Kari Tapiola has been with the ILO since 1996. The Finnish labour expert and former unionist served as Deputy Director-General and Executive Director from 1996 to 2010. Since October 2010 he has been Special Adviser to the Director-General of the ILO.

Kari Tapiola worked in Finland as a journalist (1966-1972) and as the Political Secretary of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1972. He was International Secretary of the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) in 1972. Before joining the Office Mr. Tapiola was a member of the ILO’s Governing Body, representing the Nordic Workers, for five years. He attended his first International Labour Conference as a Workers' delegate of Finland in 1974. In the Conferences 1991-1996 he was Workers' Vice-President of the Resolutions Committee.

In 1973 the International Labour Organization adopted the Convention on Minimum Age for Admission to Employment (C138). In 1973, Kari Tapiola was 27 olds and had just joined the Confederation of Finnish Trade Unions. He attended his first international labour conference as a Workers' delegate of Finland in 1974.

In this extract, Kari Tapiola tells us why the ILO’s work on this Convention on Minimum Age was important for European trade unions. He mentions the example of the German minister Norbert Blüm and his work. For almost 20 years, the former Minister of Labour of Germany was Chairman of a Foundation Board of Children's rights protection. One commitment was the fight against exploitative child labour. In this take, Kari Tapiola talks about the position of trade unions against social dumping in the context of economic globalization, that have put workers from developed countries in competition with cheaper workers from developing countries, including juvenile workforce.

To listen to the first part of the interview, click here, and to listen to the full interview of Kari Tapiola, please click here.

Photo by David Glaser