ILO's concerns over 'decent work deficit'

The latest theme dominating the discourse of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - Decent Work - in a sense is one that is its raison d'etre. Guided largely by the need for a new agenda, the ILO has taken itself seriously in addressing what has always been a core concern. At the 89th session of the Organisation in Geneva, its report, `Reducing the Decent Work Deficit', revisits the basic objectives and attempts to address the concerns of workers as a package.

The report calls for concerted efforts to bridging the gaps in employment, rights, social protection and social dialogue. In addition to the large-scale unemployment, which the ILO places at 160 million, the other issues concerning workers worldwide include the rights gap (examples include denial of freedom of association, incidence of forced and child labour and discrimination in the workplace); the social protection gap (work-related accidents and disease) and the social dialogue gap.

In a conversation with The Hindu in Geneva recently on the sidelines of the ILO's annual session, Mr. Gerry Rodgers, a member of the ILO cabinet who has worked extensively on working conditions in rural India, discusses the concept of decent work and the need to reduce its deficit. Excerpts:

On ILO and decent work

DECENT WORK brings out the goals of the ILO closer to the way people actually see their lives. You ask people, what's your aspiration? What are you looking for ? They say `decent work.' What does decent work consist of? That's where you see the four strategic objectives of the organisation. These are work, rights, social protection and dialogue.

Work is essential for so many reasons. For economic reasons, for personal reasons, for dignity, for income, for social integration. Your rights have to be respected at work. There are certain basic preconditions for that work to be reasonable so that work corresponds to some concepts of what it is to be a citizen of a society.

That's where the fundamental principles of rights of work come in. Then the notion that security is an essential part of work. People are very much concerned with stability and security in their lives. That's where you come to social protection, health, safety, pensions. Another section is dialogue, which in some sense, is the glue that brings people together. This is what is expressed as decent work.

On progress made so far

Over the last two years, we have moved from a concept to action. People have been worried about bringing down the budget deficit. Now we have to bring down the deficit in decent work, that is, the gaps in each of these domains. The `employment gap' at the global level is alarming.

The point is that a very large fraction of the people who are working are working at low productivity, poor quality. Very many of them have very irregular work or no work at all. There is a very serious employment gap that we have not succeeded in dealing with. That's a major priority.

The rights gap is also very important. Two out of five countries have a serious freedom of association problem. Often it is associated with regimes (authoritarian).

Then, when you see the social flow of the global economy, you have got to have both rights and employment. Then you think about social protection and social dialogue. Decent work is really a package. The decent work agenda comes from the history of the ILO.

The most obvious is the massive informal economy. It is very very large in India as it is in many parts of the world as well. That means you have to give priority to finding ways of reaching people in the informal economy. It is not easy but there are ways.

First of all, you have to look at the question of organisation. The organisation of the informal economy is starting to get a lot more attention. Trade unions used to shy away from them, now they are starting to get much more concerned.

The decent work agenda is a development agenda. The types of goals you set are different in high income and low income economies. You have to be reasonable and set flexible goals. It is not something like a universal agenda that is imposed. It is something that has to be adapted.

V. S. Sambandan

Recently in Geneva

* * *

A reality check

(What the report says:)

The emoloyment gap:

The faultline of the world today. Estimates are that 160 million are openly unemployed in the world. If the underemployed are also taken into account, the number skyrockets to one billion.

Of every 100 workers world-wide, six are fully unemployed. Another 16 are unable to earn enough to get their families over the most minimal poverty line of $ 1 per person per day.

The rights gap:

Qualitatively different from others because this is one area where progress could be achieved through legislative and development policies.

Estimates are that 250 million children are working worldwide.

The social protection gap:

Less widely acknowledged, yet its dimensions are alarming. Only 20 per cent of the world's workers have truly adequate social protection.

Daily 3,000 people die as a consequence of work-related accidents or disease. In the U.S. 200 million work-days are lost as a result of work-related depression.

The social dialogue gap:

Unevenly spread across the world.

Agricultural workers, domestic workers, employers in small and micro-enterprises, public sector workers and migrant workers often face specific problems and barriers. Obstacles to representation and social dialogue in EPZs, which account for nearly 27 million workers worldwide.

- VSS

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