report of the International Labour Office (ILO) on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories says poverty and unemployment continues to worsen despite a moderate economic upturn last year (Note 1).
While the economy rebounded moderately in 2005 following a very sharp dip, four out of every ten Palestinians in the territories were living under the official poverty line of less than US$2.10 a day, while the absolute number of the poor rose from 600,000 in 1999 to 1.6 million in 2005, the new report says.
Open unemployment reached 23.5 per cent in 2005. However, counting persons who were employed prior to the crisis in 2000, but are neither in employment nor actively seeking work, ILO estimates the jobless to have reached 40.7 per cent of the Palestinian labour force.
Unemployment is not the only concern, however, as the very low rates of labour force participation and employment have become an inherent characteristic of the labour market in the occupied territories. According to the report, 50 per cent of men and only 11 per cent of women of working age are employed. Every employed person supports an additional 5 persons.
Public sector employment, which accounts for 23 per cent of total employment, is directly affected by the Palestinian Authority's current inability to discharge fully its wage bill as a result of the prevailing difficulties with its international financial flows. The unemployment rate of young persons aged 15-24 years is 1.6 times the average unemployment rate.
The report was prepared for the http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/index.htm ILO's International Labour Conference which opens its annual session here on 31 May. The findings of the report are based on missions sent to the occupied Arab territories and Israel and to the Syrian Arab Republic earlier this year to assess the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan.
AND MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Office Geneva (ILO)
International Labour Conference, 95th Session, 2006
Report of the Director-General
Appendix
The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories [26 May 2006]
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/pdf/rep-i-a-ax.pdf
[full-text, 51 pages]
Contents
Page
Preface............................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1
1. The political context: Evolving positions following the 2006 elections........................ 3
2. Closures and their impact on Palestinian livelihoods ................................................ 6
3. An economy under occupation................................................................................... 19
4. Social dialogue and its part in good governance....................................................... 30
5. Summary and conclusions ......................................................................................... 33
References......................................................................................................................... 39
Annex ................................................................................................................................. 43
See Press Release 26 May 2006
New ILO report on the situation of workers in occupied Arab territories
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2006/22.htm
Friday 26 May 2006 (ILO/06/22)
GENEVA (ILO News) - The annual report of the International Labour Office (ILO) on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories says poverty and unemployment continues to worsen despite a moderate economic upturn last year (Note 1).
While the economy rebounded moderately in 2005 following a very sharp dip, four out of every ten Palestinians in the territories were living under the official poverty line of less than US$2.10 a day, while the absolute number of the poor rose from 600,000 in 1999 to 1.6 million in 2005, the new report says.
Open unemployment reached 23.5 per cent in 2005. However, counting persons who were employed prior to the crisis in 2000, but are neither in employment nor actively seeking work, ILO estimates the jobless to have reached 40.7 per cent of the Palestinian labour force.
Unemployment is not the only concern, however, as the very low rates of labour force participation and employment have become an inherent characteristic of the labour market in the occupied territories. According to the report, 50 per cent of men and only 11 per cent of women of working age are employed. Every employed person supports an additional 5 persons.
Public sector employment, which accounts for 23 per cent of total employment, is directly affected by the Palestinian Authority's current inability to discharge fully its wage bill as a result of the prevailing difficulties with its international financial flows. The unemployment rate of young persons aged 15-24 years is 1.6 times the average unemployment rate.
The report was prepared for the http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/index.htm ILO's International Labour Conference which opens its annual session here on 31 May. The findings of the report are based on missions sent to the occupied Arab territories and Israel and to the Syrian Arab Republic earlier this year to assess the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan.
AND MORE....
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 5:58 AM
