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 A new report by Ergon looks at how far the decent work agenda has been taken up into development planning, with case studies on Bangladesh and Zambia. The report, for the UK Decent Work and Labour Standards Forum, concludes that, while there has been considerable high-level backing for promotion of decent work as a strategy for combating the effects of the global financial crisis, the practical programmes run by donors are rarely oriented around the decent work agenda.
The report contains a number of recommendations for donors to strengthen decent work interventions. These include: ensuring that MDG1 targets are addressed in donor policy frameworks, developing more effective internal mechanisms within donors for raising awareness about decent work, extending social protection programmes to the working poor, supporting social dialogue programmes and improved industrial relations, and supporting labour law reforms that extend the effectiveness of regulations and enhance protection for the poor. Additional recommendations are aimed at civil society organizations and business. The report is based on field visits conducted by Ergon in Bangladesh and Zambia in October 2009 which involved meetings with a wide range of stakeholders. These highlighted the importance of optimizing employment opportunities within national growth strategies, and improving standards and social security within the informal economy, where most workers are found. |
