Labor & Employment Policy
Background
Labor and employment policies within companies are shaped by the law and practice of the countries in which they operate. Unlike the United States, however, the labor laws of most other countries are based largely on international labor standards. Human resource and other executives directing business activities outside the United States need to be informed about the consequences of these standards and to have the opportunity to influence their content and direction.
The USCIB Labor and Employment Policy Committee meets both of these needs as the U.S. Employer representative in the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency responsible for international labor standards. The ILO's tripartite structure - with official representation from governments, business and labor – means that USCIB members participate directly in the development and implementation of international labor standards.
Domestically, USCIB is the officially designated U.S. business representative on the President's Committee on the ILO, the Tripartite Advisory Panel on International Labor Standards (TAPLIS), and the National Advisory Committee for Labor Provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements.
|
Chair
Edward E. Potter
Director, Global Workplace Rights
The Coca-Cola Company
Staff Contacts
Adam B. Greene
Vice President, Labor Affairs and Corporate Responsibility
(212) 703-5056 or agreene@uscib.org
Alexandra Garcia
Program Assistant
|
|
Objective
Pursue a proactive and coordinated strategy to positively influence international labor standards, increase labor market flexibility and promote best practices.
|
|
|
|
|
Current priorities
· G20 Labor Ministerial: Organize the U.S. business consultation with the Department of Labor in advance of the G20 Labor Ministers meeting and work with the IOE and BIAC to coordinate international business participation in the G20 Labor Ministerial meeting.
· International Labor Standards: Shape the development ofinternational labor standards and represent U.S. business in the ILO International Labor Conference. Focus the work with the ILO on helping member states to implement and enforce their national labor laws and to protect fundamental rights at work in their countries. Promote the ILO-IFC Better Work Program as a model to help develop effective national implementation.
· Trade & Labor: Promote effective and non-protectionist labor provisions in free trade agreements that are based on the effective enforcement of national labor laws and the core labor principles stated in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Represent U.S. business views on the National Advisory Committee on Labor Provisions in U.S. Free Trade Agreements.
· U.S. Ratification of ILO Standards: Represent business on the President’s Committee on the ILO and the Tripartite Advisory Panel on International Labor Standards (TAPILS) to ensure that all ILO conventions being considered for U.S. ratification conform to U.S. law and practice.
· World Bank Doing Business Report: Work with the World Bank to ensure that the “Doing Business” report accurately portrays the labor costs faced by employers doing business in countries around the world.
· OECD Labor Activities: Working with BIAC, engage in the work of the OECD Employment, Labor and Social Affairs Committee to ensure that U.S. business views are represented in the work of the OECD and advocate for OECD policies that promote flexible labor markets. Participate in the BIAC Education Committee to promote free market approaches to skills, training, and education policy.
· Regional Issues: Represent U.S. business views in key regional debates on labor policy, including China employment laws, European Union policies and the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor.
· Global Business Migration: Monitor the development international policy on global business migration in the Global Forum on Migration and Development, WTO and OECD, and promote policies that support the efficient management of personnel across borders.
Recent Accomplishments
· Coordinated U.S. business participation in consultations with the U.S. Department of Labor in advance of the G20 Labor Ministerial meeting.
· Organized a high-level meeting with the Departments of State and Labor to address labor issues in global supply chains and promoted increased collaboration between public and private sector efforts to improve labor practices in supply chains.
· Developed a partnership with the ILO to coordinate U.S. business financial support for the ILO-IFC Better Work Program that is working to improve labor conditions in supply chains by organizing tripartite systems in sourcing countries.
· Organized the US employer delegation to the 2009 International Labor Conference, the primary UN rule-making body on international labor standards; represented business in negotiations on the ILO response to the global recession, HIV/AIDS and gender equality.
· Promoted the World Bank Doing Business reports and testified to a House hearing on the labor provisions of the Doing Business rankings; participated in a World Bank advisory committee on how the report measures national costs of employing workers.
· Worked closely with USTR to promote labor provisions in U.S. free trade agreements based on the effective enforcement of national labor laws and the principles of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
· Participated in the work of the OECD Employment, Labor and Social Affairs Committee related to the OECD Employment Outlook, international migration and the regulation of private pension systems.
· Coordinated US business participation in ILO technical meetings related to corporate responsibility, information technology, global food chains, chemicals and labor statistics.
· Represented employers at the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) session on economic growth and employment and the IACML workshop on trade and labor.
