WORLD DAY FOR DECENT WORK 07.10.08. On October 7, 2008 the trade union movement is organising a World Day for Decent Work. This is an unparalleled opportunity for trade unions and organisations interested in Decent Work all around the world to join a broad global mobilisation involving a large number of people and a wide range of activities. A successful day will focus attention on the urgent need for a new globalisation, and also provide a basis for the trade union movement in every continent to join in a common action.

WHY IS DECENT WORK IMPORTANT?Every person on earth should be able to have a job that enables them to live a good life in which their basic needs are met. Employment is crucial factor for achieving this. The millions of women, men, young people and migrants who work are looking for a job need government that take adequate measures to:

• ensure that social protection and workers’ rights are fully respected in labour laws and in practice. Living standards and economies need productive employment to develop.
• create millions of meaningful jobs for women and men. jobs are only improved if they are linked to standards and rights. Social protection gives workers’ the security they need to face the future with confidence

This is why all government should be urged to work more on job creation. Not just any jobs, of course, but decent jobs for everybody. It is often argued that countries cannot afford to have fair wages and better conditions, however the short-term costs will quickly be outstripped by the long-term benefits. That is why Decent Work is the best way to fight global poverty. To most people around the world, lack of work means poverty.

WHAT IS DECENT WORK. The short answer is a job that enables a person to live a good life. But there’s also a longer answer: decent work, as a concept and an agenda, was introduced and initially promoted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999. It consists of four components: employment, rights, protection and dialogue. Decent work is based on the conviction that all four components are needed to create the best prospects for social progress and development.

FACTS. Half of the world’s workforce earns less than $US2 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. Add to this massive global unemployment, the lack of social protection for the majority of workers employed in the “informal economy”, and the violation of trade union rights and the consequences of the lack of decent work are clear.

The Decent Work, Decent Life campaign aims to:

• Build awareness of Decent Work amongst the general population, decision-makers, governments and international institutions, ensuring that they understand what decent work is and appreciate its role in delivering sustainable development in both developed and developing countries;
• Fundamentally shift the policy landscape so that decision makers and opinion formers consider Decent Work a central consideration in national and international development, as well as in economic, trade, financial and social policies; and
• Show that Decent Work is the only sustainable way out of poverty and is fundamental to building democracy and social cohesion in all societies.

The Decent Work, Decent Life campaign is led by the International Trade Union Confederation , Solidar , the Global Progressive Forum, Social Alert International and the European Trade Union Confederation.

We encourage you to take part of this campaign and don’t hesitate to contact us if you want some more information or click http://www.decentwork.org//