The following items have been tackled: trade unions action on disability; challenges and opportunities; ACTRAV Global Research on Trade Union actions and Decent work; how to use the results of the Survey; ITUC/PERC policy and recommendations for the unions on work with people with disabilities; how to strengthen trade union strategies and actions for decent work for people with disabilities; trade union action and partnerships with civil society organizations; global unions policy and actions on people with disabilities; legal frameworks; UN Convention , core concepts from international legislation to guide trade union work on disability issues; inclusive social protection systems for persons with disabilities, challenges and opportunities in rendering social protection systems inclusive; gender dimension in the action on decent work for people with disabilities; mobilization of human, financial and academic resources. Working groups were organized: on partnership with civil society organizations, working with employers organizations and social dialogue, how ILO can assist trade unions to make public and private enterprises more disability inclusive; trade union strategies on national , regional and international levels taking into considerations gender perspective.
The importance of effective application of ratified ILO and UN conventions regulating the employment of workers with disabilities has been particularly emphasized. In this context, the role of state labour inspection in enforcing national labour laws and of social partners in promoting respect for international standards and workplace compliance through social dialogue has also been stressed.
Some good practices of mainstreaming the protection of the rights and promoting the interests of people with disabilities through national dialogue and company level collective bargaining were presented by the participants. The same time, the areas for improvement and more effective inclusion of the interests of people with disabilities in trade union strategies and actions have been identified. It was mentioned that the unions can have more comprehensive strategies to extend their support beyond traditional target audience and reach out those that are most excluded, invisible and vulnerable.
The need to address existing gaps in the functioning of national social care systems and necessity of providing social workers with decent working conditions have been discussed on the example of Georgia and some of the other countries.
The participants to this three days conference reiterated the urgent need to support the current work on the future instrument against violence at work as women with disabilities are suffering from a triple discrimination: disability, poverty and gender.
The workshop benefited from the expertise of several ILO officials Stefan Tromel, ILO Gender Diversity Equality Geneva and Jasmina Papa, Social protection Specialist to the ILO office for Eastern Europe and central Asia. Other participants included Sergeyus Glovakas, Actrav Desk Officer for the region and Faustina Van Aperen, ACTRAV focal point on the issue of decent work for people with disabilities; Gocha Alesandria Actrav -ILO Moscow and Magnus Berge, Budapest Offices; ITUC/PERC representatives and leadership of AHIK.
