Unit 3 Project SDG nº8- Erika and Iranzu

DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Iranzu Lapeire and Erika Pérez

ILO

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The International Labour Organization is a United Nations agency. The goal of the ILO is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards.

THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE 1. Recalls: -All Members from ILO have endorsed the principles and rights set out in its Constitution and in the Declaration of Philadelphia, and have undertaken to work towards attaining the overall objectives of the Organization. -That these principles and rights have been expressed and developed in the form of specific rights and obligations. 2. All Members, have an obligation arising from the very fact of membership in the Organization to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith and in accordance with the Constitution. The principles concerning the fundamental rights which are the subject of those Conventions: -freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; -the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; -the effective abolition of child labour; and -the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. 3. Recognizes the obligation on the Organization to assist its Members, in response to their established and expressed needs, in order to attain these objectives by making full use of its constitutional, operational and budgetary resources. -by offering technical cooperation and advisory services to promote the ratification and implementation of the fundamental Conventions. -by assisting those Members not yet in a position to ratify some or all of these Conventions in their efforts to respect, to promote and to realize the principles concerning fundamental rights. -by helping the Members in their efforts to create a climate for economic and social development. 4. Decides that, to give full effect to this Declaration, a promotional follow-up, shall be implemented in accordance with the measures specified in the annex hereto. 5. Stresses that labour standards should not be used for protectionist trade purposes, and that nothing in this Declaration and its follow-up shall be invoked or otherwise used for such purposes.

Child labour in the fashion supply chain Around 260 million children are in employment around the world, according to the ILO. Of them, the ILO estimates that 170 million are engaged in child labour. Child labour is forbidden by law in most countries but continues to be rife in some of the poorest parts of the world. The situation is improving. ILO estimates suggest child labour declined by 30% between 2000 and 2012, but still 11% of the world’s children are in situations that deprive them of their right to go to school without interference from work. Many of these child labourers work within the fashion supply chain, making the textiles and garments to satisfy the demand of consumers in Europe, the US, and beyond. Why does it exist? Fast fashion has engendered a race to the bottom, pushing companies to find ever-cheaper sources of labour. That cheap labour is freely available in many of the countries where textile and garment production takes place. There are many girls in countries like India and Bangladesh, who are willing to work for very low prices and are easily brought into these industries under false promises of earning decent wages. The ICN revealed that recruiters in southern India convince parents in rural areas to send their daughters to spinning mills with promises of a well-paid job, comfortable accommodation, three nutritious meals a day and opportunities for training and schooling, as well as a lump sum payment at the end of three years. Child labour is a particular issue for fashion because much of the supply chain requires low-skilled labour and some tasks are even better suited to children than adults. Children are seen as obedient workers who slip under the radar, making them easy to manage. Where is it happening? Children work at all stages of the supply chain in the fashion industry: from the production of cotton seeds in Benin, harvesting in Uzbekistan, yarn spinning in India, right through to the different phases of putting garments together in factories across Bangladesh. In the cotton industry, children are employed to transfer pollen from one plant to another. They are subjected to long working hours, exposure to pesticides and they are often paid below the minimum wage. An estimated 170 million children are engaged in child labour, or 11% of the global population of children, according to the International Labour Organisation At the next step of the chain, in the yarn and spinning mills, child labour is rampant. The SOMO found that 60% of workers at the mills it investigated in India were under-18 when they started working there. Children also work in the “cut-make-trim” stage, when clothes are put together. In garment factories, children perform diverse and often arduous tasks. In small workshops and home sites, children are put to work on intricate tasks. What are the challenges? One of the biggest challenges in tackling child labour in the fashion supply chain is the complex supply chain for each garment. Companies that sell their products in Europe and the US have no clue where the textiles come from. Tackling child labour is further complicated. Where there is extreme poverty, there will be children willing to work cheaply and susceptible to being tricked into dangerous or badly paid work. Lotte Schuurman says if parents have no education they will end up in low-paid work; their children will be forced to work, they will miss out on their education, and they too will end up in low-paid work as adults. “You need to get out of that vicious circle of poverty to decline child labour,” she says. What can businesses do? The Fair Wear Foundation has a list of over 120 brands that have signed up to its code of labour practices. Accredited brands must ensure with regular audits that all of the suppliers in the cut-make-trim stage of production meet these standards, meaning it goes beyond most companies’ in-house policies. The ILO estimates that at least 6 million children are in forced labour There are practical steps that companies can take to rid their supply chains of child labour. Brands can start off by creating a supply register.You should start by knowing who your manufacturers are and visiting them. On these visits, brand representatives must watch out for signs the factory is sub-contracting. Companies can also address their purchasing practices, which can make working conditions worse.To meet tight deadlines or unanticipated orders, factories may sub-contract without informing the buying companies. Companies can adjust their purchasing practices to lighten the load and ensure the factories they have inspected fulfil their orders.It is also important to make workers aware of their rights so they know where to file a complaint.

WHY IT MATTERS? -What’s the goal here? To promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all. -Why? Sustained and inclusive economic growth can drive progress, create decent jobs for all and improve living standards. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, one in five countries were likely to see per capita incomes decline in 2020. Now, the economic and financial shocks associated with the pandemic are derailing the already tepid economic growth and compounding heightened risks from other factors. What does “decent work” mean? Decent work means opportunities for everyone to getwork that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration. How many people are unemployed? The pandemic is expected to have a devastating impact on global unemployment. Global working hours could drop by 14 per cent in the second quarter of 2020. More than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic while those who remain employed have seen their working hours cut by 23 per cent. What can we do to fix these issues? Providing youth the best opportunity to transition to a decent job calls for investing in education and training of the highest possible quality, providing youth with skills that match labour market demands, giving them access to social protection and basic services regardless of their contract type, as well as levelling the playing field so that all aspiring youth can attain productive employment regardless of their gender, income level or socio-economic background.