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Joint Communique of the First Meeting of the ASEAN Labour Ministers,
Jakarta, 1-3 April 1975 |
1. The First ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting was held in Jakarta from 1-3 April 1975, to insider areas of collaboration in the fields of labour and Manpower in the ASEAN member countries.
2. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Datuk Lee San Choon, Minister for Labour and Manpower of Malaysia; H.E. Mr. Blas F. Ople, Secretary of Labour of the Philippines; H.E. Mr. Ong Pang Boon, Minister for Labour of Singapore; Prof. Nikom Chandravithun, Ministerial Representative of Thailand; H.E. Prof. Subroto, Minister of Manpower, Transmigration and Co-operatives of Indonesia, and their Senior Officials.
3. The Ministers and the Ministerial Representative of Thailand were cordially received by H.E. the President, H.E. the Vice-President and H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
4. The Meeting was declared open by H.E. President Soeharto in a ceremony held at Bina Graha. H.E. the President addressed the distinguished gathering who attended the opening ceremony.
5. In his Address, H.E. President Soeharto emphasized the importance of the First ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting. This demonstrated the ever growing and deepening understanding that prevails among ASEAN member countries towards strengthening the achievements for regional progress, prosperity, peace and stability. He stated further that population and manpower problems constituted the key to social stability and well-being. A social problem confronted by one ASEAN member country would also pose a problem for other member countries. The successful completion of the task of the ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting would contribute to the establishment of stability and to the acceleration and smooth implementation of development programmes.
6. The President further touched upon common problems faced by developing countries and reiterated the necessity of tackling those problems for achieving spiritual as well as material well being. Population growth that surpassed national production could lead to social unrest bringing with it grave consequences. The challenges of population and manpower problems must be met by setting long term goals of controlling population growth through family planning programmes as well as creating new jobs through an overall development plan.
7. The President hoped that the ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting would succeed in finding an effective and efficient form of cooperation. He then expressed his sincere wish for a successful conclusion of the deliberations.
8. H.E. Prof. Subroto, Minister of Manpower, Transmigration and Cooperative of Indonesia and H.E. Mr. Blas F. Ople were unanimously elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.
9. The Meeting expressed its appreciation to the Indonesian Government for the initiative it had taken to convene and to host the First ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting and the Meeting of Senior officials of the ASEAN Labour Ministries.
10. The Meeting recognized that rapid population growth and the failure to create quickly new employment opportunities could affect adversely the stability of the region. The Meeting agreed to find solutions to these problems through collaboration in the field of labour and manpower.
11. The Meeting adopted the Report of the Meeting of Senior Officials of ASEAN Labour Ministries. The Meeting decided to establish an Ad-Hoc Committee to examine areas of collaboration in the field of labour and manpower and to suggest specific actions and projects. These include periodic or regular exchange of expertise in labour administration, seminars in specialized areas, such as industrial safety, manpower training, manpower planning, labour relations by tapping the resources of multilateral and non-governmental institutions such as United Nations Development Programme, the Friederich Ebert Stiftung, Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the publication of a newsletter as a medium of communication among ASEAN Ministers of Labour.
12. The Meeting agreed that the nature of the ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting is a permanent one that would meet in connection with the biennial conference of Asian Labour Ministers, while informal meetings will be held during the Meetings of the International Labour Conference in Geneva and the Asian Labour Ministers Meetings.
13. The Meeting agreed that ASEAN countries should consult each other and should emphasize technical cooperation among Asian countries at the Fifth Asian Labour Ministers Conference.
14. The Meeting accepted the kind offer of the Government of the Philippines to host the Second ASEAN Labour Ministers' Meeting in Manila in 1977.
15. The Meeting expressed its sincere appreciation to the people and Government of Indonesia, in particular to the Department of Manpower, Transmigration and Cooperatives, for the warm and generous hospitality accorded it, the excellent facilities provided and the efficient arrangements made.
16. The Meeting also expressed its appreciation to the Senior Officials of ASEAN Ministries of Labour and to the Secretariat of the Meeting for their commendable work.
17. The Meeting was held in the traditional ASEAN spirit and cordiality imbued with increased confidence in the future of ASEAN.
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