Ergon was commissioned by the Decent Work and Labour Standards Forum to investigate how far the Decent Work Agenda has permeated into national development planning and donor strategies through developing country case studies in Bangladesh and Zambia.
Research initially involved a detailed analysis of international policy commitments to decent work, and how these had evolved following the 2008 international financial crisis. However, the key focus was two country-based case studies on Bangladesh and Zambia, with a spotlight on the garment sector and export horticulture respectively.
Stuart Bell and Kirsten Newitt undertook stakeholder research field visits which involved meetings with government planning and labour ministries, donors, social partners, and civil society organizations. Findings from these sometimes polarized perspectives were disseminated at a seminar in London in January 2010.
The findings highlighted 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. At a national level, there is a need to support the optimization of employment opportunities within national growth strategies, and improving standards and social security within the informal economy, where most workers are found, The report also contains a number of recommendations for donors to strengthen decent work interventions.
