  |
| |
|
International exposure College students look at labor rights from a global perspective
May 11, 2006 Professor Anne D'Orazio, at right, with Westchester Community College students, from left, Elizabeth Djurasevic, John Velasco, Artie Mendola and Keith Berardi in the historic city of Geneva. For a group of four students from Westchester Community College , getting up close and personal over spring break meant getting good seats to hear a week's worth of discussions at the International Labour Organization convention in Geneva , Switzerland . Led by Anne D'Orazio, professor of law and history, the honor students from her international law and organizations class heard active cases before the ILO. This agency, made up of representatives from labor, government and employers, was established by the United Nations to set labor standards in all industries. "This is one organization that has as a base of its concerns the working conditions of labor," said D'Orazio, who is president of the Westchester CC Federation of Teachers. "It says it's a positive thing to be in a union." The labor representatives from the United States are from the AFL-CIO. The ILO writes standards for child labor and seafarers, agricultural workers and metal workers. Its conventions focus on the right to collective bargaining, hours of work, and health and safety issues for laborers. The ILO meets three times a year, for three weeks each time. The final week of each session is when issues come out of committee to the governing body as a whole, and audiences can hear discussions by using earphones in a special seating area. The tripartite ILO weighs how the rights of workers are being followed, and who is violating them. While it lacks an enforcement mechanism, the body has the weight of the UN behind it, carries significant moral stature and has the ability to expose conditions, D'Orazio said. Among the cases heard by students was whether a group of illegal immigrants from California was entitled to back wages. They also heard about the ongoing killing of trade unionists in Colombia — mostly teachers — and accusations of forced labor in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Details of each topic discussed at the convention are listed on the organization's Web site, www.ilo.org, along with updated labor news and information from around the world. "With the changes from national to international, it changes the whole outlook," D'Orazio said. "Students need to be involved in global context." The group also toured UN headquarters in Geneva and the history of war exhibit at Switzerland 's Red Cross Museum. — Liza Frenette |
| |
| | ||
