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Media release: New report shows decent work is crucial to achieve MDGs
21 September 2010, Brussels - As world leaders meet in New York to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)1, a new report released today shows that decent work can be a catalyst to achieve these goals and calls on leaders to make a renewed commitment to the Decent Work Agenda.
Published in parallel to the UN Mid-review Summit on the MDGs2 taking place in New York on 20-22 September, Decent work and the Millennium Development Goals - a promising partnership looks at the implementation of the International Labour Organisation's Decent Work Agenda³ and its success in contributing to achieving all the MDGs.
Prospects for achieving the goals are currently looking slim; but this Global Network4 report, which comes at the mid-way point, shows that national implementation of the Decent Work Agenda has enabled households in developing countries to break the cycle of poverty by improving access to income, social security, education and health.
For example, in Cambodia, employees in International Labour Organisation Better Work5 apparel factories earn an average wage of USD 77, whereas the average monthly income of an entire household in rural areas is USD 40. Families and even relatives now have sufficient income to keep their children at school. In addition, health and safety in factories has also improved.
"Despite this and many more success stories, decent work has never been a mainstream development strategy", says Elizabeth Tang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and Co-Chair of The Global Network. She continued: "And whilst many developing countries have taken a first step towards change by putting in place decent work country programmes, national commitments are simply not enough if global commitments do not follow."
Another example is in Jordan where a Better Work Programme started in mid-2008 has already achieved significant results. 25 factories in the free trade manufacturing zones, representing 50% of the labour force and over 80% of the exports have joined the programme. Working conditions have improved and overtime work has decreased.
"Under the pretext of the financial crisis and with the austerity measures that many countries have put in place, we see many European governments not respecting their aid commitments. And yet the latest figures from Eurostat say that 64% of Europeans believe that governments should increase aid in line with their promises or even beyond this. Shouldn't EU leaders be listening to their public?" says Conny Reuter, SOLIDAR Secretary General.
"It is crucial that the leaders present at the UN MDG Review Summit show a renewed commitment to the Decent Work Agenda and redistributive growth strategies that would put people first." Keith Sonnet, Deputy Secretary General of UNISON and Co-Chair of the Global Network concluded.
NOTES
1 The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 - form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions. For more information: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml
2 For more information on the summit: http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010/
³ Decent work is captured in four strategic objectives: fundamental principles and rights at work and international labour standards; employment and income opportunities; social protection and social security; and social dialogue and tripartism. These objectives hold for all workers, women and men, in both formal and informal economies; in wage employment or working on their own account; in the fields, factories and offices; in their home or in the community. For more information: http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Mainpillars/WhatisDecentWork/lang--en/index.htm
4 The Global Network: To achieve the objective of decent work for all, the Global Network works to empower women and men who are activists in NGOs, trade unions, associations of informal workers and grassroots movements to build capacity, exchange experiences and coordinate joint actions, at both regional and international level. The project is coordinated by SOLIDAR and the International Federation of Workers' Education Associations: http://www.theglobalnetwork.net/
5 Better Work is a unique partnership programme between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Launched in February 2007, the programme aims to improve both compliance with labour standards and competitiveness in global supply chains. http://www.betterwork.org/EN/aboutbetterwork/Pages/index.aspx « Back
For all press enquiries please contact:
Abigail Goundry
Communications Officer, SOLIDAR
Tel: + 32 (0)2 500 10 34
abigail.goundry@solidar.org
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