The International Experience - Decent Work
The ILO has developed a Decent Work agenda that includes:
- Opportunities for work that is productive and delivers fair income
- Equality of opportunity for women and men
The Decent work Pilot Programme was initiated in October 2000 to pioneer ways in which the concept of decent work can be effectively promoted and applied in ILO member countries. The programme aims to 'strengthen national capacity to integrate decent work into national policies.' Eight countries are part of the pilot programme: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Denmark, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Panama, and Philippines.
The outcomes discussed in the 2004 country report from Denmark are fairly generalised. The key outcome appears to be that, 'what are often supposed to be incompatible trade-offs between economic and social objectives can be reconciled through an appropriate policy mix. The labour market in Denmark is highly flexible not in spite of, but because of, an effective system of social security...In addition to analysing dynamic macro-economic and social policies, the study examines the contributions of vocational education and training, social protection and welfare reform, active labour market policies and programmes to reconcile work and family life.'[41]
In 2001 New Zealand undertook to develop a Decent Work Action Plan. The New Zealand tripartite partners - the government, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Business New Zealand - developed a working definition of decent work:
'Decent work recognises differing needs; provides satisfying and productive work; adequate income and social protection; stability for people and their families; respects peoples' rights; allows people time for other activities; and gives people a say and an opportunity for involvement'.
The major social development priorities are described as:
- Workplace productivity
- Parental leave
- Pay and employment equity
- Work-life balance
- Workplace Health and Safety Strategy
- Holidays Act
- Employment Relations Act review
- Partnership Resource Centre
- Consideration of ratification of ILO Conventions
Conclusions and recommendations
The literature confirms that the issue of precarious work, in particular inadequate income and a lack of security of working terms and conditions, has been an issue addressed by governments around the world. Prompted by concerns for quality tenders, public money funding poverty level wages, sustainable quality services and social equity, the solutions have generally focussed on either setting wage floors or requiring quality labour practices to be part of the procurement conditions.
In the UK and Europe in particular, there has been a strong focus on maintaining pay and conditions when services are contracted out by local authorities. In New Zealand, the contracting out process is long established and there are now few occasions when there is a service contracted out for the first time. Homecare, cleaning and the provision of residential services by private or not-for-profit providers is well entrenched. Until recently, initiatives in the UK and Europe have addressed new contracting out situations. While the issue in New Zealand is somewhat different, the consequences of precarious work are very similar and could well be addressed by similar style interventions. Recommended in particular is:
- Public Sector commitment to good employer practices is extended to include an expectation on businesses receiving public money through contracting for services;
- Government procurement policies include an explicit commitment that public money should not support precarious work outcomes for service providers;
- Links between funding poor employment conditions and unsustainable service quality and continuity are understood and promulgated;
- Decisions about the level of funding for the contracting of public services includes an explicit calculation of adequate (and required) minimum income levels for those providing the service;
- Public sector procurement processes include quality and equitable labour practices as part of the selection criteria and procedures for ensuring compliance are in place;
- Quality labour practices include:
- observing all legal employment obligations
- actual wage levels[42] at, or above, the minimum adult wage
- adequacy of working hours
- predictability of income;
- Transparency of employee wage levels and working conditions is required from all tenderers for public sector contracts and preference is given to those with wages above the minimum wage; and
- Research to establish 'living wage' levels is undertaken and then informs procurement decisions and any modelling of government funding levels.
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[41] International Labour Office. (2004, 23 September). Decent Work Pilot Programme. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/dwpp/.
[42] This takes into account any ‘hidden’ cost to the employee such as unpaid travel or training time, split shifts etc.
