Employment
When
work is a pleasure, life is a
joy! When work is a
duty, life is
slavery.
Maxim Gorky
Access
to employment is a basic human right. For most people it provides
the means to finance their daily needs. It can be a source of
satisfaction
through the expression of creativity and service. But, all too often
the rights
of workers to fair pay and humane working conditions are not realised
in the
workplace.
This is particularly the case for those in the poorer nations who work in the informal economy or are victimised by large corporations. Those who suffer the most are usually the women and the children. Alternatives do exist, such as workers cooperatives, and hopefully they will help to lead the way to a more just future for working people.
This is particularly the case for those in the poorer nations who work in the informal economy or are victimised by large corporations. Those who suffer the most are usually the women and the children. Alternatives do exist, such as workers cooperatives, and hopefully they will help to lead the way to a more just future for working people.
Finding
out about labour issues:
About two-thirds of the world’s adult population are employed in work that brings them an economic return. For many, the return is a meagre one and the conditions in which they work are often inhumane.
Defining the right to work and workers rights:
Access to safe and fairly rewarded work is now generally accepted as a basic human right.
Fighting for workers rights - corporate profits vs. employee justice:
There are many examples of corporations and countries that take advantage of their workers. To select one - the Disney Corporation pays Chinese workers 50 to 60 cents an hour for a 60 to 90 hour week to make books that sell for up to $45 each in New York City.* Many groups have formed to seek justice for workers around the world.
Fighting for workers rights – children and women:
Education and a normal childhood are luxuries for children in many parts of our world. Women are generally less well-paid and they work in some of the more precarious forms of employment - often only on a part-time or casual basis.
Fighting for workers rights - the informal economy and contingent work:
There has been a growing attempt to give a voice to those who work in the so-called “informal economy.” These are the street vendors, hawkers, home-based workers and peasants - the self-employed poor. And for many workers, full time work is no longer an option. Contingent work (part-time, casual, temporary) is becoming the norm and with it an erosion of working conditions.
Worker co-operatives and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are two alternatives to the traditional workplace model which separates owners from their workers. Over 100 million jobs operate through co-operatives internationally; and in the United States, 11,000 companies have ESOPs.* *
About two-thirds of the world’s adult population are employed in work that brings them an economic return. For many, the return is a meagre one and the conditions in which they work are often inhumane.
- The International
Labour
Organization serves as a good starting point for exploring
the global world
of work.
- LabourStart
is a trade union site with an excellent up to the moment global labour
news
content.
Defining the right to work and workers rights:
Access to safe and fairly rewarded work is now generally accepted as a basic human right.
- The Human Rights Resource Center at the University of Minnesota looks at international standards and national obligations in relation to the right to work. They also discuss what constitutes workers rights.
- An important component of workers rights is health and safety in the workplace. The Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations site contains standards, codes of practice and fact sheets on this topic.
Fighting for workers rights - corporate profits vs. employee justice:
There are many examples of corporations and countries that take advantage of their workers. To select one - the Disney Corporation pays Chinese workers 50 to 60 cents an hour for a 60 to 90 hour week to make books that sell for up to $45 each in New York City.* Many groups have formed to seek justice for workers around the world.
- The International Labor Rights Fund fights to protect workers. Use their links page to explore further.
- Offering both positive and negative views of corporate business and employment practice, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre tackles issues such as forced labour, a “living wage” and migrant workers.
- The National Labor Committee puts a ”human face on the global economy” through developing case studies of employment abuse by major international corporations. Similar work is being done by the anti-sweatshop campaigns, such as No Sweat.
- China has nearly 800 million workers. China Labor Watch monitors their situation.
- Trade unions often help workers to protect themselves from unfair governments, employers and conditions. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions site speaks for unions and looks at issues such as equality, AIDS and the impact of multinational enterprises.
- See also our topic Corporations
Fighting for workers rights – children and women:
Education and a normal childhood are luxuries for children in many parts of our world. Women are generally less well-paid and they work in some of the more precarious forms of employment - often only on a part-time or casual basis.
- People’s
concern about this issue led to the formation of the Global
March Against Child Labour. Their site contains background
and many links to other related groups.
- Human
Rights Watch estimates that there are about 300,000 child soldiers
internationally.* The Coalition
to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers speaks out on their behalf.
- The
Human
Rights Watch Women
Workers page and Women Working Worldwide look at
women’s issues.
- For
many, it is a life of servitude and unpaid work, a life of slavery. Anti-slavery
fights on their behalf.
- See also our topic Children and Youth
Fighting for workers rights - the informal economy and contingent work:
There has been a growing attempt to give a voice to those who work in the so-called “informal economy.” These are the street vendors, hawkers, home-based workers and peasants - the self-employed poor. And for many workers, full time work is no longer an option. Contingent work (part-time, casual, temporary) is becoming the norm and with it an erosion of working conditions.
- Women
form a major part of the informal economy workforce. Women in
Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing is a
research-policy network that is trying to help the working poor, with a
focus on women.
- The North American Alliance For Fair Employment focuses on limiting the impact that contingent work has upon the rights of workers.
Worker co-operatives and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are two alternatives to the traditional workplace model which separates owners from their workers. Over 100 million jobs operate through co-operatives internationally; and in the United States, 11,000 companies have ESOPs.* *
- The
European
Federation of Employee Shareownership
site provides
background on employee ownership issues and links to related
organisations and European cooperatives.
- Information
on ESOP's can be found at the National Center for Employee Ownership site.
- Grassroots Economic Organizing is a newsletter that reports on “democratic workplaces and globalization from below.”