Decent Work

Decent Work is essentially the right for men and women to obtain decent and productive work - in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

It isn't just about more jobs - but about better quality jobs.

The ILO aims to achieve Decent Work for ALL people in ALL parts of the world. However, it recognises that different societies face different challenges on the path towards Decent Work. As such, each country needs to work out what Decent Work means to them, and how best to achieve this goal.
New Zealand and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region have taken the lead on making Decent Work a local reality. They are the first to make the Decent Work vision their own by applying it to their own unique experiences and challenges.

What is Decent Work?

Decent Work for all workers is a fundamental goal of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a specialised agency of the United Nations.

Decent Work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves:
- opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income
- security in the workplace and social protection for families
- better prospects for personal development and social integration
- freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in the decisions that affect their lives
- equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men

Decent Work is not just about more jobs, but about better quality jobs.

For more information on the ILOs Decent Work agenda, see http://www.ilo.org/public/english/decent.htm.

New Zealands Decent Work vision, developed by a working group composed of government, worker, and employer representatives, is:

- All work in New Zealand recognises differing needs; provides satisfying and productive work, adequate income and social protection; stability for people and their families; respects peoples rights; allows people time for other activities; and gives people a say and an opportunity for involvement.

Why is Decent Work important?

Decent Work represents better working lives for all of us. Decent Work is central to efforts to reduce poverty, and is a means for achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development around the world

New Zealand is a proud participating member of the ILO and fully supports the ILOs primary goal of Decent Work.

What does the Decent Work project involve?

New Zealand and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region are taking the lead on making Decent Work a local reality. Countries in our region are the first to make the Decent Work vision our own by applying it to our own unique experiences and challenges.

New Zealand has started this process by doing a stocktake of where we are at on the path to Decent Work.
The stocktake will be used to show all the things were doing to make Decent Work a reality in New Zealand and how they contribute to this goal.

Who is participating in the Decent Work project?

In New Zealand, the Department of Labour leads this project with input from other government agencies that have a role in Decent Work.

Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions play an important part in this project. These groups represent employers and workers in New Zealand. Government partnership with employers and workers is crucial because it is only with their enthusiasm and guidance that Decent Work will become a reality for everyone in New Zealand.

Other countries around the Asia-Pacific region are involved in their own Decent Work projects. These projects take into account the different situations in each country. New Zealand and the other Asia-Pacific ILO member countries share information on our projects so that we can benefit from each other's experiences.

What will the information be used for?

This information, which will be regularly updated, provides a snapshot of where we are on our path to Decent Work.

New Zealand and the other Asia-Pacific ILO member countries share their Decent Work information so that we can benefit from each others experiences.

How will this project benefit me?

This project helps us to move towards Decent Work for all New Zealanders. Decent Work is a goal that we can all identify with because it sums up peoples aspirations in their working lives.

What happens next?

In 2006 New Zealands collated stocktake will be added to this website and the companion publication will be launched and publicised.

New Zealands Decent Work project will be presented at the ILO Asian Regional Meeting in September 2006.
This is an opportunity for New Zealand to demonstrate our commitment to Decent Work.

The collated stocktake will be updated annually. Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions will continue to be involved in the Decent Work project.

Links/downloads

Going Beyond Minimums To Quality, Decent Work - CTU Media Release,  30 Jan 2007 - click here
ILO Decent Work page - click here
Department of Labour Decent Work page - click here
decentwork.org - The Decent Work, Decent Life campaign - click here.  Led by the International Trade Union Confederation , Solidar , the Global Progressive Forum, Social Alert International and the European Trade Union Confederation. As part of its campaign, the Campaign recently launched the Call to Action for Decent Work, a petition to be signed on-line by individuals and organisations that support our call for decent work. Click here to sign the call to action.
ILO Conference puts Decent Work Under the Spotlight. A new website for the World Day for Decent Work (7 Oct 2008) was launched in May 2008.  http://www.wddw.org