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Join the Global Call to Action for Decent Work for All |
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Around the world, thousands of workers today are launching a Call to Action for governments and global leaders to keep the promises they made a year ago to create decent work for all.
The promise was part of a July 2006 United Nations ministerial declaration, and several international workers’ groups in Lisbon, Portugal, are sponsoring the Decent Work/Decent Life action.
The need for decent work is clear:
- Half of the world’s workers 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.
Add to this massive global unemployment the lack of a social safety net for the majority of workers employed in the “informal economy” (work that is not taxed or regulated) and the violation of workers’ rights, and the need for decent work for all is evident. Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), puts it this way:
Today, the global financial architecture is more fragile than ever. The lack of regulation in financial markets has led to global economic panic, a risk of downturn in the real economy, and thousands poised to lose their homes. People no longer believe that globalization works to their benefit. Governments agreed to make decent work a goal. Now those same governments must act to ensure that decent work is mainstreamed in global institutions.
You can sign on to the Call to Action by clicking here. The signatures collected around the world will be presented to global leaders at key events. The Call to Action urges world leaders to:
- Reaffirm the commitment to create healthy economies and just and equal communities through strategies for full and productive employment. Leaders should affirm that everyone has the right to work, to good working conditions and to sufficient income for their basic economic, social and family needs—rights that should be enforced by providing adequate living wages.
- Respect workers’ freedom to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively.
- Strengthen and broaden social safety net protection by ensuring access to social security, pensions, unemployment benefits, maternity protection and quality health care for all.
- Change unfair trade rules and ensure that trade agreements are used as instruments 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 labor standards, must be included in trade agreements.
- Ensure that the priorities of the international financial institutions incorporate social and environmental concerns. Particularly, loan and debt conditions, which force countries to deregulate labor markets, reduce public spending and privatize public services must be stopped.
- Ensure that migrant workers are not exploited and that they enjoy the same rights as other workers.
For more information on the campaign for decent work, click here.
4 Comments
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This is pure common sense and pure social justice (equality) for all. When governments and corporations do not put people first, then there is no society that could call itself a moral one. We, as human beings, are losing our edge on humanity. What good is all the wealth in the world, if it is at the expense and suffering of everyone else.
Now Friend, there you go again, advocating that we reslice the pie. What about the general who worked his way through the ranks to President for life? Do you really think it’s fair for a communist millionare to share with the workers? Why should a fourth generation billionaire be reduced to the status of a mere millionare, just so workers can take care of their families without sneaking into other countries? Why this will cause the collapse of the entire human trafficking market. Illicit sex tours will be a thing of the past. Think of all the solid middle income families which will be devisated when they can no longer purchase children for the sex trade. Trade between Turkey and the former Soviet bloc will drop. Japan will face a drop in Yakuza receipts, and the laregest export of the Phillipines will be greatly reduced. Are we sure we really want people to work in good conditions for good pay? Are you ready for all the dirty secrets which will be revealed when this segment of the global economy dries up? And what about the cost of LL Bean boat shoes for god’s sake? Nike might only make 10% profit on shoes.
Decent work for decent life, not slavery, is the root of democracy and the strong foundation of our Republic. I have signed the petition on Call to Action. I dare the American President to sign the petition if he genuinely believes in spreading democracy all over the world!
To dportjoe: Well, it’s not exactly reslicing the pie, and it’s not exactly social welfare either, but I do like your wit. What it is really, is if we are so convinced that capitalism is the best thing in the world, and I do think it has merit, then everyone who lives and works here has to pay taxes to support the infrastructure, including the companies that hire them, even if they have moved their entire operation to another country (because tax penalties have to apply). Unfortunately, the only ones paying their honest share of taxes are hard working Americans who don’t get tax write-offs, breaks and loopholes that large corporations, (not to mention sport’s figures) get. To tell you the truth, I am sick and tired of paying taxes, because I don’t like where my tax dollars are going. However, if all people AND corporations paid their fair share of taxes, there would be more than enough safety nets for the people that really need it, and this country’s infrastructure might actually improve, and CEOs will still make lots of money. (though I couldn’t care less about that last one)