Precarious work and the role of the ILO

GLOBAL:  As part of the global campaign against precarious work, Global Union Federations raised with the International Labour Organization (ILO) secretariat their concerns about the devastating erosion of workers' rights through the rise in the number of temporary, casual and contract jobs.

The meeting with the members of the ILO secretariat, "Towards Social Justice: applying labour standards to precarious workers" was held with the co-sponsorship of the ILO Bureau of Workers' Activities (ACTRAV).

Representatives of global unions outlined the impact of precarious work in sectors and on rights and called on the ILO to address this growing problem that undermines the very basis of international labour standards, the employment relationship.

Manfred Warda, general secretary of the International Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM) and chair of the meeting said, "The issue of precarious work is fundamental to the very essence of the ILO. The erosion of employment structures robs workers of the will and capacity to join unions, and it gives families a permanent feeling of insecurity."

Speakers from International Union of Foodworkers (IUF), Building Workers' International (BWI) and Union Network International (UNI) and ICEM provided various examples illustrating the ways that companies use precarious forms of employment to systematically undermine the rights of workers.

IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi called attention to an ILO complaint that IMF together with the Korean Metal Workers' Union brought before the Committee on Freedom of Association over the use of sub-contracting effectively preventing workers from being represented by a union. "Our unions are facing an uphill battle and they need the support of the ILO. The best hope for precarious workers to improve their situation is to unionise," he said.

"For the union movement, collective bargaining holds the key to both determining the circumstances under which non-permanent or outsourced employment is justified, and ensuring that wages and conditions of precarious workers are equal to those of regular workers," said Malentacchi. A copy of his speech to the ILO can be viewed on the IMF website here.

During the forum, members of the ILO secretariat discussed how existing ILO standards and instruments could be used to improve the situation of precarious employment. Information was given on ongoing activities, including by the Gender Bureau and the branches on Sectoral Activities as well as Migration. Participants were encouraged to take account of the issue of precarious work in activities planned for next year celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the ILO Convention 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.