Initiated by the: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
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Despite the world economic boom, most of the world’s population are not seeing their lives improve as a result.
As well as significant open unemployment, many are underemployed, or not paid for work performed. Half of the world’s workforce earns less than 2 $ a day. 12.3 million women and men work in slavery. 200 million children under the age of 15 work instead of going to school. 2.2 million people die due to work-related accidents and diseases every year. People in developed and developing countries work more for less money, and more and more people – overwhelmingly women - are forced to make their living in the so-called informal economy, without social protection or rights and in precarious jobs. Meanwhile, companies are using the threat of outsourcing to drive down wages and hard fought for rights such as the right to collective bargaining and to strike. Trade unionists that fight these trends are dismissed, threatened, jailed and even killed.
Only an international system based on solidarity and respect for people’s rights, as enshrined in United Nations and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, can put a stop to these trends. We call on our governments to sign these conventions, to implement them urgently and to put decent work at the heart of their policy-making.
In July 2006, governments at the UN Economic and Social Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration whose first article states: “We are convinced of the urgent need to create an environment at the national and international levels that is conducive to the attainment of full and productive employment and decent work for all as a foundation for sustainable development.” Their call must be matched by ratification and implementation of the ILO's standards, at the same time as international agencies use the UN’s new Toolkit for Mainstreaming Employment and Decent Work as a first step towards fostering greater policy coherence and convergence for implementing the promise of Decent Work for All.
The time to start implementing these promises is now.
We believe that decent work is central to eradicating poverty, improving the lives of women and men and enabling people to live in peace and dignity. We hence call on decision-makers urgently to:
Decent work: Reaffirm the contribution stable and quality jobs make to a healthy economy and just and equal communities by implementing inclusive strategies for full and productive employment, including for those currently working in the so-called informal economy who need rights and justice to defend their interests. All people have the right to work, to good working conditions and to sufficient income for their basic economic, social and family needs, a right that should be enforced by providing adequate living wages.
Rights: Workers’ rights to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively with their employer are fundamental to realising decent work, and all international organisations, governments and businesses must live up to their responsibilities to respect workers’ human rights.
Social protection: Strengthen and broaden social protection coverage by ensuring access to social security, pensions, unemployment benefits, maternity protection and quality health care to all. These benefits should be available to everyone, including workers in the so-called informal economy.
Trade: Change unfair trade rules and ensure that trade agreements are used as an instrument for decent work, sustainable development and empowerment of the world’s workers, women, the unemployed and the poor. Binding mechanisms for the promotion and enforcement of decent work, including core labour standards, must be included in trade agreements. Governments must stop making trade deals which hurt the poor, create unemployment and lead to exploitation. The demands of workers’ organisations and the rest of civil society must be listened to.
Debt: Ensure that the priorities of the international financial institutions incorporate social and environmental concerns. Particularly, loan and debt conditions which force countries to deregulate labour markets, reduce public spending and privatise public services at the cost of access and quality must be stopped. All projects funded by these institutions must adhere to core labour standards in their implementation.
Aid: Ensure that governments keep their commitment to increase the level of official development aid of rich countries to at least 0.7% of GDP. Adequate financing for development is imperative if the UN’s Millennium Development Goals are to be reached.
Migration: Ensure that migrant workers are not exploited and enjoy the same rights as other workers by ratifying the relevant ILO Conventions and the 1990 UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
Sign this call to action by filling the form below!
To sign this on-line petition go to:
http://www.decentwork.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=29
Alan L. Maki As the Director of Organizing for the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council representing casino workers employed in the more than 400 Indian owned and mobster managed casinos employed in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages without any rights under State or Federal Labor laws we would like to see full implementation of the \"Call for Action for Decent Work, Decent Life\" with a method of forced compliance in all Nations.
Gerado Castillo Me interesa recibir peridicament este tipo de informacion y si fuera posible materiales referidos a la Empresas Multinacinales.
Yann GELISTER
Jens Rydder
Isabelle Hoferlin
Louis Garcia III You can attack it with malice,ignorance can deride it,but in the end it\'s still there. The truth. Winston Churchill
Mamadou Diallo
Lise Paulsen Galal
JAMES HOWARD
Anneke van Luijken most urgent to act on this
Marcio Kameoka
Conny Reuter more than a campaign: a concept for a large social movement
Peteris Krigers
Ludmila Jevsejenkova
Lorena Rojas Avalos \"unirnos para transformar\", esa es la clave si queremos lograr un trabajo y una vida digna para todas las personas sin ningún tipo de distinción.
Esther Niubó
Maria Badia
Yolanda Torres
Alejandro Cercas
Stephen Hughes MEP
Michael Contes
Laurence Corréard
Anna Wolanska Decent work and decent life is not a privilage. This is our fundamental right.
Livija Marcinkevica
Linda Romele
Ariadna Abeltina
Christopher F. Vota Everyone should maintain a standard of living that includes health of body and mind. No way should anyone anywhere be denied medical care for lack of funds. All people everywhere have the right to work under the best conditions possible for good wages and benefits. Even by doing this, the rich will always get richer, but not nearly at the expense of the rest of us, who slowly sink into serfdom!
Javier Jesús Fernánd
My V. Nguyen Decent work for a decent life is the root of democracy!
David Bayle
Elena Tabanelli
Daniel Terra Jorge
Rosemary Whitmore
Bruce Wheeler
Volker Blaschke
Nele Hess Demokratie und Partizipation durch GUTE ARBEIT!
Shaun O\'Connell The world will never find peace until the 7 promises are implemented ASAP.
Hilda Sanchez I sign this call to action
DOSSOU SIMEON TOUNDE Tout en étant d\'accord avec le contenu, je pense qu\'il faut appeler aussi les gouvernements de nos pays (de l\'Afrique)à une meilleure gouvernance et une meilleure gestion des avoirs publics et de l\'aide au développement
Silva Descent work for young people!
Elisa Caracciolo
Claire Moon
Kristian Weise
Velibor
teresa alfani
CAYETANO GUERRERO FE NO PUEDO ESTAR MÁS DE ACUERDO
Donald Spatz
Wirth, Kurt
Unna Kuessner
Kevin J. O\'Rourke
Marijana Bordage
MP Clark
David Yao
Peter L. Gale
Ramon Certeza United we stand, divided we fall!
Bradley A Harris
Richard Creswell Workers of the world unite!
Albert M. Jenkins
Carole O\'Connell
Nanette Folsom Respect Human Beings!!!!
Eileen Boris
Joy Krom
Dusty Washburn
Dusty Washburn
Wolfgang Stier
Catherine Pottinger Urgently needed.
Büsing, Harald
wallace need fair labor practice.
william t glover jr. we need fair labor practices not exploting workers that the only way will ever make a dent in poverty
Richard J. Bargans It is imperative that these goals be immediately implimented and achieved!
Donna Stein
Edward Sussex Great initiative. Also support decent wages and a basic income guarantee for everyone, starting with family allowances for the poor.
Lynn Cardiff
Rick
Janet Roe-Darden
Russ Scheidler
Thomas Fahey
Alexandre Seron
Ralf Pomplitz Zukunft braucht Gerechtigkeit!
Remi Bazillier Decent Work for all!
neil alldred We are very keen to ensure all our own campaigning work is supportive of the Decent Work, Decent Life campaign
Doris Schröder ES ist wichtig, dass menschenwürdige Arbeit für alle Menschen überall geschaffen wird. Sonst erleben wir das, was wir gerade erleben: Der ewige Kreisel nach unten, der überall die Lebensstandards für die arbeitende Bevölkerung nach unten schraubt.
Regina Stolte
Dr. Juergen Eckl Decent work, Trabajo digno, menschenwürdige Arbeit für Alle ist eine Strategie mit vier gleichwertigen Säulen: Respektierung der Kernarabeitsnormen, gute Beschäftigung für alle, Ausbau der Sozialen Sicherheit, mitbestimmender Sozialer Dialog!
Andrea Maksimovic
arun daur Decent Work means respect for workers right to organise and right of union to negotiate - without these two linked rights it is not possible to promote Decent Work in its true sense.
David Seligson
andres penuela
Mathias Maucher
Yan Giroud
Philippe Gousenbourg Decent Work for young people!
Réal Gagnon
tunde animasaun decent work is central to poverty elimination and the guaranteeing of a humane life for all
Concha de Sena Decent work for all!!!
Camelia Constantin
Florentina Constanti Action, not charity!Thsi is what we need.
Michot
Barbara Caracciolo This is great and hope that million of people will sign the Call!
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 31 October 2007 )
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