1. Promoting Decent Work for Workers in the Informal Economy
ACFTU-ACTRAV-Turin Workshop
Promoting Decent Work for
Workers in the Informal Economy
(focus on organizing and social protection)
9 – 12 December 2014, Bangkok

2. ILO’s Decent Work Approach
ILO’s Decent Work Approach ...for more inclusive growth, poverty reduction & development

3. How do working people share in benefits of economic growth?
- thru employment? thru Decent Employment
- Social protection measures
Enabling conditions:
Access to education, skills, credit, markets
Participation rights - Freedom of Association & Right to Collective Bargaining/to participate in decision making
Other factors?

4. the world of work today
growth & social exclusion seems to go hand in hand
Economies are growing, wealth is being generated but conditions of majority of the people/workers not improving, especially women (at least as much these can)
Concern for poverty, underdevelopment & the poor BUT economic policies (industrial, trade, finance) seem to increase the divide between countries, between people – in the long run politically, socially & economically unsustainable growth path

5. What kind of employment is there?
under-employment
Precarious, temporary employment
low earnings, working poor
hazardous work
child labour, forced labour
discrimination
No social security
Lack of opportunities for promotion, growth & skills
lack of “voice”, representation - denial of rights at work
what else?
Decent Work Deficits

6. What is Decent Work?

7. What is Decent Work? -----------------------------
Work that is productive,
gives fair income,
security in the workplace & social protection for the family,
equal opportunities & treatment,
better prospects for - personal devt & social integration,
freedom to organize & participate in decision making
concept of decent work encompasses both individual & collective dimensions (C87 & 98)

8. Decent Work Agenda
21st century expression of ILO constitutional mandate:
“the primary goal of the ILO today is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.”
DW - an integrated approach for addressing
poverty, employment & development issues
through a process that promotes empowerment,
organisation & participation of people

9. Decent Work: nationally defined goal thru tripartite dialogue, based on national context & needs
No Ceiling, Perpetual
progress
Relative & multiple paths
A universal social floor
All who work have basic rights at work: freedom from oppression and discrimination, freedom of association, the right of children to learn and develop rather than work, freedom of choice in work
But it is relative
Everybody, everywhere, has a sense of what decent work means in terms of their own lives, and in relation to their own society.
The full realisation of universally accepted principles requires time and will very much depend upon national conditions and policies.
There is no ceiling
The realisation of decent work is in perpetual movement,. The threshold of what is sees as “decent” advances with economic and social progress, and reflects the priorities which each society sets.
SOCIAL FLOOR basic rights at work 9

10. Decent Work to be achieved thru actions on 4 pillars
productive employment &
sustainable enterprises
Standards &
basic rights at work
social protection/
social security for all
Promotion of Social dialogue,
Including Collective bargaining

11. the employment objective
- as a means for working one’s way out of poverty - to be achieved through (for example):
pro-employment fiscal, monetary & trade policies
appropriate technology policies, methods & systems to enhance productivity in industrial, agricultural & services
environment conducive for entrepreneurial activity
promoting education & training (i.e. employability)
special programmes for women, youth & other marginal groups in the society
Labour market policies for stable employment relationships & fair wages
Global Jobs Pact

12. Fundamental Rights at Work
All those who work, have rights at work!
Compliance with the fundamental principles & rights at work which all member states of the ILO have to respect, and with ratified Conventions by individual states.
Core labour standards are being sought to be promoted as a global social floor

13. Core Labour Standards 13

14. the social protection objective
Seen as investments in human capital - policies that provide safety nets to protect consumption capacity or incomes & reduce the level of risk to workers’ -
occupational safety, health and well-being
income and job security
social security
protection against health contingencies
maternity protection
old-age and survivor pension
social inclusion & Anti-discrimination to ensure fairness at work

15. the social dialogue objective
ensuring representation and voice
promoting tripartitism & including institution-building
strengthening dialogue, consultation processes and capacities of social partners
Not just to ensure participation but also as an instrument of good governance - participatory approach for needs identification, planning, budgets, implementation & review;
Pre-requisites for effective social dialogue?

16. Way forward Recognize & set social floor of rights of workers/ people
Enhance social protection
Invest in knowledge & skills of workers
Provide access to credit & support services
Provide legal & institutional support
Give economic incentives to promote formalization of informal economy activities
Remove barriers to employment creation in formal sectors
Regulate labour supply – rural-urban migration
Promote organizing
What else? (participants views)

17. Challenges Growth first? And decent work later?
What about workers in the informal economy? What rights are available to them? Do they have fundamental rights as workers? How do we promote decent work for them?
How do we eliminate the negative aspects of informality , while preserving jobs and income generation potential of this sector?
Do unions have the capacity to promote decent work for workers in the informal economy?

18. Background
: Decent Work Decade for A-P region - economies are growing but Decent Work?
Growing informal economy associated with extreme sociio-economic inequalities, such as Underemployment, precarious work, inadequate social protection and lack of respect for FoA & right to collective bargaining – a clear indication that the economies are not creating decent work-
60-90% of worker in informal economy in many Asian countries

19. Main focus of the training programme
Promote collaborative learning through knowledge & experience sharing on:
- measures to promote organizing, recognition, protection and support to informal economy workers, including extension of social protection mechanisms and changes in the labour law;
- learn about gains and experiences of trade unions in Latin America
- understand policy tools, related ILO standards as guidelines for formulating wage policies and relevance of ILO’s Decent Work approach in shaping policies for workers in the informal economy;
- follow up actions to strengthen trade union work in the areas of organizing, employment security and social protection for workers in the informal economy.

20. Key issues to be discussed
Informal Economy in Asia and ILO Initiatives
Country Reviews: Organizing, CB and social protection in informal economy: key issues
Organizing Informal Economy: Global Perspectives
Organizing Informal Economy: Union Gains in Latin America
The ACFTU Activities for Informal Sector Workers
Social Protection in the Informal Economy: Key Concepts
Social Protection in the Informal Economy: TU Actions in Latin America
Formalizing the Informal Economy
Follow up Work Plans: Union actions for Organizing and Decent Work for Informal Economy Workers in Asia

21. Main Outputs Expected
Steps to further promote collaborative learning and knowledge sharing (south-south cooperation, networking, etc.)
Follow up action(s) to strengthen union capacities for social dialogue & collective bargaining for promoting decent work at country level
This work plan will be used for evaluation purposes and future follow up activities.
Guidelines for preparing follow up proposal will be given

22. Feedback is welcome on daily-basis
Evaluation
End of the Workshop Evaluation
Feedback is welcome on daily-basis
Any Questions?

23. Group Work: Country Situation Review (based on country reports)
What are the major problems and challenges facing informal economy workers in regard to: employment conditions, right to organize, access to social security, training and skills development and situation of women workers? Please provide actual data and information.
Group 2
What institutional mechanisms exist in dealing with informal economy workers issues? What are new initiatives being taken by governments? By trade unions? Any successful cases of organizing? Please provide actual data and information.
Group 3.
What are the major difficulties in (1) organizing and (2) representing workers in the informal economy? Please provide actual data and information.
Common Question to All groups:
List top 3 priority areas for trade union action in regard to informal economy workers