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Gender equality AND Global Solidarity: Decent work and the Millennium Development Goals Design by Language www.language.ie Gender equality AND Global Solidarity: Decent work and the Millennium Development Goals by Dr Jane Pillinger www.ictu.ie/GlobalSolidarity Funded by Irish Aid, Development Education and Civil Society Section The ideas, opinions and comments herein are entirely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect Irish Aid Policy. Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 5 2 GENDER EQUALITY AND DECENT WORK FOR ALL 7 I Introduction 7 II What is decent work? 8 III The trade union demand for decent work for all 10 IV Globalisation and the liberalisation of trade 12 V The growth of women’s precarious and vulnerable employment 13 VI Addressing women’s precarious and informal work in the global economic crisis 21 3 GENDER EQUALITY AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS 23 I Introduction 23 II Overview of gender equality and women’s empowerment under the MDGs 24 III Gender equality and a renewed effort to achieve the MDGs 33 IV Other international commitments to gender equality 34 V Irish aid, decent work and gender equality 35 4 GENDER EQUALITY, DECENT WORK AND THE MDGs: ACTIONS FOR TRADE UNIONS 39 BIBLIOGRAPHY 43 APPENDIX 1: IlO Conventions and recommendations that promote decent work and gender equality 47 1 IntroduCtIon This publication aims to inform trade unionists in Ireland about global solidarity in relation to women’s access to trade union demands for Decent Work for All and in progressing commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment under the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A specific emphasis is given to the impact of these instruments on gender equality in the current economic crisis. It will help to give trade unionists who are involved in global solidarity work to be better informed about gender equality in a global context and to give trade unions some practical strategies and actions about how they can advocate for women’s rights to decent work, and gender equality and women’s empowerment under the MDGs. The report is targeted at trade union leaders, members, activists and personnel in trade unions. It will also be a resource for the ICTU’s affiliate Global Solidarity Committees and for global solidarity training for trade unions. As well as being a fundamental human right, gender equality is essential for poverty reduction and sustained economic growth. Evidence from research studies show that the countries that have improved the status of women, for example through improved access to employment, decent work, health care, education and credit, have stronger economic growth and lower rates of poverty. Although many commentators argue that gender equality must be a pre-requisite of development strategies on growth and poverty reduction, it is essential also that access to Decent Work for All is a core part of this agenda. Section 2 of the publication looks at gender equality and Decent Work for All and points to recent development in women’s decent work and the impact of the global economic and financial crisis on women’s access to decent work. Section 3 looks at the implementation of the MDGs from a gender equality perspective and shows what progress has been made to date in the meeting the goals and in relation to decent work. Section 4 concludes the report and points to actions that can be taken by trade unions to progress global solidarity around the issues of gender equality, decent work and meeting the MDGs. 5 2 Gender equalIty and deCent Work for all I IntroduCtIon We strongly support fair globalization and resolve to make the goals of full and productive employment and decent work for all, including for women and young people, a central objective of our relevant national and international policies as well as our national development strategies. Statement made by Heads of Governments at the United Nations World Summit, 2005 Globally the number of working poor has increased by 40 million as a result of the economic crisis. The total number of job losses worldwide escalated to 205 million in 2010, resulting in a global unemployment rate of 6.1% in 2012, compared to a pre-crisis unemployment rate of 5.4%. The IlO predicts that unemployment will remain over 6% until 2016 and that by 2012 unemployment will hit 202 million, an increase of 2 million over previous forecasts (IlO 2012). some facts and figures about women and decent work • Women earn only 10% of the world’s income and yet carry out two-thirds of the world’s unpaid work. Women spend at least twice as much time as men on domestic work, and when all work – paid and unpaid – is taken into account, women work longer hours than men. • On average women earn three-quarters of men’s earnings for the same work or work of an equal value. • The informal sector is an important source of employment for both women and men in the less developed regions. Around 60% of women work in informal employment outside of agriculture. In this sector women have insecure and poor working conditions, a lack of social protection and have the greatest difficulty in being a member of a trade union. • Vulnerable employment – own-account work and contributing family work – is prevalent in many countries in Africa and Asia, especially among women. • Occupational segregation and gender wage gaps continue to persist in all regions. Part-time employment is common for women in most of the more developed regions and some less developed regions, and it is increasing almost everywhere for both women and men. 7 2 Gender equality and decent Work for all II What Is deCent Work? …global economic integration has caused many countries and sectors to face challenges of income inequality, continuing high levels of unemployment and poverty, vulnerability of economies to external shocks, and the growth of unprotected work and the informal economy, which impact on the employment relationship and the protections it can offer. IlO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization adopted at the International labour Conference, 97th Session, 2008: 5 The concept of decent work was first introduced at the International labour Conference in 1999 (87th session) in the Report of the Director-General of the International labour Organisation (IlO). This stated that the primary goal of the IlO was to promote opportunities for women and men to have decent and productive work, in conditions that provide freedom, equality, security and human dignity. Today the IlO defines decent work in the following way: [Decent work] sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives – their aspirations for opportunity and income; rights, vice and recognition; family stability and personal development; and fairness and gender equality. The International labour Organisation (IlO) is responsible for setting labour standards and monitoring decent work globally. Decent work is progressed through global, regional and country programmes. As a tri-partite body (made up of governments, employers and trade unions) trade unions play a key role in both the formulating of policy but also in the implementation of country programmes. The IlO’s headquarters are in Geneva. 8 Gender equality and decent Work for all 2 the four pillars of decent Work are: 1. Fundamental principles and rights at work, and international labour standards 2. Employment and income opportunities 3. Social protection and social security 4. Social Dialogue (employers and trade unions) and tripartism (governments, employers and trade unions) Some key framework documents on decent work • IlO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work • IlO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization • IlO Multilateral Framework on labour Migration: Non-binding principles and guidelines for a rights-based approach to labour migration (2006) Core ILO Conventions on gender equality • No. 183 – Maternity Protection Convention • No. 156 – Workers and Family Responsibilities Convention • No. 100 – Equal Remuneration Convention • No. 111 – Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention A full list of IlO Conventions and Recommendations that promote decent work and gender equality can be found in Appendix 1. The majority of countries worldwide have ratified lI O conventions on decent work. However, enforcement and implementation of the conventions is often slow. For further information on gender and the IlO’s Decent Work Agenda: http://www.ilo.org/gender 9 2 Gender equality and decent Work for all iii The trade unIon demand for deCent Work for all The trade union demand for Decent Work for All is the basis for just globalisation and the fair distribution of economic resources. Decent Work for All is fundamental to gender equality and to the 1.2 billion women in employment across the world. Governments, trade unions, employers and international organisations need to ensure that rights to decent work, social protection and the social dialogue are progressed in this more unstable global economic environment. Trade unions have a vital role to play in ensuring that workers in the developing world have the solidarity of trade unions that have won rights to collective bargaining and decent work. The majority of workers worldwide do not have decent work, living minimum wages, or rights to social protection, pensions and health care. Women in particular need decent work, social rights and protection as they are amongst the most vulnerable to discrimination, poverty, poor working conditions and precarious work. In many developing countries women work in sectors of the economy, for example, as domestic workers, care-givers and informal workers that do not have the protection of trade unions through the social dialogue and collective bargaining. Women experience multiple forms of discrimination in work, in education, and in the family.