The 104th session of the International Labour Conference was held at the ILO Headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland) on 1-13 June 2015. ILO Director-General opened a Conference with a presentation: «The future of work centenary initiative».

According to the ILO Constitution the Russian delegation was represented by the three parties of social partnership – the official representative of the Government of the Russian Federation in the ILO Governing Body, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Ms. Liubov Eltsova, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) Mr. Alexander Shokhin and Head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Mr. Mikhail Shmakov.

The following main issues were discussed during the Conference:

• Small and medium-sized enterprises and decent and productive employment creation;
• The transition from the informal to formal economy;
• Labour protection in a transforming world of work.

At a side-event organised on the margins of the ILC the First Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergey Velmyaykin made a presentation of the Russian Presidency in BRICS in the social and labour sphere. Labour and Employment Ministers of many countries, including Brazil, India, South Africa, China's Deputy Minister of Labour attended the side-event.

The presentation introduced the concept of the first ever BRICS meeting of the Ministers of Labour and Employment to be held in January 2016 in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia). The event aroused great interest among the participants of the ILC. The ILO Director-General Mr. Guy Ryder expressed a wish to take part in the preparation of the meeting in Ufa.

In addition, Mr Sergey Velmyaykin made a presentation on behalf of BRICS highly appreciating the ILO Director-General’s report «The future of work centenary initiative».