Statements by the employers' sector at Cinterfor/ILO's events

 

Statement of the employers' representatives group in the Thirty-Forth Meeting of the Technical Committee
Montevideo, Uruguay, 7- 10 September, 1999.

 

The presence of a numerous group of employers' representatives at the Meeting of the Cinterfor/ILO Technical Committee was proof of the importance that wealth generators ascribe to technical-vocational training in times of dramatic change to face an unstoppable process of globalisation of economies and markets.

After weighing the different suggestions and ideas discussed, taking into account the characteristics of the countries and institutions represented, we include the six items that were submitted as the position of the Employers' Representatives Group, already expressed at the previous meeting held at Santiago, Chile. We wish to underline that the Direction of Cintefor/ILO has implemented some of our suggestions in the intervening two years.

By consensus, we have decided to submit the following for the consideration of the plenary:

1. We understand that training does not only pertain to the competitiveness of enterprises but also to the preservation of work posts.

2. It is essential that training should be carried out according to market demands, to be defined by employers and workers.

3. Although we understand that the flexibilisation of labour codes is not a subject for this Meeting, we feel that anything taht may optimise relations between employers and workers is a vital factor to promote the training of the latter.

4. The reiteration of problems caused by the social burden imposed on enterprises throughout the Americas is likewise significant.

5. Cinterfor/ILO should help to design systems of tax relief in countries where this might be convenient or desirable in order to promote training.

6. Cinterfor/ILO should multiply its activities to aachieve a better exchange of information and dissemination of experiences of training bodies of all countries of the region.

7. Cinterfor/ILO should become an interface between employers and workers, orienting the ILO (particularly in its meeting for the year 2000) to make the transformations that are taking place within enterprises consonant with those that workers and their unions have to undergo in the next millennium.

8. It should also play the role of sopkesman vis-à-vis internationl agencies so that training funds may not be eroded, especially in their transfer through governmental departments.

9. There is a need to take emergency action in countries that have suffered natural disasters, like Honduras, and others whose training systems require enormous resources beyond the capacity of any individual nation.

10. To request Cinterfor/ILO to expand its consultant services to countries that may so require and to others that may benefit just from consultation with other institutions of the region.

11. The training of employers and entrepreneurs, together with other traditional froms of educaiton, should receive special attention, as they act as job multipliers.

12. Employers are deeply concerned about training for the informal sector, and think that mechanisms should exist for that purpose in keeping with each country's idiosyncrasy and circumstances.

13. We believe that in view of the dramatically changing conditions in production schemes it will be nearly impossible to uphold the "right to work", which will in time become the "right to economic initiative".

 

 

 

 

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