Ronnie Goldberg Archives

New IOE Position Paper Unpacks Thorny Labor Migration Challenges

Published on December 2, 2014
IOE Position Paper: International Labor Migration
IOE Position Paper: International Labor Migration

Sometimes described as the “unfinished business of globalization,” labor migration raises complex and sensitive political, human rights, economic and social concerns, as well as an array of legal and regulatory challenges. Migration accordingly occupies a prominent place on both national and multilateral policy agendas and in public discourse.

Against this backdrop the International Organization of Employers (IOE) has created a policy working group on international labor migration, chaired by USCIB’s senior counsel Ronnie Goldberg, charged with establishing the IOE position in the debate and with providing guidance to members and companies.

This policy working group recently issued a position paper which focuses on several aspects of international labor migration of immediate and practical concern to business.

“Labor migration, particularly the movement of highly skilled personnel and intra-company transfers, are key issues for USCIB companies,” said Goldberg. “Through IOE, we have s seat at the table and an opportunity to make our case in the many international bodies discussing this issue.”

In developed countries competition is increasing to recruit skilled immigrants to meet shortages in key industries. Employers are working with governments and other social partners to identify where skills shortages exist and proposing measures to rectify the situation.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

IOE Seeks Candidates for New Secretary General

Published on November 11, 2014

Following the recent resignation of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) secretary general, Brent Wilton, the IOE Management Board will appoint a successor.

The November 8, 2014 session of the Management Board has appointed a Selection Committee and approved a procedure to take the nomination process forward.

IOE President Daniel Funes de Rioja is inviting candidate submissions for the organization’s secretary general.

A profile of the ideal candidate may be downloaded here. The position is available immediately and is located in Geneva.

Please disseminate this opportunity and profile within your organization, and to others as you deem appropriate, and invite interested parties to submit their CV and cover letter to Funes in English either by email at president@ioe-emp.org, or to the address below, by December 8, 2014.

Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja
President
International Organization of Employers
71 avenue Louis Casaï
1216 Cointrin, Geneva
Switzerland

We thank you in advance on behalf of the IOE for your engagement in the selection process for identifying the most suitable candidate to head the organization’s secretariat.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

B20 Urges Turkish G20 Presidency to Focus on Job Creation

Published on November 4, 2014

4876_image002The G20 Employment Taskforce met today at the International Labor Organization to reflect on the expectations of labor and employment ministers and government sherpas in the run up to the handover of the G20 Presidency to Turkey on December 1.  Ronnie Goldberg, USCIB’s senior counsel, is participating in the taskforce.

Speaking for the B20 Human Capital Taskforce, International Organization of Employers President Daniel Funes de Rioja, and Erol Kiresepi, vice president of the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations (TISK) and member of the Turkish G20 Steering Board, outlined the expectations of the global business community.

Funes reiterated the longstanding employers’ call for structural reforms to many G20 labor markets, as well as the ongoing need to bridge the skills gap. These are “fundamental” to getting people back to work and overcoming the barriers to hiring.

“The B20 Human Capital Taskforce calls on governments to remove the barriers to offering diverse forms of employment,” said Funes. He went on to remind attendees that, despite a commitment by the G20 to embrace multiple forms of work, monitoring by the IOE and BIAC had revealed that eight G20 countries failed to take initiatives to fulfill this commitment, and four countries had restricted recourse to flexible forms of work. Disappointingly for business, the September labor ministerial in Melbourne had not renewed the earlier commitment.

When it came to the skills gap, the UK was cited for its successful reforms to the apprenticeship system, but there is “still a long way to go in some countries”. Funes recalled the work being done by the IOE-BIAC-initiated Global Apprenticeships Network (GAN) which provides a unique platform for businesses to share best practices on work-readiness programs that address both the skills mismatch and the youth unemployment crisis.

Looking forward to the Turkish presidency, Kiresepi called for a renewed focus on job by promoting an enabling environment for business, and particularly SMEs. He also welcomed his government’s proposal to include the demographic challenge on the agenda, which he likened to “a ticking time bomb”, threatening to jeopardize growth and employment if not properly addressed – including through “effective labor mobility policies.”

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

ILO Americas Delegates Agree to ProBusiness Lima Declaration

Published on October 23, 2014

The informal economy – unregulated, untaxed and often dangerous – is a barrier to development and economic growth. At this year’s 18th International Labor Organization Americas Regional Meeting in Lima, Peru (October 13 to 16), nearly 500 governments, worker and employer delegates agreed to the Lima Declaration, a series of measures to promote the fight against informality and inequality in the region.

They agreed on a package of labor and economic that promote social inclusion, decent work and productive employment as well as an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises.

In particular, the Lima Declaration urges governments to adopt the following ILO-supported policies over the next four years and beyond:

  1. Policies that promote an enabling environment for the creation and development of enterprises, in accordance with the resolution concerning the promotion of sustainable enterprises adopted by the International Labor Conference in 2007, including the principles of sustainable enterprises, free enterprise and respect for the right to private property
  2. Policies to diversify production based on industrial transformation towards products with higher value added, and
  3. Regional integration policies to promote wider trade markets and investment, with an emphasis on infrastructure, to increase the region’s competitiveness

With the presence of Jørgen Rønnest, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) vice president, Alberto Echavarría, employer vice president of the regional meeting,; Ronnie Goldberg, IOE vice president for North America and the Caribbean and USCIB senior counsel and Alexander Furlan, IOE vice president for Latin America, the Employers’ Group emphasized that most countries in the Americas should take decisive action through structural reforms to boost economic growth.

Governments should focus their efforts on structural reforms that lead to enhanced and sustained growth and productivity, that is: reforms to reduce the labor productivity gap that exists between the majority of Latin American countries and developed economies. The Employers Group also asked governments to undertake reforms that diversify production structures into sustainable and intensive knowledge- and technology-based activities that generate added value and quality jobs. Investments in infrastructure are also crucial for economic growth.

In the closing ceremony Juan Mailhos, employer delegate from Uruguay and a member of the ILO Governing Body, highlighted the group’s commitment to an ILO that has adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee


 
 
 

October 23, 2014

IOE: European Social Charter Must Support Job Creation

Adopted in 1961, the European Social Charter is an EU treaty that guarantees social and economic human rights, such as the rights to fair remuneration and safe working conditions.

Speaking at the High-Level Conference on the European Social Charter in Turin, Italy on October 17, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) Vice President for Europe, Renate Hornung-Draus said that the European Social Charter will only gain relevance if it supports reforms for job creation and sustainable social security systems. She warned that the way in which the supervisory bodies of the Council of Europe interpreted the principles of the European Social Charter was undermining its relevance for Member States.

Since 1990 many new member States have joined the Council of Europe. They have different economic and social challenges than the founding members. The interpretation of the European Social Charter by its Supervisory bodies has to be more responsive to their specific situation.

Hornung-Draus said: “The Social Charter will achieve its goal of promoting economic and social development only if its principles are implemented in a way that respect the variety of situations of Member States, and if they are conducive to the structural reforms and fiscal consolidation required by the changing economic and social context.”

Globalization, technological changes require open, dynamic and flexible labor markets and a commitment to life-long learning. In some European countries, where labor market regulation has not adapted to this changing context, very high unemployment, and especially youth unemployment, can only be properly addressed with profound structural labor market reforms.

In addition, social spending in some countries European countries has reached levels that overwhelm economic resources, leading to high public debt. Public debt crowds out investment, because social security systems in those countries become unsustainable in light of changing demographics. Fiscal consolidation in these countries is urgently required, not only to restore the credibility of financial markets and attract investment, but also as an act of social justice towards the young generation.

Staff contact: Ariel Meyerstein

More on USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee

USCIB’s Goldberg Contributes to New Report on Enhancing Security in Cross-Border Trade

Published on July 10, 2014

4781_image001The global economy has empowered criminals and terrorists on an international scale, and the challenge of preventing illicit activities has proven too much for traditional top-down government controls.

To better address this threat, the Stimson Center’s senior-level Partners in Prevention Task Force, which includes USCIB’s Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg, has endorsed seven proposals to advance both security and industry competitiveness by leveraging public-private partnerships that harness the power of decentralized, market-based incentives.

Targeted at U.S. industry and government stakeholders, the proposals follow an 18-month Stimson Center collaboration with hundreds of high-tech manufacturers and service providers, transport and logistics firms, and insurance providers. Several USCIB members participated in the project.

The report highlights several ways industry and government can collaborate to create a set of next-generation “trusted trader” regimes that facilitate legitimate trade and focus enforcement resources on higher-risk transactions. Task force members argue that “this is an especially opportune moment to act” on these ideas given the recently concluded WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the growing network of Mutual Recognition Arrangements among countries with Authorized Economic Operator programs. The report also addresses the U.S. government’s Export Control Reform Initiative, information sharing, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, and implementation of the International Trade Data System.

Goldberg commented: “There is increasing recognition of the importance of public-private partnerships.  Governments have a vital interest in bringing the experience, resources, and expertise of business to bear on the complex national security challenges posed by a globalized economy.”

“Ronnie brought deep subject matter expertise and an important ‘multi-stakeholder’ perspective to this effort,” said Brian Finlay, Stimson’s managing director. “She offered compelling insights on the economic, social, and security dynamics of an interdependent, global economy. She drew on many years of work with the OECD, International Chamber of Commerce, and ILO to convey the views of a diverse set of players at the national and international levels. But above all, she was a genuine pleasure to work with.”

Finlay continued: “We also benefited significantly from the expertise of some of Ronnie’s USCIB colleagues. In particular, we would like to thank Kristin Isabelli for her time and valuable substantive contributions. I hope Stimson has the good fortune to cross paths again soon with the USCIB team.”

Goldberg worked alongside task force chairman and former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology Jay Cohen (RADM, USN, Ret), as well as other industry leaders and national security experts, in shaping the recommendations.

An initiative of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Stimson Center, the group’s report was unveiled on May 29 in Washington, D.C. at an event featuring keynote remarks by senior White House advisor Rand Beers.

Staff contacts: Ronnie Goldberg and Kristin Isabelli

More on USCIB’s Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee

Business Actions Key to Advancing Womens Economic Empowerment

Published on June 24, 2014

Reports

 

(L-R) Michael Goltzman (the Coca-Cola Company), Ellie Bertani (Wal-Mart) , Ronnie Goldberg (USCIB), Nicole Primmer (BIAC), Madonna Jarrett (Deloitte), Justine Badimon (USCIB), Rachel Spence (USCIB)
(L-R) Michael Goltzman (the Coca-Cola Company), Ellie Bertani (Wal-Mart) , Ronnie Goldberg (USCIB), Nicole Primmer (BIAC), Madonna Jarrett (Deloitte), Justine Badimon (USCIB), Rachel Spence (USCIB)

Private sector initiatives remain key to driving the advancement of women in the workplace. But progress remains slow and uneven, according to Putting All our Minds to Work: An Assessment, a survey report released today by BIAC and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

The report, which assesses recent changes in corporate practice to advance women into leadership positions, follows the 2012 BIAC/AmCham Report and Toolkit: Putting All our Minds to Work: Harnessing the Gender Dividend.

As a follow-up to the survey report, women’s entrepreneurship served as the focus of a BIAC Workshop in Paris today, which brought together companies, entrepreneurs, governments and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) officials to discuss the challenges women face in starting and growing their businesses.

USCIB member companies – Wal-Mart, UPS and the Coca-Cola Company – contributed to the workshop and discussed their corporate programs that promote and support women’s entrepreneurship in the local communities in which they operate and within their supply chains. The companies highlighted the positive effects of supporting women-owned enterprises on their bottom line, emphasizing that the programs are not corporate social responsibility, but business initiatives.

USCIB’s Ronnie Goldberg, senior counsel and chair of BIAC’s Committee on Employment, Labor and Social affairs, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for BIAC to stimulate creative and innovative thinking on best practices and policies necessary to support women’s enterprises across all sectors of the economy.”

As cited in the survey report, over 66 percent of companies surveyed reported an increase in the percentage of women in executive leadership positions since 2010. Forty-seven percent have introduced policy and practice changes aimed at women at the managerial level, and 44 percent have done so for women in executive leadership positions.

Some of the most common practices cited by companies to advance women in the workplace include “high potential development plans,” workplace flexibility policies, inclusive leadership development, mentorship and provisions for parental leave.

Despite progress, more than half of the respondents hand not recently introduced new plans to encourage women’s advancement in their workplace.

“The survey results show that while progress is being made, more effort is required across the board before organizations can generate greater economic empowerment of women,” said Bernhard Welschke, secretary general of BIAC. “Neither economies nor companies can afford to miss out on the contributions of women. Progress depends on senior leadership in business and government, as well as in society working together to support women in the workforce and encouraging them as entrepreneurs.”

The greatest catalysts for change within organizations are the CEO, senior managers and the Board, while laws, political leadership and corporate governance were seen as comparatively more promising in markets without female hiring quotas, and the media and academia in markets with quotas, all pointing to the fact that more must and can be done.

The survey also found that 22 percent of surveyed companies reported losing women from leadership positions through voluntary resignations. Reasons cited included better opportunities elsewhere or lack of promotion or career development challenges.

The reasons given for women leaving the workplace suggest the current business environment is not providing the majority of female employees’ adequate support.

“Talented women are making their own choices – and too many are choosing simply to step off the corporate ladder believing further advancement is not available to them. This has to change and change needs leadership,” said Steve Almond, chairman of Deloitte Global. “Business leaders must own the issue of gender diversity instead of pushing the job off to Human Resources; they need to move beyond declarations to substantive engagement, providing sponsors, coaches and mentors to help talented women achieve their true potential. This is not about lowering the hurdle; it is about encouraging women to stay the course to give themselves the chance of clearing the hurdle.”

The report and workshop will be followed by continued work from BIAC and USCIB on advancing women’s economic empowerment in coordination with the OECD Recommendation of the Counsel on Gender Equality and as a lead up to their future work in this area, especially in regard to supporting women’s entrepreneurship.

View the Workshop Photos (flickr).

Watch Goldberg’s closing remarks (YouTube).

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg and Justine Badimon

 

 

Honoring Ed Potter at the IOE Leaders Summit

Published on June 20, 2014
Ed Potter (Coca-Cola) addressed the ILO Conference in Geneva on June 10.
Ed Potter (Coca-Cola) addressed the ILO Conference in Geneva on June 10.

The 103rd International Labor Conference wrapped up last week in Geneva, concluding the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) high-level deliberations that brought together government delegates from the organization’s 185 member states, representatives from workers’ organizations and employers’ organizations to discuss a wide range of employment and workforce development issues.

During the International Organization of Employers (IOE) Leaders’ Summit, the Employers’ Group paid tribute to Ed Potter, the employers’ spokesperson, thanking him for his many years of expertise and service to the employer cause at the International Labor Conference.

Potter serves chairs USCIB’s Labor and Employment Committee and is the director of global workplace rights at The Coca-Cola Company. After three decades of championing business at the ILO Conference, Potter will retire next year. His work in this year’s discussion on forced labor was described as “masterful.”

At the proposal of Peter Woolford of the Canadian Employers’ Council, Potter received a standing ovation from the Employers’ Group at the IOE Leaders’ Summit for his many years of dedication, expertise and service. Looking back at 1980, when Potter’s ILO Conference career kicked off, Woolford reminisced that the Berlin Wall still stood, Lech Walesa was making waves in Poland, two guys were working in a garage in California on something that would become a fruit-branded personal computer, and Swedish pop band Abba was at the top of the charts; appropriately with “Super Trouper.”

USCIB held a dinner on June 11 in Geneva at the Cercle de la Terasse, hosted by USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson, in honor of both Potter and USCIB Senior Counsel Ronnie Goldberg, who had been reelected as U.S. member of the ILO Governing Body. Robinson and USCIB Vice President for Labor Affairs Ariel Meyerstein toasted Potter and Goldberg “for their decades of service representing business and employers, working in tripartite partnership to promote economic growth, job creation and social development.”

Guests included ILO Director General Guy Ryder, IOE Secretary General Brent Wilton, IOE Chairman Daniel Funes de Rioja, and other colleagues from the government, business, and trade union communities.

Read the IOE’s Report on the 103rd International Labor Conference.

Staff contacts: Ronnie Goldberg and Ariel Meyerstein

More on USCIB’s Labor & Employment Committee

Jørgen Rønnest Elected Employers Vice Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body

Published on June 17, 2014

The International Organization of Employers announced on Monday that Vice President of the ILO Jørgen Rønnest of Denmark was elected employers’ vice chairperson of the ILO Governing Body. USCIB is the American Affiliate of the International Organization of Employers.

Rønnest worked for over a decade in the Danish Ministry of Finance as an economist and expert on the European Union. His international career includes three years as financial attaché to the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Following six years as chief economist at Danske Bank, Rønnest served as director for international affairs at the Confederation of Danish Employers. He has sat at the IOE Management Board as the voice of Nordic Employers for four years.

“I am honored and delighted to be assuming the important role of leading the representation of business and employers in the ILO,” Rønnest said at his election on June 13. “The Employers’ Group has contributed significantly in recent years to reforming the organization to meet the expectations of the constituents and the challenges of the future. I look forward to continuing this work in the run up to the ILO’s centenary and would like to thank the group for the confidence they have placed in me.”

IOE Secretary General Brent Wilton added: “The global employer community is privileged to have Jørgen, with his breadth of knowledge and experience, as their principal interlocutor in the ILO he enjoys their unanimous support.”

USCIB’s Ronnie Goldberg was recently re-elected to the ILO’s Governing Body and serves as an IOE regional vice president.

Staff contact: Ronnie Goldberg

More on USCIB’s Labor & Employment Committee

Calls for Education Reform at IOE Leaders Summit

Published on June 11, 2014
Peter Robinson (USCIB)
Peter Robinson (USCIB)

The International Organization of Employers (IOE) Leaders’ Summit wrapped up on Tuesday in Geneva, featuring business organization leaders from around the world who addressed key barriers to business sustainability. The summit took place during the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conference, which focused on closing the workforce skills gap and reforming the labor market. USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the IOE.

Three panel discussions were chaired by new IOE President Daniel Funes de Rioja and moderated by Blaise Matthey, secretary general of the Business Federation of Western Switzerland.

“Our educational system needs to catch up with the advances we’ve made in technology”

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson delivered remarks during the first panel, titled “Predicting the Unpredictable: Skills for the 21st Century.”

Robinson outlined some of the challenges employers and workers face as a result of rapidly developing technologies – such as the possibility of machines displacing human workers – and made the case for education reforms that will equip the workforce with the skills necessary to thrive in the digital economy.

In order to address the challenges posed by new technologies, Robinson argued that the education system must instill future employees with the character traits necessary to succeed in the new economy: curiosity, enthusiasm, a strategic mindset and the ability to construct systems that leverage vast computational power. Old teaching methods, such as rote memorization and test-taking, will not be as valuable.

Robinson also called for an improved connection between school-based learning and work-based training, with more sensible and coherent apprenticeship and internship programs, and made the case for lifelong learning rather than the front-end-loading of education. Companies must also develop training programs that prepare workers for both current and future jobs.

“We also need governments and the private sector to work together to provide the kind of robust infrastructure needed to access the transformational power of the Internet and other technologies.” Robinson said, and cited the Colombian government’s recent efforts to upgrade citizens’ access to Internet through a broadband rollout program as a good model.

“We need to prepare ourselves as best we can, working together to help determine what people need to learn for the 21st-century workplace. And we need to get started right now,” Robinson concluded.

Read Robinson’s full remarks.

Staff contacts: Ronnie Goldberg
and Ariel Meyerstein

More on USCIB’s Labor & Employment Committee

USCIB Represents American Employers at ILO Conference

Published on June 9, 2014

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peopleUSCIB represented American employers at the 103rd Session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva from May 28 to June 12. The International Labor Conference is the highest decision-making body of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which brings together government delegates from the organization’s 185 member states, representatives from workers’ organizations and employers’ organizations such as the International Organization of Employers (IOE). USCIB is the American affiliate of the IOE.

USCIB’s Senior Council Ronnie Goldberg and Vice President of Labor Affairs, Corporate Responsibility and Governance Ariel Meyerstein were among those representing U.S. employers at the ILO Conference.

“Historic Opportunity for the Global Business Community to Put Its Stamp on Human Rights”

On June 9, the ILO Forced Labor Committee successfully completed a new recommendation and protocol, which will supplement the 1930 Forced Labor Convention. The new protocol will address gaps on human trafficking.

Speaking on Wednesday during the Forced Labor Committee discussions, Employer Spokesperson Ed Potter (Coca-Cola) told attendees that the committee’s work is a “historic opportunity for the business community to put its stamp on human rights.”

Read Potter’s statement.

Goldberg Re-elected to ILO GB with Highest Number of Votes Among Standing Candidates

At the ILO Conference, USCIB’s Goldberg represented the IOE Management Board and stood for re-election to the Governing Body of the ILO and reappointment as an IOE regional vice president. She also participated in the International Labor Conference Committee on Employment, which focused on setting ILO employment priorities. Goldberg was re-elected to the governing body with the highest number of votes among all candidates standing. A full list of recently elected ILO Governing Body members can be found on the IOE website. They will serve from 2014 to 2017.

ILO Workers’ Representatives Block Conclusions in the Committee on Application of Standards

In a disappointing move over the weekend, the Workers’ Group announced it would block draft conclusions in the Committee on the Application of Standards. It blocked proceedings because the Workers’ Group refused to accept any language that indicates disagreement over including the right to strike in this convention.

The IOE website reports: “Employers find it very difficult to understand why the Workers refuse to have acknowledged in the conclusions perfectly legitimate differing points of view – a normal practice in any tripartite discussion.”

ILO Director General Guy Ryder Gives “Honest Appraisal” of Employers’ Group Reform

At a June 4 meeting of the ILO Employers’ Group, Guy Ryder, the director general of the ILO, announced he would deliver an “honest appraisal” of the ILO reform to the group. He noted positive developments, with the ILO “beginning to work in new, different and better ways.” He also acknowledged Employers’ Group’s role in bringing beneficial reform to the ILO Governing Body.

– Read more on the IOE website

USCIB Weighs In on Transition to Formal Economy

During the ILO Conference, USCIB’s Meyerstein participated in the Committee on the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy. The committee serves as a two-year standard setting process that will lead to a recommendation from the ILO to member states on how to manage this transition, which affects a huge proportion of the global economy in both developed and developing countries.

In consultation with a global group of national employer representatives, USCIB is advocating for a general framework that recognizes the diversity of national experiences and recommends gradual and progressive transition strategies that are built upon establishing legal relationships between employers, employees and the state.  Establishing these legal relationships is the necessary precursor to expanding national capacity to implement and enforce ILO labor standards and social protections.

Meyerstein noted that transition strategies should remove barriers to entry into the formal economy presented by over-burdensome regulatory frameworks, present appropriate support and incentives to make transition easy for enterprises and continue to provide them an enabling environment for sustainable growth.

Staff contacts: Ronnie Goldberg and Ariel Meyerstein

More on USCIB’s Labor & Employment Committee