• Bond wil strenge regels tegen uitbuiting Polen
• FNV Bondgenoten start meldpunt voor misstanden uitzendkrachten in vleessector
• Kans op gewoon arbeidscontract voor postbezorgers nihil
• Ruim duizend schoonmakers bij manifestatie Schiphol
• Werkgevers kunnen meer doen tegen misstanden in buitenland

 

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• Bond verbetert positie flexwerkers in cao's
• Actie: Unilever heeft boter op het hoofd
• Vakbondsrechtenprijs naar Mansour Osanloo
• FNV Bondgenoten komt met Gewoon Goed Werk label
• 'Nederland niet gediend met nieuwe cao voor arbeidsmigranten'

What is the origin of the concept of Decent Work?

The concept of Decent Work was developed in 1999 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations agency that deals with labour issues. The ILO urged that every effort should be made to establish a Decent Work Agenda and to implement a strategy that aims to offer women and men the opportunity to work in 'freedom, equity, security and human dignity'.
 
The approach advocated by the ILO has also been adopted by other UN organisations. The promotion of decent and productive work is one way of helping to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. The Decent Work Agenda is part of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1) of halving extreme poverty by 2015.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Global Union Federations' (GUF) World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) and several large development organisations are now conducting a Decent Work for a Decent life campaign. The Federation of Netherlands Trade Unions (FNV) is also taking part in this campaign. In 2008 the ILO adopted a landmark declaration which emphasises yet again that decent work and sustainable enterprise are prerequisites for social justice and a fair globalization (ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization.)

What does Decent Work involve precisely?

Work is only considered to be 'decent' work if it meets four conditions:

• Employment
  Firstly there has to be employment. The Decent Work Agenda urges governments to implement a policy that promotes sustainable and productive employment. Policy makers must also seek to ensure that everyone has equal access to work.
• Social protection
  Work must be safe and it must provide security. Working conditions must meet health and safety regulations and the work must provide an income that a person can live on. The work must be dignified and it must offer prospects for personal development. It must also be linked to some form of social security that provides protection if the employee is unable to work.
• Fundamental rights
  Decent work respects a person's fundamental rights at work, which include the right to set up trade unions and employers' organisations and the right to collective bargaining. There should be no child labour, no forced labour and no discrimination. These rights, which were established in 1998 and set out in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, are regarded as human rights and employees' rights. They are universal and apply at all times in all situations.
• Social dialogue
  Employees and employers must both be involved in planning a sound approach that assures Decent Work. Consultation and the freedom to express one's concerns contribute to decent work at all levels.

These four conditions for Decent Work are set out in ILO conventions. These are international conventions that define and uphold the rights of employees and employers. For example, one of these conventions stipulates that governments are obliged to implement sound employment policy. And there are several conventions that guarantee the right to social security and set out agreements regarding the establishment of a minimum wage. ILO occupational health and safety conventions govern health and safety at work. And a person's fundamental rights at work are upheld in eight key conventions. The Netherlands has signed most, but not all of these conventions. It has not signed the ILO occupational health and safety conventions.

What does the ILO do?
The ILO aims to contribute to the establishment of universal and lasting peace through the promotion of social justice. It does this by formulating conventions that uphold the rights of employees and employers. ILO meetings are attended by representatives of the 182 governments that are members of the ILO and by workers' and employers' organisations in these countries. They negotiate the conventions together with the two sides of industry having just as many votes as the governments.

Since it was set up back in 1919 the ILO has formulated almost two hundred conventions, approximately one hundred of which still apply. These conventions are only effective if they are signed by the nations that are members of the ILO. To ensure that the signature is not simply a formality, the ILO also monitors compliance with the conventions (ilo.org/labour standards): http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/InternationalLabourStandards/index.htm)

What does Decent Work mean in the Netherlands?

Decent Work is an international concept. It applies in developing countries and it also applies in the Netherlands. Work offered by employers in the Netherlands is also supposed to meet the four conditions of Decent Work. This is not the always the case.

If work is so flexible that it does not provide a secure income, or if it is not linked to some form of social security, it fails to meet the condition of social protection. If certain groups of employees are not covered by the collective bargaining agreement, their fundamental right to negotiate collective bargaining agreements is being denied. You can find examples of 'indecent' work in the Netherlands and other countries on this website.

What next?
Globalisation may bring about economic growth, but this certainly does not always mean that there is more and better work for everyone. Globalisation also increases insecurity and inequality within the labour market. If we want continued growth, more trade and more international enterprise to create more Decent Work in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world, policy and efforts have to be explicitly configured to ensure that this is the case. This is the message that the Decent Work Agenda conveys to international organisations, such as the WTO and the World Bank, national governments, employers and trade unions.

Abbreviations:

ILO International Labour Organisation. The UN agency that deals with labour issues. Members include governments, and workers' and employers' organisations from 182 countries. www.ilo.org

ITUC International Trade Union Confederation. Affiliates include FNV and 310 other trade union federations from 155 countries who represent 168 million members. www.ituc-csi.org

GUF Global Union Federations. The international representatives of unions organizing in specific sectors. www.global-unions.org

WDDW  World Day for Decent Work. 7 October is the International Action Day for Decent Work, which is led and supported by the international trade union movement. www.wddw.org