November 2001 - The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (the oldest UN agency) at its 282nd session held November 2001 in Geneva, approved its first Code of practice on managing disability in the workplace.
The objective of this Code is to provide practical guidance on the management of disability issues in the workplace with a view to:
Starting with the signing of a joint ILO/NIDMAR collaboration agreement, co-signed by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia in May 1998, the Institute, together with committed stakeholders from many constituencies across Canada and internationally, has played a significant role in the development of this excellent achievement.
The Institute's primary contribution was a dedicated Code of Practice for Disability Management which, through a collaborative process involving employers, workers, governments, people with disabilities and providers from across Canada, offered a consensus-based blueprint defining roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders in the Return to Work and Disability Management process.
Brian Payne of the CEP Union of Canada and NIDMAR Labour Co-chair together with Mike Rushby of Weyerhaeuser Company and NIDMAR Employer Co-Chair, while welcoming the approval of the Code, stressed that "Our challenge now is to convert words into measurable outcomes. The best intended, researched and defined framework won't add much value unless we, as employers and unions adopt the Code's principles and commit to its implementation wherever possible. Continued government support will be equally critical and we collectively cannot rest until and unless we measurably reduce the social and economic costs of disabilities to workers, employers and society."
Brian Payne and Mike Rushby also used the opportunity to thank Michael Carleton and Andrew King for their commitment in bringing this Code to fruition. "Andy, through his efforts in leading the development of the Canadian Code and being the spokesperson for the worker representatives at the ILO expert meeting and Mike, (as the representative of the Government of Canada), in chairing the overall expert meeting in Geneva, have made a lasting and tremendous contribution and on behalf of the Institute, we thank them for their valuable efforts."
The Institute's contribution to this landmark Code of Practice would not have been possible but for the support, commitment and dedication of the Labour program at HRDC, both its staff and the Honourable Minister Claudette Bradshaw, who was pleased to see ILO Governing Body approval of the Code.
Minister Bradshaw welcomed this development as very timely for Canada in the context of the current Employment Equity Act review. "I am confident that effective promotion of the Code and knowledge of its values, principles and guidelines will offer employers, unions and governments a well-researched, optimum practice framework which will effectively contribute to higher participation and improved return to work for people with disabilities."
Published copies of the ILO Code should be available early in the new year (it can be downloaded from the ILO's website at www.ilo.org the publication is TMEMDW/2001/2) and ILO officials will be delivering a keynote address as well as workshops on the Code at the First International Forum on Disability Management scheduled to take place in Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 27-29, 2002. The Forum is being organized by an international steering group comprised of senior representatives from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States and the International Labour Office in Geneva with the purpose of bringing together key leaders and practitioners of innovative and cutting-edge Disability Management research, design and practice to further the development of consensus based Disability Management programs and policies around the world.
