Brussels, 29/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has submitted to the World Trade Organisation a report on respect of working conditions legislation in the EU. the report notes that most EU Member States have ratified the eighteen ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions on basic working conditions, apart from the Czech Republic; Estonia and Latvia (the latter has not yet ratified the ILO convention on forced labour, which is 'surprising', notes the ICFTU in a press release).
EU Member States still experience serious discrimination problems, particularly sexual discrimination, with the pay gap between men and women being as high as 30% in some countries; and discrimination against minorities, a problem mainly found in new Member States where the Roma population is particularly discriminated against. In Slovenia, for example, unemployment amongst the Rom is as high as 90%. (Info: http: //http://www.icftu.org )