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ILO union says agency management hypocritical

GENEVA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Staff of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Wednesday forced postponement of a meeting of the agency's governing board in a dispute over job security, hiring and collective bargaining.

And Chris Land-Kazlauskas, staff union committee head at the ILO which aims to improve working conditions around the globe, said employees would vote on November 16 whether to strike if a solution was not found by then.

The dispute -- over job security, hiring and collective bargaining -- came to a head as the ILO was calling on leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) countries meeting in Seoul on Thursday and Friday to create millions of better jobs.  

"We believe it is hypocritical that the ILO cannot apply inside its own walls the policies that it promotes to the G20, the International Monetary Fund and to governments, employers and workers the world over," said Land-Kazlauskas.

He said the union committee had staged a protest on Wednesday that prevented governing board members now holding a two-week session on overall agency issues from meeting, but was now seeking negotiations with them on the row.

The management of the agency, whose director-general Juan Somavia is currently in the South Korean capital Seoul for the G20 gathering, said it was seeking a further year of talks with the union on a new hiring agreement.

It made no further comment on the staff action or on the union accusations.

 Land-Kazlauskas said a meeting of the staff union on Wednesday had told the committee to seek an agreement with the governing board by November 16. "We will meet again then and if there is no solution will vote on a strike," he added.

If that goes ahead, it would be the first-ever in the 90-year-old agency which has shaped and supervised many global agreements on ensuring decent working conditions, on salary structures and freedom for labour unions.  

On its website, the ILO says its main aims "are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues." (Reporting by Robert Evans)