Labour Standards to Boost Exports: ILO Experts

3:26:20 PM | 7/8/2005

Vietnamese enterprises need to comprehensively understand international labour standards (LS) when exporting their products, especially to the two large markets of the European Union and the US. This was the major issue discussed at the seminar held in Hanoi on August 26 by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Enterprises that effectively apply LSs will enjoy non-tariff preferences and their products will be provided with “passports” to enter foreign markets.

Tim De Meyer, expert in charge of international LS and ILO’s East Asia Sub-region Office’s labour law, stressed that LS partly contributes to enhancing the social balance and is a kind of social commitment for avoiding unfair competition.

Ms Anne Knowles, senior manager of the Employer Office for Asia Pacific affirmed that the implementation of LSs is one of the prerequisites for enterprises to enjoy tariff reduction or exemption, free exchanges of goods and labour forces between nations, and a consistency of policies, standards and labour conditions.