Changing World Leads to Employer Organizations

A few centuries ago the world remained very much the same during an individual's lifetime. Very little change occurred from generation to generation. However, in the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution, which began in England as the process of change from an agrarian, handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture, began to spread to other parts of the world, and the age of rapid change was born.

An example of this rapid change can be seen in a statement published over 20 years ago, in 1979, - "It is believed that 90 percent of all scientist who have ever lived are alive now, and that as many scientific papers have been published in the years since 1950 as were published in all the centuries before 1950."

One of the things about change that is quite clear is that it cannot be predicted. For example, the most popular exhibit in the 1939-40 New York World's Fair was the General Motors exhibit with its "Futurama" predictions of America in the 1960s, such as: "Federal laws forbid wanton cutting of wooded hillsides. People do not care much for possessions. Two-month paid vacations. Cars are air-conditioned and cost as little as $200. The happiest people live in one-factory villages."

The well known saying, "the only constant is change" is a reflection of our times. At no other time in history have there been so many changes that affect the masses. Depending upon our age, we can think back and remember the time when cell phones did not exist, before the age of the Internet, fax machines, desktop computers, microwave ovens, office calculators, copying machines, television sets, air conditioners, and the list goes on.

Many of the things we take for granted, and can't imagine our life without, were unknown less than a lifetime ago. For those of you who don't remember Johnny Carson, he was the guy before Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. In an interview with an old farmer, Johnny Carson asked the question, "What was the biggest change that occurred in farming during your lifetime?" The farmer thought a few seconds and responded, "Electricity". From the reaction of Johnny Carson it was apparent that he did not expect the answer to be something that is thought of as so fundamental to our everyday lives.

Changes brought about by advances in technology brought about economic, social and cultural changes as well. On the heels of the Industrial Revolution the influence of Trade Union Organizations became very strong. During the late 1800's and early 1900's the reaction to the strength of trade unions was the development of National Employer Organizations (NEOs). The development of NEOs allowed the next logical step to be the formation of tripartite bodies, with participation of governments, employers and workers. For the first time governments accepted social partners to partially share power with them in the area of the countries' socio-economic development.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN agency from 1946, is tripartite in that it comprises representatives of government, representatives of organized workers and representatives of organized employers. In order for a country to be a member of the ILO, all three social partners, i.e., workers, employers and government, must exist. The Bahamas is a member of the ILO and the Bahamas Employers Confederation is the NEO recognized as the voice of employers in The Bahamas by the ILO.

Like the ILO, employer organizations and worker organizations have representation at regional and international levels. On a regional level BECon is a member of the Caribbean Employers' Confederation (CEC) and at the international level BECon is a member of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).

International Organisation of Employers Vision for the ILO

At its General Council meeting in Geneva on the 27th of May, 2008 the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) was presented with an Employers' vision for the International Labour Organization (ILO) which sets out the key employer policy priorities. In a press release IOE President Ambassador Abraham Katz stressed that the key role of the private sector in terms of national economic and social development was recognized and that this recognition reinforced the important role employers have in assisting the ILO to achieve its objectives.

He continued, "To facilitate that participation however, the employers needed an ILO equipped and focused on the policies that impact on labour markets and workplaces in a globalizing world. The ILO has a comparative advantage in such policy areas and we need to help the ILO avoid the temptation of spreading itself too widely and in too many areas. This means an ILO that focuses on the strength of its unique tripartism, that promotes entrepreneurship and enterprise creation, the two means by which work can be created and sustained, and that helps workers be more employable and productive, through education, skills development and training. Productive participation in the labour market is key to alleviating poverty and social disadvantage. We face many challenges in the world of work today, but we are serious in our belief that an ILO that puts work back in the centre of its priorities is an ILO that can make the most positive contribution to the labour and social policy concerns we all have. We look forward to working with the ILO Director-General and his Office over the coming months in order to realize this vision in the work of the ILO and by doing so helping to improve the positive impact of the ILO on the lives of real people at work".

The IOE Press Release is available on BECon's website:
http://bahamasemployers.org/documents/080527ioepressrelease.pdf

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