111th International Labour Conference 2023
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION
Plenary meeting address
Kris De Meester, Employer delegate Belgium

As Employer representative I very much support efforts to promote social justice and a just transition. To be able do so, the ILO needs to make full use of its tripartite experience and composition in responding to the challenge! And I stress the word TRIpartite! Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth… these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, energy supply, food security, employment creation, decent work, productive work, innovation, skills development, social protection. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.

Just transition, social justice, both contain the element “JUST”. Just requires a common, joint understanding of what the concepts ‘social justice’ and ‘just transition’ mean. A failure to achieve consensus will automatically be perceived as injustice in the eye of the beholder. And injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

So once again: build on tripartism! Respect the role of Employers’ and Workers’ organizations. Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, but working together is success. Tripartism is not just a pure talk-shop approach. It is not a mere ILO branding exercise.

Weather you now like it or not, businesses will be crucial to achieve that desired outcome. The ILO must better integrate and defend the critical contributions that business has made, is making and will continue to make in a just transition and on the pathway to social justice for all. Undermining, hindering, creating barriers with policies and practices discouraging private-sector involvement and investment is counter-productive and will make this precious contribution diminish or stop. Instead, we should focus on unleashing that potential!

The path forward is one of change and change requires trust. Are we ready for such a transition? Are we able and willing to change? I seriously doubt it. We have witnessed bad examples during this conference. Take the debates on labour protection, on the just transition, in the finance committee… characterised by a lack of trust, a lack of understanding and even a denial of facts. If bracketing is the main instrument, you know we are far from a genuine dialogue and consensus building.

If one group, or even a few members, are left out or spread fear, you build resistance. Resistance, according to the law of Ohm, leads to heating up the conductor. And forgive me the figure of speech, that is not something we want in times of climate change. Of course, not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. As long as some treat workers differently or disadvantage them, based on other things than their talent and potential, such as their gender, gender identity or gender expression, we fail in our mission.

It takes no compromise to give people their rights… it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no general survey to remove repression.

So never mind that noise you heard. It’s just the beasts under your bed, in your closet, in your head. Open your mind. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle. It takes the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. That is my appeal to you. Nothing can stop the power of committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet.

Libraries gave us power. Then work came and made us free. What price now for a shallow piece of dignity?