International Labour Organization - Promoting Rights at Work and Social Protection - Essay Example

International Labour Organization Table of Contents Background of the ILO 3 Promoting rights at work 3 Social Protection 4 Strengthening Dialogue on Work Issues 5 Application of Theories 5 Improvement Measures 6 Reference List 8 Background of the ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a wing of the United Nations. The ILO was established with the motive of addressing labour related issues globally. They are involved in setting international labour standards and providing social protection to the labour class. The organization also strives towards providing work opportunities for all its member nations. There are currently 185 member nations of the ILO. The ILO has been recognized as an important association which works for establishment of peace amongst all classes of people and ensuring that justice is provided to workers. Providing technical assistance to the developing nations is also an important aspect for the organization (International Labour Organization, 2015a). Promoting rights at work ILO’s declaration in respect of the rights of workers can be divided into four important categories. These are essentially as follows: 1) Rights towards collective bargaining and freedom to form associations to give effect to collective bargaining. 2) Eliminating all types of forced labour. 3) Abolishing child of labour 4) Eliminating discriminatory practices at workplace. At the C98 Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention 1949, organised by the ILO, it was stated that it is the fundamental right of workers, employees and employers to form strong and independent associations. Such association facilitates recognition of their rights and collectively bargain against respective authorities when these rights are not met. Collective bargaining is considered to be a useful tool for mitigating issues between parties in conflict. However it is essential that the process of bargaining is carried out on justifiable grounds (International Labour Organization, 2015b). As per the C105 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention1957, forced labour can often result out of economic hardships which compel individuals to barter their freedom. Forced labour exerted through threatening, severe deprivations such as withholding food, wages and other necessitates, physical violence, sexual abuse and restriction of movement are considered to be punishable acts. Forced labour may occur in different forms and the organization has laid down clear instructions regarding when and how actions must be taken when such forced labour occur in any of the member nations (International Labour Organization, 2015b). According to the C182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention 1999, every boy and girl must be provided with suitable opportunities for physical and mental growth. They have every right to gain access to education. However it doesn’t mean that all forms of work performed by children must be abolished. The ILO lays down clear standards in respect of the type of work which can be categorized as acceptable and those which must be abolished. The ILO also clearly states that every child has equal rights as adults. Hence they must be protected from economic exploitation and they must be prevented from work which may impact their health and morals negatively (International Labour Organization, 2015b). In the C111 Discrimination Convention 1958, the ILO had stated that discrimination at work place must not be encouraged. Discrimination may occur in any form and the ILO ensures that employees and workers are not discriminated from gaining their rights. Usually discrimination occurs from the view point of hiring, assignment of tasks, pay, work conditions, lay offs and promotions. Such discrimination may be direct or indirect and how actions must be taken against such forms of discrimination has been laid down by ILO (International Labour Organization, 2015b). Social Protection The ILO works towards ensuring that employees and workers are not prohibited from gaining social protection. Social protection includes rights to justice against all forms of injustice irrespective of class which occur at workplace access to education, right to chose employment opportunities and terms associated with it, health related benefits and pensions. Well being of the society is an essential aspect so that commercial organizations may continue to produce and earn profits. It is the responsibility of commercial institutions to ensure that their employees and workers are provided with suitable growth opportunities, adequate pay and healthy working conditions. The social protection standards basically ensure that workers are not exploited excessively. The ILO suggests that large scale organizations employing thousands of workers must frequently conduct programmes and activities relating to health awareness and protection against epidemic diseases. Additionally it is essential that organizations must provide protection to members of the minor communities and migrant workers. As per the research work carried out by the ILO, only 20% of the working population of the world is provided with social security. Amongst social security needs the most important are providing pension and medical insurance coverage. ILO since its inception has been dedicatedly working towards establishing social security for workers. The member nations of the organization have also provided suitable support in this respect. The organization has remained successful in expanding the coverage of social security. In this respect the ILO publishes various policies and guidelines for commercial institutions regarding the type of social security coverage they must offer. The ILO upholds the though that it only through the well being of workers and their satisfaction that can help organization to be successful in the long run (International Labour Organization, 2015c). Strengthening Dialogue on Work Issues One of the most essential responsibilities of the ILO is to strengthen dialogue on work issues. This is essentially done on the basis of different policies and guidelines set by the organization. ILO is seen to exercise social dialogue so that workers, employees and employers gain justice. ILO’s efforts are dedicated towards providing suitable working conditions, freedom to work, right towards equality, security and to protect the dignity of all humans. On the basis of such a notion, social dialogue would include consultation, negotiations and exchange of information between various authorities such as governments, employers and workers. Issues on which the ILO intervenes and provides suitable recommendations must be of common interest to all workers and employers. The fundamental objective of such dialogue strengthening is to facilitate social cohesion. The manner in which ILO exercises its social dialogue strengthening power may differ on the basis of the country and region, taking into consideration the diversifies characteristics between different nations. The process of dialogue strengthening is basically established as a tripartite process involving exchange of dialogue between labour, the management and the government. Government authorities may or may not be involved based upon the needs of the dimensions of the issue. The exchange of dialogues and the mitigation of issues process can take place at the national, regional or at the organizational level (International Labour Organization, 2015c). Application of Theories Wage led growth- The framework of ILO and their activities can be crucially be related to the wage led growth theory of economic development. The theory of wage led growth states that when organizations provide employees and workers with adequate pay, their lifestyle improves. The overall household sector is able to lead a better standard of living and procure goods and services at a greater scale. Firms are therefore able to receive greater revenues as the spending of individuals enhance, thereby facilitating it to grow. Hence in this manner the overall society as well as commercial organizations is able to increase their values and grow. The theory of wage led growth is adequately propagated by ILO as it considers the interest of both the workers and the management. This wage led growth model can be seen to exist in the developing nations of China, India and South Africa where government authorities, international organizations, commercial organizations and workers jointly work towards enhancing social value as well as achieving economic growth. In many underdeveloped nations and developing regions of the world, labour exploitation and lack of justice provided to the workers are a common issue. To curtail the spread of such issues, the ILO along with other international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank has established a number of regulations such as the minimum wage law. A number of rights have also been framed for those workers who migrated from one nation to another. Additionally crucial policies have been established by the ILO for abolishing and mitigating the issues relating discrimination of workers on the basis of factors such as race or gender. These policies are mandatorily required to be followed by commercial institutions (Grootaert and Van Bastelaer, 2002). Improvement Measures The ILO policies and framework of operations can be further improved through the incorporation of measures which can be implemented by modern day globalised organizations. The ILO is essentially a multilateral system. As a result they do not remain specific to particular nations and meets the comprehensive requirements of globalization. However many aspects of globalization have remained unaddressed by the ILO. This includes the rising rates of unemployment due to enhanced mechanizations and technological growth (Rubery and Grimshaw, 2003). The ILO must establish a suitable policy structure to be followed by international as well as domestic institutions regarding the level up to which they can retrench worker strength. Unemployment has evolved into a crucial social issue, especially in the developing nations. Stern policies established by the ILO may facilitate countering such matters. Additionally the easy movement of workers from one nation to the other have led to numerous social issues. There has been an increase in the levels of racial discrimination is societies, where employees from developing nations are often ill treated in developed nations. The ILO must lay down strict polices to prevent such issues. Reference List Grootaert, C. and Van Bastelaer, T., 2002. The role of social capital in development: An empirical assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. International Labour Organization, 2015a. About the ILO. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2015]. International Labour Organization, 2015b. ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2015]. International Labour Organization, 2015c. Social Protection. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2015]. Rubery, J. and Grimshaw, D., 2003. The organization of employment: an international perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More