Work practices and fundamental rights: towards decent work

In June 1998, the International Labour Conference adopted the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up. The Declaration was a response to the challenges of globalization by introducing a social dimension in the form of certain minimum social ground rules based on shared values.

In TCF industries the effective implementation of these principles is a good indicator of the direction to pursue to achieve decent work.

Child Labour: some progress but "could do better"

With regard to child labour, the importance of achieving progressive abolition is now widely understood at international level. That awareness is reflected in many developing countries by activities and programmes targeted at child labour. These global initiatives, combined with voluntary private initiatives (codes of conduct and labelling campaigns), have reduced the employment of children in the TCF industries, in particular in the formal sector. Nevertheless, these advances should not blind us to the fact that many children still work in the TCF industries, particularly under subcontracting arrangements in the informal sector and with homeworkers.

Freedom of association and collective bargaining: globalization and social dialogue

Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right of collective bargaining are crucial to the observance of other fundamental rights at work. In developed countries, appropriate frameworks guarantee the implementation of these fundamental human rights at work. However, in TCF industries, the social dialogue exists, but the partners of that dialogue have been weakened by the economic crisis and are mindful of the potential effects of social action in the light of international competition. In the Central and Eastern European countries, the recently implemented restructuring policies have helped these economies integrate the process of globalization but have also negatively affected trade union structures and collective bargaining practices. Moreover, the absence of representative employers' associations in the TCF industries makes the establishment of a real social dialogue difficult. In the developing countries, freedom of association and the right of collective bargaining are generally guaranteed in theory under the Constitution and national laws. In practice, trade union rights cannot always be exercised fully in TCF industries, especially in export processing zones where legal or practical obstacles remain. There are developing countries in which genuine social dialogue has become established over the years in the TCF industries and where collective bargaining works satisfactorily. However, international competition exercises a constant pressure on the social partners which limits the potential for any significant progress in social dialogue.

Discrimination: targeting migrant workers and women

Of all the manufacturing industries, the TCF industries are among those that create the highest percentage of unskilled jobs. They have a poor image among young people and many enterprises throughout the world experience difficulties in hiring workers. As a result, in many countries TCF enterprises operate with a high proportion of immigrant workers. Another element which characterizes the structure of the workforce of TCF industries is the high proportion of women workers. These factors in combination create an environment that might be conducive to discriminatory practices in matters of employment and occupation. As regards the situation of women, the main form of discrimination is the inequality in wages. With regard to access to and progression in employment, women sometimes suffer non-explicit discrimination. However, in many countries, women are increasingly taking up supervisory and managerial posts at all levels. Women may also suffer various types of harassment, including sexual harassment. Immigrant workers, with different cultural backgrounds and often confronted by a language barrier, are also suffering from discriminatory practices in a number of countries in the TCF industries.

Forced labour: sweatshops and debt bondage

Clandestine immigrant workers employed in the so called sweatshops make up the majority of cases of forced labour in the TCF industries. Despite many campaigns against them, sweatshop practices have not disappeared even in the industrialized countries. It is in these clandestine operations that violations of human rights at the workplace are most flagrant and most frequent. Some workers, mostly children, are forced to work in order to repay loans made to them or their families at the time of hiring. Debt bondage is a practice which many countries are endeavouring to eradicate, but it persists in certain segments of TCF industries, notably carpets. In a few cases, prison work may involve forced labour practices, although most TCF manufacturers take care to avoid this practice which can harm the consumer's image of them.