Mr President,

Excellencies,

Director-General Guy Ryder,

Workers’ and employers’ representatives,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The fairness of a society and how much it values individuals is also and particularly visible in its working conditions. Are people viewed only as factors of production – or can they pursue their potential and develop their talents? Do they earn enough to lead a dignified life? What about health and safety in the workplace?

It has always been the goal of the International Labour Organization to establish humane working conditions. ILO member countries jointly endeavour to promote such conditions. It is indeed the business sector that must serve the individual – not the other way around. I think this is the key principle that we must keep reminding ourselves of – especially in an age of increasing globalisation. That is why I want to thank you very much, Director‑General Ryder, for inviting me to speak here today.

This is the 108^th session of the International Labour Conference – and it is a very special one. Because this is also the high point of the celebrations marking the centenary of the ILO. I want to extend my special congratulations on this birthday – to you, to the organisation and to all those who feel committed to the ILO’s mission and objectives, namely, advancing social justice and promoting decent work. Incidentally, this is not the first centenary that I have been able to celebrate with you. I fondly recall my visit eight years ago. It was on the occasion of the 100^th International Labour Conference.

The International Labour Organization is needed as much today as it was in its early days one hundred years ago. At the end of the First World War, the delegates to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference discussed not only the demarcation of borders, redistribution of territories, responsibility for the war and reparations. They also talked about the rights of workers. Social issues were fully part of the peace process – and that was a very far‑sighted decision. As a result, 1919 saw the founding of not only the League of Nations, but also the International Labour Organization. This opened a new chapter in cooperation between states.

How can we preserve peace? The ILO has a clear answer – through social justice. The Preamble of the ILO Constitution states that the High Contracting Parties are “moved by sentiments of justice and humanity as well as by the desire to secure the permanent peace of the world.” This desire, however, would soon prove ill fated. In 1939, only two decades later, Germany unleashed the Second World War. Along with Germany's betrayal of all civilised values that was the Shoa, the war brought horror, loss of life and crimes against humanity that had never been seen before.

It is therefore impossible to overstate the importance of the fact that, once the horrors ended, far‑sighted women and men set about building a peaceful order in Europe. A historic stroke of luck, great political acumen and a far‑sighted strategy – all of these terms aptly describe the developments at the time. Over the next decades, these developments would set in motion the process of European integration and the establishment of an international peaceful order. First and foremost, this gave rise to the United Nations and, with it, the International Labour Organization, as a specialised UN agency.

Over the years, the number of member countries has grown steadily – from an initial 32 to 187 today. With the growth in membership, the political weight of the ILO also increased. The International Labour Organization has a unique tripartite structure. It is a forum in which governments’, employers’ and workers’ representatives have been meeting for one hundred years now to agree on joint rules for decent working conditions – and to monitor their observance. Germany’s social market economy is closely modelled on this shared responsibility of workers, employers and governments. Even though not all present‑day member countries have labour organisations and workers’ unions that feel duty‑bound to assume a share of the responsibility, I do believe the mission of the International Labour Organization is very far‑sighted and focused on the future.

In 1969, on the organisation’s 50^th birthday, the ILO was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Director‑General at the time, David A. Morse, remarked that “even though, as an organisation, we can look back on a 50‑year history, our task has only just begun.” In fact, even after one hundred years, we can say that there still is an incredible amount of work to be done – unfortunately. Even today, as we mark the ILO's 100^th birthday, there is no denying that the mission to promote decent working conditions remains an urgent one.

Tomorrow, 12 June, serves as yet another reminder. It is the World Day Against Child Labour. Since it was founded, the International Labour Organization has been combating child labour. In its current campaign, the ILO is demanding that “Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams.” Yet, what many children experience instead is a nightmare. More than 152 million children around the world are forced to work. Nearly half are only five to eleven years old. 73 million children are even performing dangerous labour. This is a situation that we can in no way accept. We must all join together to fight this injustice.

In our closely interconnected world, we need to get much better at turning economic growth into true social progress – progress from which everyone, including children, can benefit. Many, however, feel that developments are moving in the opposite direction. They are under the impression that, while globalisation makes many people rich, it also causes social inequality to rise.

Labour migrants in particular are often in a difficult situation in the world of work. According to ILO estimates, there are 232 million labour migrants worldwide. Millions have been, and continue to be, exploited – on construction sites, in the agricultural sector and as domestic servants. Many are abused and live in slave‑like conditions; they can do either nothing or next to nothing to protect themselves. Some 700 million workers worldwide live in poverty and are forced to live on less than 3.20 US dollars a day. It is no coincidence that the eighth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda calls for both decent work and economic growth.

Injustice and discrimination in the workplace are painful reminders of how pertinent the ILO Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 is even today. Among the fundamental principles it underscores are the following: “Labour is not a commodity. [...] poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere; the war against want requires to be carried on with unrelenting vigour within each nation, and by continuous and concerted international effort [...].” It is precisely this continuous and concerted effort that is demonstrated by the International Labour Organization. It campaigns for workplace safety and against discrimination, both in personnel selection and on the job. It promotes gender equality and thereby strengthens the role of women. It fosters social dialogue. It fights against forced labour and human trafficking. It is the ILO that time and again draws attention to injustice, conducts programmes to address it around the world and monitors compliance with decent working and social standards.

Many of the problems that the ILO has been fighting and addressing for one hundred years persist to this day – unfortunately, and despite all of the progress. On another note, with advance of digital technology, we are increasingly witnessing the most radical transformation of our world of work since the industrial revolution. Companies often choose to outsource their digital work. Many tasks are being performed on platforms, such as translation into foreign languages or the editing of image files. Even though the development of new technologies will not reduce the importance of human work and there will be plenty of work to go around, the nature of those tasks will change time and again, and new professional qualifications will be needed. This issue is on many people’s minds – also in Germany. People are asking themselves if their skills will be enough to keep up, if their profession is future‑proof, if their job will be cut – and, if it is, where they can find comparable follow-on work. These are big and serious questions – which means they are also big and serious challenges for policy‑makers.

As if this were not enough, modern technology is changing not only our labour options, but also how and where we work – whether it be in a company, at home or on the go. This of course gives rise to certain expectations of workers and employers. Remote work can help us better combine work and family life – just as it can increase job‑related demands, because we are always available. This means we need to completely rethink many aspects related to working conditions – also because the traditional relationship between employers and workers is being transformed. How can a platform be called on to respect workers’ rights? How can or should human and artificial intelligence complement one another? How is the further training that people need being guaranteed?

In Germany, we have drawn up a further‑training strategy that is being presented today and that we will soon be adopting in the cabinet. Many countries around the world are doing the same. It is a good thing that the International Labour Organization takes these issues very seriously. It has established an independent Global Commission on the Future of Work, which has been tasked with finding adequate answers to these questions.

Of course, we are also addressing these issues at the level of the European Union. In recent months, we have repeatedly examined proposals on the social dimension of Europe, such as a legislative proposal for establishing a European Labour Authority, and a Directive on work‑life balance for parents and carers. A minimum wage is another current topic in the European Union. Germany has a minimum wage, and so do many other member states. Now, we need to see how we can achieve comparable minimum wages that take into account the different living standards in our countries. At any rate, it is obvious that there must be minimum standards for work, in the European Union and elsewhere.

Because our economies are based on the division of labour and highly interdependent, we absolutely need reliable international cooperation and common rules. That is as true for Europe as it is around the world. I say this with regard to not only the International Labour Organization, but also the World Trade Organization. I will also mention the G7 and G20 formats, in which Germany is strongly engaged, especially when it comes to campaigning for good working conditions. Without a doubt, the leading industrialised nations of the world greatly benefit from globalisation and the international division of labour. That is why these countries, the industrialised nations, have a special responsibility not only to ensure fair working conditions at home, but also to campaign for these working conditions abroad, all along the global supply and value chains.

A good example of this is the Vision Zero Fund that was adopted in 2015 during Germany’s Presidency of the G7 – a global prevention fund that aims to provide better health protection and to prevent work‑related injuries. I am very grateful that the ILO is implementing the Vision Zero Fund. Initial projects are already under way – including in Myanmar, Laos, Ethiopia and Madagascar. In each of these countries, the governments decide together with the social partners what workplace safety projects are to be promoted by the Fund.

In the G7 and the G20, we also pay special attention to how we can strengthen the status of women in business and society around the world, especially in poorer countries. With this in mind, the G7 and G20 have decided to work to promote equal and better access for women to the labour market. This includes further advancing the vocational qualification of women in developing countries. However, in some industrialised countries, as well, there is much room for improvement on gender equality in the business sector. In Germany, the share of women in supervisory boards increased to one‑third only when we passed a law to that effect. This became necessary because the various voluntary commitments in the private sector had not borne fruit. Even today, none of the largest industrial corporations have a woman as their top executive. This can and must not continue. A female Chancellor will not make up for stagnation in the private sector on this issue.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ILO demonstrates every year with its International Labour Conference how much progress we can make through multilateral action – and the extent to which we depend on such action. Government representatives from 187 countries, as well as employer and worker representatives, get together to develop labour standards and social norms and to monitor their application and observance.

The focus of this year’s International Labour Conference is on drawing up an ILO centenary declaration on the future of work. I very much welcome this initiative. The intention is to set guidelines for the world of work, against the background of the rapid pace of globalisation and the digital transformation, and in view of the challenges of climate change and demographic change. I predict that, in the lead‑up to the final document, there will be long, tough discussions. But it would certainly not be the first time that the ILO is able to demonstrate that it has the power that is necessary to reach a compromise.

Ladies and gentlemen, because this international system of multilateral cooperation is currently under threat – due to many insisting that “we’re better off on our own” – I want to clearly state that compromise is part and parcel of international cooperation. Compromise itself should not be attacked. Rather, it offers the possibility to achieve a common result that incorporates different points of view from around the world. Compromise will hardly give an individual one hundred percent of what he or she wants. But compromise does enable collective progress. The ILO has delivered proof of the ability to compromise over the course of its 100‑year history, and has made this its model for success.

Delegates to the past 107 International Labour Conferences have time and again managed to translate their values into conventions and recommendations. The outcome is a comprehensive and universally applicable system of norms for a world of work that is based on justice. In addition to 205 recommendations, they have adopted 189 conventions. No doubt – as I have said before – much remains to be done. But without these 189 conventions, our world would be much worse off. They set out four fundamental principles, namely freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced or compulsory labour, the abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination. These fundamental principles are described in detail in eight conventions. More than 140 ILO member countries, including Germany, have ratified all eight of these fundamental principles and rights at work. It would be good if the remaining member countries – and there are more than 40 of them – could also bring themselves to ratify it.

Ladies and gentlemen, decent work with good working conditions that enables people to live a good life – I am sure that many roads will get us to this destination. However, too many people in the world still do not have the opportunity to reach it. Too many face insurmountable obstacles on this path. That is why, compared to one hundred year ago, the basic situation has not changed. We still need the committed efforts of the International Labour Organization. I have always been a strong proponent of this organisation, like many others, getting involved in the G20 process; it ensures that they stay in direct contact. We need social peace. We need fair working conditions. We need to protect human dignity.

The ILO has achieved a great deal. I would like to sincerely congratulate it on this. Yet, at the same time, it has its work cut out for it. I hope your accomplishments will spur you on to keep up your efforts and enthusiastically tackle your next challenges, even though the framework for your engagement has changed.

I want to say a special word of thanks to those individuals who – on a daily basis and often far from the headlines of the world’s major newspapers and the internet – do the hard negotiating, struggling to dot the i’s and cross the t’s: Thank you for the work that you do – because it benefits many people who can now hope to improve their working conditions or have the right to insist on better working conditions.

Germany will remain an active ILO member. You have the principle of human dignity, and human rights, on your side. And that is why you are fighting for the right cause. I would like to say this to all governments, and to all employers’ and workers’ representatives. I wish you all the best. We will support you in this fight.

Thank you very much indeed.