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Decent work is a concept that encapsulates both the quality of employment as well as the imperative of providing high quality jobs globally.
Definition
The decent work agenda seeks not just the creation of jobs, but of high quality jobs around the world [1]. According to the ILO, decent work has four pillars: The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues. ...
- full employment;
- a social safety net;
- fundamental workers’ rights; and
- mutually beneficial partnerships between business, labor and governmental actors.
The decent work agenda both affirms and broadens the ILO’s core labor standards, which include: The social safety net is a term used to describe a collection of services provided by the state (such as welfare, universal healthcare, homeless shelters, and perhaps various subsidized services such as transit), which prevent any individual from falling into poverty beyond a certain level. ...
- the elimination of discrimination in employment;
- the eradication of forced labor and child labor;
- the freedom of association; and
- the right to bargain collectively.
The ILO is at the helm of the international campaign to provide decent work to people around the world. In its 2004 report, the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, established by the ILO, put the spotlight on decent work by identifying it as central to enabling all people to benefit from globalization. Decent work advocates believe that providing quality jobs globally can lift all boats rather than perpetuate a race to the bottom. [2] This article is about discrimination in the social science context. ...
Child laborers coming out of a dye factory, Dhaka, Bangladesh Child labor (or child labour) is the employment of children under an age determined by law or custom. ...
Challenges Although few disagree with the decent work agenda in principle, actually achieving decent work poses challenges and controversies. The decent work agenda requires national and international actors to commit to the objective of creating quality jobs globally and to pursue cooperative solutions to this challenge. However, governments struggle to convince their publics that development and job creation abroad is imperative to prosperity and employment at home. Some governments also face the temptation to close markets and lower labor standards to remain competitive in a global economy that is blamed for depressing wages and working conditions. Chichicastenango, Guatemala traditional market Market stall in internally displaced persons camp in Kitgum, northern Uganda Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal (Madeira Islands) A market is a mechanism which allows people to trade, normally governed by the theory of supply and demand. ...
The world economy can be represented various ways, and broken down in various ways. ...
Various actors can have an impact on the provision of decent work, although existing conditions and incentives do not always lend themselves to advancing the decent work agenda. To illustrate:
- National governments create decent work through economic and industrial policies. However, the forces of globalization – such as downward pressures on wages and reduced macroeconomic policy flexibility – have diminished the ability of national governments to achieve this goal on their own.
- Businesses create jobs from the local to international levels, and those operating across borders can affect international wages and working conditions. Some multinational enterprises have been accused of locating operations in countries where wages are at their lowest and workers’ rights at their weakest, but others are finding that providing decent work has had a positive impact on their bottom lines.
- Trade unions assist employees in advocating for elements of decent work, from a living wage to health insurance to workplace safety standards. Trade unions face the challenge of meeting their members’ immediate needs at home while supporting job creation and workers’ rights around the globe.
- International financial institutions provide loans or other assistance to national governments, and require loan recipients to implement certain policy measures. Existing programs generally exclude employment targets and have even been known to have a negative impact on job creation.
- Trade negotiators can elevate the quality of work globally by including labor standards in trade agreements, while legislators (among others) can support their implementation. However, some countries view the campaign for labor standards as an effort by other countries to make their own industries more competitive.
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See also The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is the worlds largest trade union federation. ...
The World Trade Organization (WTO), (OMC - Spanish: , French: ), is an international organization designed to supervise and liberalize international trade. ...
It has been suggested that World Bank be merged into this article or section. ...
This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
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