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This column, by Klaus Loercher of Global Labour University, which is edited by CSID at Wits University, looks at the proceedings of the tripartite meeting at the ILO where Convention No. 158 on the termination of employment was discussed. Convention No. 158 sets conditions that employers should adhere to before terminating an employee’s contract – for instance by providing valid reasons for the termination. The employers are proposing that Convention No. 158 be… abolished! In essence, they argue that they should not be required to tell employees why they are being fired. Their main contention is that the costs of prior consultation with employees are be too high. Loercher argues convincingly that this is a hostile proposal which amounts to an attack on a key pillar of social peace and human dignity. Klaus Lörcher is a former legal adviser of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), a former head of the International and European Law Department of the United Services Union (ver.di), Germany, and a former Legal secretary of the Civil Service Tribunal of the European Union.
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