ILO ACTRAV

News about Workers' activities from the International Labour Organization.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

Happening Now!

Join this important session of the Global Social Partners'Academy: Shaping AI at Work-Social Dialogue for Fair and Human -Centred AI Transitions organized by the Programmes for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) and Employers’ Activities (ACTEMP).

Join @oliverroepke (Director, ACTRAV) and @mpanzorreguy (Director, ACT/EMP) for an open dialogue session.
https://t.co/H1O1ekCsnp

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

During his visit to Windhoek, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke met with @UN and Namibian authorities to advance discussions on social protection and pension reform, with a strong focus on the role of trade unions.

Together with an @ilo delegation, he discussed the implementation of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions and how workers’ organizations can contribute to an inclusive and effective national pension system.

Meetings with the Ministry of Finance highlighted the importance of international labour standards, including ILO Convention No. 102, in building a sustainable and inclusive social security system.

In discussions with Parliament’s Committee on Poverty Alleviation, Labour and Industrial Relations, Röpke reaffirmed the ILO’s commitment to social dialogue and strong workers’ organizations so that pension reform delivers meaningful protection for all workers.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

What can workers’ organizations do to support quality apprenticeships?

✅ Shape and govern apprenticeship systems
✅ Protect apprentices’ rights
✅ Prevent misuse
✅ Promote inclusion
✅ Ensure recognized qualifications and decent work

A new @ILO practical guide shows how trade unions can turn the ILO Quality Apprenticeships Recommendation, 2023 (No. 208) into concrete action.
Learn more 👇
https://t.co/0jcgrMyyfS

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

During his mission to Namibia, @oliverroepke , together with the @ilo delegation including Philile Masuku, Director of the ILO Office for Zimbabwe and Namibia, met with government representatives and trade union leaders in Windhoek to discuss key labour and social protection priorities.

A field visit with the Minister of Justice and Labour Relations, Hon. Wise Emmanuel Philemon, provided an opportunity to exchange views on Namibia's ongoing pension reform process, including developments related to the National Pension Fund and National Benefit Fund. Oliver welcomed the progress achieved and reaffirmed the ILO's support for the government's commitment to advancing these reforms.

In discussions with ministry officials, including Aune Mudjanima, Acting Executive Director, Oliver emphasized the importance of social dialogue in building consensus around reform processes. He stressed that workers' organizations must be equipped to participate effectively in the design, implementation and monitoring of social protection policies.

Oliver also met with the leadership of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) and the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA). He encouraged unity and renewal within the labour movement, reaffirmed the vital role of trade unions in promoting social justice and democratic governance, and commended Namibia's leadership as a pathfinder country under the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

In a meeting with Natalia Plugaru, Minister of Labour and Social Protection, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke stressed the importance of social dialogue and tripartite cooperation in shaping legislation on leave, minimum wages and taxation. Discussions also covered the role of social partners in Moldova's EU integration process.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

How can trade unions in Africa and the Americas build stronger alliances?
In São Paulo, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke highlighted three priorities:
-Practical cooperation
-Stronger advocacy for workers
-More effective and influential organizations
🎥 Watch: Oliver Röpke on strengthening trade union cooperation across Africa and the Americas
https://t.co/O4Oilv5YiN

[Gilbert F. Houngbo @GilbertFHoungbo]

I held insightful discussions with leaders of Thailand’s worker organizations.

We covered issues including the ratification of @ILO Fundamental Conventions 87 and 98 and the importance of delivering decent work for platform, migrant, and informal workers alike.

[Oliver Röpke @oliverroepke]

Great to be in São Paulo 🇧🇷 connecting with Brazilian trade unions. They are true defenders of social democracy. Top of their agenda: ending the 6x1 work schedule, pushing for shorter working hours and strong international labour standards! @ILOACTRAV #SaoPaulo #LabourRights

[ILO Pretoria @ilo_pretoria]

Through this engagement, the @ILOACTRAV heard directly from South Africa's worker federations on the realities facing workers today, ensuring their perspectives help inform the conversations and actions needed to shape a more inclusive future of work.

[Gilbert F. Houngbo @GilbertFHoungbo]

Engaging dialogue with trade union leaders in Bangladesh.

We focused on ways to advance freedom of association, social dialogue, better working conditions, and robust dispute resolution mechanisms to help ensure a fair future for all.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

“Workers’ organizations are not external stakeholders; they are @ilo constituents.”

At the @ilo_pretoria Office, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke reaffirmed that workers' voices must be at the centre of shaping labour policies and programmes across Africa. He also highlighted social dialogue, trade union renewal, formalization, migrant workers' rights, the digital transition and the #OneILO approach as key to advancing social justice and decent work.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

"As technology transforms work, workers must help shape the rules that govern it."

Speaking in Johannesburg, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke highlighted the importance of workers' engagement on AI, platform work, algorithmic management, data rights, skills development and collective bargaining.

He welcomed stronger South-South cooperation among trade unions as an investment in solidarity and thanked the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) for its longstanding partnership with ACTRAV in strengthening trade union capacity across Asia, the Pacific and Africa.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

A fruitful meeting with Uruguay’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Juan Castillo, on promoting social dialogue, strengthening collective bargaining, and ensuring the effective implementation of international labour standards.

@oliverroepke congratulated Uruguay on chairing the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference and praised the country’s robust model of tripartite social dialogue, as well as its long-standing tradition of collective bargaining as a key pillar of democratic and balanced labour relations.

The discussions focused on technical support for following up on the recommendations of the Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS), as well as on the challenges associated with regulating the platform economy and artificial intelligence, including through the ratification and implementation of @ilo Convention No. 193 on decent work in the platform economy.

A key theme of the exchange was the recognition of collective bargaining not as a stand-alone mechanism, but as an integral component of Uruguay’s democratic model of industrial relations, contributing to social cohesion, inclusion, and fair labour outcomes.

The Director of ACTRAV reaffirmed the International Labour Organization’s commitment to supporting national legislation in line with Conventions Nos. 158, 183 and 190, while strengthening tripartite social dialogue and collective bargaining to advance decent work in Uruguay.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

During his first day on mission in Montevideo, @oliverroepke held a series of meetings with trade union leaders from across the Americas.
The Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) paid a courtesy visit to Rafael Freire, General Secretary of @CSA_TUCA , at the organization’s headquarters.

The discussions focused on strengthening social dialogue, upholding fundamental principles and rights at work, freedom of association, collective bargaining and the role of the trade union movement in defending democracy and social justice. Oliver Röpke reaffirmed the @ilo commitment to supporting workers’ organizations throughout the Americas.

At the opening of an ACTRAV Programme course for senior trade union leaders, organized by the @ITCILO , Oliver Röpke called for building a new social contract anchored in decent work, fundamental principles and rights at work and living wages. He highlighted the vital role of trade unions in safeguarding democracy through freedom of association and collective bargaining. He also stressed the importance of organizing young workers and other vulnerable groups, particularly those in the informal and platform economies, to ensure that no worker is left behind.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

At the #PERC Summer School in Armenia and the @UILofficial Congress in Padua, ACTRAV Director @oliverroepke stressed the importance of social dialogue, multilateralism and trade union action in shaping a fair digital future.

He highlighted the adoption of @ilo Convention No. 193 on decent work in the platform economy and called on unions to help ensure AI and digital transformation strengthen, not weaken workers’ rights.

Strong institutions, international labour standards and effective social dialogue remain key to advancing social justice in a rapidly changing world.

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

Follow the story of Farhana, a single mother of six who has relied on platform work for seven years.

Platform work offers the promise of flexibility, but it also comes with deep precarity. In the event of an accident, workers can face a sudden drop in income, or lose their income entirely.

Singapore’s Platform Workers Act, introduced in 2025, transformed Farhana’s reality by granting workplace injury protection, CPF contributions and formal representation.

Much can be learned from the tripartite process behind the reform, from how Singapore’s National Trades Union Congress (@NTUCSingapore) brought workers’ voices to the table, and from how the ILO’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) helped document this progress so unions around the world can learn from it.

https://t.co/svFA3NQcqs

[ILO ACTRAV @ILOACTRAV]

Constructive exchange with Armenia’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, @ArsTorosyan, and CTUA President Elen Manaseryan on advancing labour reforms, strengthening trade union rights, and deepening social dialogue in Armenia.

ACTRAV Director @OliverRoepke encouraged the early ratification of @ilo Convention No. 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, highlighting the importance of ensuring decent work and labour protection in the digital age.