Promoting Decent Work for All

To co-incide with the 104^th International Labour Conference, the International Catholic Centre in Geneva (CCIG) joined with several other civil society organisations to hold an event entitled “Decent work along the global value chains: A call for responsibility and an opportunity for solidarity”. The word ‘value’ was used instead of ‘supply’ to give greater emphasis to the fact that the workers under discussion are not mere tools. First and foremost they are people.

The day began with a panel discussion involving representatives from academia, workers, employers and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This was followed by a number of working groups which discussed the issues faced by migrant workers, young people and women, in the world of work.

The conference provided an opportunity to draw upon the expertise and experience of participants from around the world. Issues discussed included the responsibility of labour recruiters and of consumers, non-transparent contracts, trust between employers and employees, and the importance of international legislation and its implementation. The power and leverage of companies in the developing world due to levels of foreign direct investment was highlighted in the discussions

The day was informative and provided an examination of the issues from different perspectives as well as giving prominence to the work of defending workers’ rights that is being done by faith-based NGOs around the world.

Nick Webster, ERI intern