Thursday, May 22, 2008
[IWS] ILO: SITUATION of WORKERS of the OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES [22 May 2008]
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 (ILO)
International Labour Conference, 97th Session, 2008
Report of the Director-General
Appendix
The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories [22 May 2008]
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_092729.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]
Press Release at
http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_093578/index.htm
Contents
Page
Preface........................................... v
1 Introduction..................................... 1
2. Renewed peace negotiations in a depressed employment and social situation............ 3
A depressed labour market................................................... 3
Poverty and food dependency..................................... 3
The isolation of Gaza.............................. 3
Continuing insecurity for Palestinian and Israeli citizens................... 4
The tight grip ofclosures.................................... 4
Continued growth in settlements.................................. 4
Improvement in the fiscal situation......................... 5
A Palestinian reform and development plan...................... 5
The Annapolis momentum.......................................... 5
Public opinion supports peace negotiations but is pessimistic regarding theoutcome.................... 6
The League of ArabStates......................... 6
3. Tight closures and control restrict movement and access................ 8
Internal closure intensifies in the West Bank......................... 9
The West Bank Separation Barrier......................................... 10
A systematically arbitrary permits regime exacerbates physical closures.................... 13
Total isolation of Gaza leads to socio-economic breakdown........................................ 14
Violence, security concerns and their impact on economic activity.............................. 16
More Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territories............................. 17
Implications for socio-economic recovery....................... 19
Discrimination and the identity crisis in the occupied Syrian Golan.............................. 20
4. The employment crisis of Arab workers in the occupied territories............................... 22
Falling average incomes.................... 22
More people employed but more poverty..................................... 22
More employment in low-productivity occupations..................... 24
Employment in Israel and the settlements............................. 25
Loss of competitiveness........................... 25
Steep rise in consumer prices and lower purchasing power of wages......................... 26
The employment challenges of a rapidly growing young labour force.......................... 27
Precarious working conditions and labour rights......................... 27
Legal protection of Palestinian workers: Settlements and industrial zones.................. 28
5. Freedom of association and social dialogue................... 30
6. Conclusions........................................... 32
References............................. 35
Annex: List of interlocutors......................... 39
______________________________
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 (ILO)
International Labour Conference, 97th Session, 2008
Report of the Director-General
Appendix
The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories [22 May 2008]
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_092729.pdf
[full-text, 49 pages]
Press Release at
http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_093578/index.htm
Contents
Page
Preface........................................... v
1 Introduction..................................... 1
2. Renewed peace negotiations in a depressed employment and social situation............ 3
A depressed labour market................................................... 3
Poverty and food dependency..................................... 3
The isolation of Gaza.............................. 3
Continuing insecurity for Palestinian and Israeli citizens................... 4
The tight grip ofclosures.................................... 4
Continued growth in settlements.................................. 4
Improvement in the fiscal situation......................... 5
A Palestinian reform and development plan...................... 5
The Annapolis momentum.......................................... 5
Public opinion supports peace negotiations but is pessimistic regarding theoutcome.................... 6
The League of ArabStates......................... 6
3. Tight closures and control restrict movement and access................ 8
Internal closure intensifies in the West Bank......................... 9
The West Bank Separation Barrier......................................... 10
A systematically arbitrary permits regime exacerbates physical closures.................... 13
Total isolation of Gaza leads to socio-economic breakdown........................................ 14
Violence, security concerns and their impact on economic activity.............................. 16
More Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territories............................. 17
Implications for socio-economic recovery....................... 19
Discrimination and the identity crisis in the occupied Syrian Golan.............................. 20
4. The employment crisis of Arab workers in the occupied territories............................... 22
Falling average incomes.................... 22
More people employed but more poverty..................................... 22
More employment in low-productivity occupations..................... 24
Employment in Israel and the settlements............................. 25
Loss of competitiveness........................... 25
Steep rise in consumer prices and lower purchasing power of wages......................... 26
The employment challenges of a rapidly growing young labour force.......................... 27
Precarious working conditions and labour rights......................... 27
Legal protection of Palestinian workers: Settlements and industrial zones.................. 28
5. Freedom of association and social dialogue................... 30
6. Conclusions........................................... 32
References............................. 35
Annex: List of interlocutors......................... 39
______________________________
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 : 7:26 AM
