Stand up for Zero Discrimination against LGBT people at work

Richard Howard

Richard Howard, ILO Senior Specialist on HIV and AIDS, Asia and the Pacific

I mentioned to an old friend a while back that we at the ILO were carrying out research on discrimination toward lesbian, gay, transgendered people and bisexuals (LGBT) in the workplace. His response – and this was coming from a gay man mind you – was why? Why should the ILO or anyone else care about what a worker does on their own time?

The implication is that what one does in the bedroom — one’s personal sexual behavior — should stay private. There is really no reason for these matters to come up at work. Continue reading

How do we know if we’re really helping migrant workers?

Ben Harkins

Ben Harkins, Technical Officer for the ILO Tripartite Action to Protect the Rights of Migrant Workers in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Khin Su, 22, used to work at a factory on the outskirts of Bangkok. Like many other migrants from Myanmar, she came to Thailand with her husband in search of a better life. But their aspirations soured one day in 2012 when her hand was trapped under a faulty hydraulic press, severing four of her fingers.

To make matters worse, Khin Su didn’t have a work permit, which meant she wasn’t eligible to receive disability benefits from the Government. With only her husband to provide for their family, the future looked uncertain.

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How EU countries managed the crisis: the work done and the road ahead

Carlos Andre da Silva Gama Nogueira

Carlos Andre da Silva Gama Nogueira, ILO Economist

Seven years after the financial crisis, labour markets across the European Union are still struggling to regain lost ground. To better understand why, the ILO has analysed over 500 policy measures adopted in EU countries between 2008 and 2013. We came away with five main observations.

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