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ILO urges universal labour guarantee
Why is it in the news?
- The World leaders have been urged by an influential United Nations agency to sign up to a universal labour guarantee.
- UN agency that sets international labour standards is asking the heads of State and business leaders gather in Davos for the World Economic Forum, to commit to a universal labour guarantee.
More in the news
- Demands of ILO:
- Commitment to a universal labour guarantee.
- Universal social protection from birth to old age.
- An international governance system for the gig economy.
- A human-in-command approach to artificial intelligence.
- The International Labour Organization (ILO) was founded in 1919 to promote social justice and thereby contribute to universal and lasting peace.
- The ILO is responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards.
- It is the only tripartite United Nations agency that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes promoting decent work for all.
ILO Findings
- The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released its report titled ‘Future of Work’, in Geneva to mark its centenary.
- It warned that without decisive action we will be sleepwalking into a world that widens inequality, increases uncertainty and reinforces exclusion.
- Around the world, 190 million people are unemployed, while 300 million workers live in extreme poverty.
- Wage gaps are growing at a time of declining wage growth.
- Two-thirds of jobs in the developing world are susceptible to automation, and only 15% of households in emerging countries have Internet access.
- Implementing the Paris Climate Agenda could create 24 million new jobs, but it could still be brutal to the 6 million workers expected to lose their jobs in the transition to a greener economy.
Way Forward
- The ILO asked all countries to “place people at the centre of economic and social policy”, ensuring that final decisions are taken by human beings.
- It suggested that an international governance system be set up to police the gig economy, and ensure that ‘digital labour platforms’ such as Uber and Swiggy respect certain minimum rights and protections.
- To reduce inequalities, the ILO recommends that “the development of the rural economy, where the future of many the world’s workers lies, should become a priority”.
Source
The Hindu.