BANGKOK, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - The United Nations labour agency on Wednesday called on Myanmar's military government to immediately release six activists sentenced to a total of 152 years in prison.

Four men were jailed for 28 years and two others for 20 years, their lawyer said Saturday, after being charged with organising 'an unlawful gathering' -- a workers' rights seminar at the US embassy in Yangon in May.

GENEVA, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - Rising productivity levels in Asia are a boon and not a threat to the world economy, as growing prosperity spurs a demand for products made elsewhere in the world, the International Labour Organisation said on Monday.

The United States remained the most productive economy in 2006 in terms of labour productivity per person, far outstripping its nearest rivals among other developed economies, the ILO said in its 'Key Indicators of the Labour Market' report.

GENEVA, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - Asia's economies face the challenge of finding jobs for an extra 200 million workers between now and 2015, according to a new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report out Monday.

It said the region will have its work cut out to improve the quality of jobs on offer and ensure the benefits of Asia's future economic growth are distributed more evenly as the labour force, currently 1.8 billion, increases.