Employers' Activities > Activities
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Launch of the Code of Conduct for Employers on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Agriculture and the Food Industry |
Date: 19 December 2007, Chisinau, Moldova
Interview with Anne Knowles, Senior Specialist of the ILO SRO-Budapest Office
On 19 December the Council of the National Federation of Employers in Agriculture and Food Industry (FNPAIA) in Moldova unanimously endorsed a Code of Conduct for Employers on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Agriculture and the Food Industry with the support of the Bureau for Employers Activities (ACT/EMP) of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Code was the result of a three year long project funded by the Norwegian Government. The Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade, Mr Sergiu Sainciuc who met with representatives of FNPAIA and ACT/EMP on the previous day expressed his appreciation that the National Federation of Employers in Agriculture and Food Industry had responded so positively to the challenge of child labour in this sector. He considered this initiative gave practical support and reinforcement to the Government’s ratification of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention 182 in July 2007.
ILO Online asked Anne Knowles, Senior Specialist of the ILO SRO-Budapest Office on Employers' Activities about the significance of this Code of Conduct.
Anne Knowles: The ILO is running a project through IPEC against the labour and sexual exploitation of children in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (which also includes Moldova) but this project usually works with NGOs and local governments. The ACT/EMP project is the first time in the sub region where employers have been directly involved in the issue, taking the initiative and developing a code themselves ensuring that all of the members of the association who might actually employ children understand what the law requires in Moldova and what international good practice is.
ILO Online: Why the agriculture and food industry?
Anne Knowles: Agriculture is one of the most dangerous sectors and is especially perilous for children. Exposed to the same hazards as adults in agriculture, the risks to children are even greater because their bodies and minds are still developing and they lack work experience. Many children carry out work which can threaten their lives, limbs, health and general well being. The hazards they face run the gamut from the mixing, handling and applying of toxic pesticides to using dangerous cutting tools, to working in extreme temperatures, operating powerful farm vehicles and heavy machinery and working long hours.
ILO Online: How does this Code prevent child labour in agriculture?
Anne Knowles: Not all work that children undertake in agriculture is bad for them. Tasks appropriate to a child’s age and that do not interfere with a child’s schooling and leisure time can be a normal part of growing up in a rural environment. The aim of this Code of Conduct is the elimination of the worst forms of child labour which are likely to harm the health, safety and morals of the children, abuse and exploit the child and deprive the child of education. According to the Code children can not work with chemicals, hazardous equipment and tools, they can not work at night, and students can not be employed under conditions inhibiting them from attending school.
ILO Online: How will this Code be enforced?
Anne Knowles: This Code was the result of a tremendous amount of work by the FNPAIA. Many months have been spent by the 15 regional branches of the Agricultural Employers’ Association working to gain acceptance of the Code not only amongst their members but also education institutions, local government officers and Trade Unions. Because the employers “own” the Code and it has the full support and endorsement of the peak Employers’ Organisations it is expected that enforcement will be voluntarily undertaken by all members of FNPAIA. Activities on awareness raising and education of employers in the sector will be on-going to ensure the Code has the widest possible reach.
ILO Online: Are further steps planned by ACT/EMP to expand this initiative to other sectors in Moldova?
Anne Knowles: We are very pleased that the Norwegian Government has agreed to provide on-going funding for expansion of the project. Discussions have begun with CNPM, the National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova, which is the umbrella body for all employers' organizations both at sectoral and regional level, to expand the project to other sectors where employment of children might constitute a threat to their health, safety or moral well-being. The construction and transport sectors have been identified as potential areas where the project might extend to. The Bureau for Employers Activities of the ILO is ready to provide continuous support to this process and we will work closely with CNPM and its member Associations to develop strategies to engage employers more broadly in eliminating the worst forms of child labour in Moldova.
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| Fully fit at work |
Film about the advantages of employing persons with disabilities. As this ILO film (Fully Fit at Work) shows, not only may people with disabilities be more productive, they may actually be more skilled in some jobs than non-disabled people. Produced for the ILO by the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing.
Watch the film online in Polish with English subtitles. Duration: 21 min 11 sec
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