Key ILO resources for Fundamental Principles and Rights at Works
Cooperatives are key actors in the labour market, - they provide direct and indirect employment to 10 percent of the global population (CICOPA 2017) - and like any other businesses, they have an obligation to comply with responsible labour practices, including FPRW.
In 1998, the ILO adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work which commits Members States to respect and promote four categories of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW):
1. The abolition of child labour
2. The elimination of forced or compulsory labour
3. The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
4. Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
These principles are derived from the ILO Constitution and are expressed in eight Conventions and their respective Recommendations and a Protocol. As stated in the 1998 Declaration, “all Members, even if they have not ratified the Conventions in question, have an obligation arising from the very fact of membership in the Organization to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith and in accordance with the Constitution, the principles concerning the fundamental rights…”
Nevertheless, compliance with these principles and rights is a challenge worldwide. According to the latest ILO’s global estimates, 152 million of children are in child labour and 40 million people are in modern slavery, of which 25 million are in forced labour. In terms of discrimination at work, even if it is still not possible to estimate its magnitude, hundreds of millions of people face discrimination due to their sex, colour, ethnicity, social origin, religion, political opinion, age, sexual identity or orientation, disability or because of their HIV status, among others. Moreover, a significant number of workers around the world are not free to form or join unions and are not given the right to negotiate their own working conditions.
Cooperatives are key actors in the labour market, - they provide direct and indirect employment to 10 percent of the global population (CICOPA 2017) - and like any other businesses, they have an obligation to comply with responsible labour practices, including FPRW. However, for cooperatives, which are based on a set of values and principles, this obligation is inherently built into their business model. The ILO’s Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193) recognizes the importance of the FPRW for the development of cooperatives, making a specific call for national policies to “ensure that cooperatives are not set up for, or used for, non-compliance with labour law or used to establish disguised employment relationships, and combat pseudo cooperatives violating workers’ rights, by ensuring that labour legislation is applied in all enterprises”.
Cooperatives around the world have been a source for preventing child labour and forced labour through the provision of employment and income generating activities for adults. They have also been active on raising awareness of these issues among their workers, members and the community in general. Cooperatives have also been acting as sources of funding to allow members to send their children to school or have even established day cares and schools to serve their members and the communities. They have also been involved in child labour monitoring activities at the community level and in partnership with other key local actors. As per their principle No. 1 “voluntary and open membership” without any discrimination, cooperatives have proven to be a source of inclusion in the labour market of vulnerable people such as indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, migrants, among others. Women’s cooperatives have provided their members with the opportunity to enter the labour market with improved conditions, and facilitate access to and/or provide care services and education for children, reducing time and effort allocated to family responsibilities. Cooperatives have also played an important role by contributing to the representativeness of workers, especially those working in the informal economy such as waste pickers and taxi drivers and in areas where other organizational forms are limited. Moreover, cooperatives and trade unions have a long story of relationship and collaboration, trade unions have relied on cooperatives to deliver services to their members and have established cooperatives of rural and informal workers.
1. The abolition of child labour
2. The elimination of forced or compulsory labour
3. The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
4. Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
These principles are derived from the ILO Constitution and are expressed in eight Conventions and their respective Recommendations and a Protocol. As stated in the 1998 Declaration, “all Members, even if they have not ratified the Conventions in question, have an obligation arising from the very fact of membership in the Organization to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith and in accordance with the Constitution, the principles concerning the fundamental rights…”
Nevertheless, compliance with these principles and rights is a challenge worldwide. According to the latest ILO’s global estimates, 152 million of children are in child labour and 40 million people are in modern slavery, of which 25 million are in forced labour. In terms of discrimination at work, even if it is still not possible to estimate its magnitude, hundreds of millions of people face discrimination due to their sex, colour, ethnicity, social origin, religion, political opinion, age, sexual identity or orientation, disability or because of their HIV status, among others. Moreover, a significant number of workers around the world are not free to form or join unions and are not given the right to negotiate their own working conditions.
Cooperatives are key actors in the labour market, - they provide direct and indirect employment to 10 percent of the global population (CICOPA 2017) - and like any other businesses, they have an obligation to comply with responsible labour practices, including FPRW. However, for cooperatives, which are based on a set of values and principles, this obligation is inherently built into their business model. The ILO’s Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193) recognizes the importance of the FPRW for the development of cooperatives, making a specific call for national policies to “ensure that cooperatives are not set up for, or used for, non-compliance with labour law or used to establish disguised employment relationships, and combat pseudo cooperatives violating workers’ rights, by ensuring that labour legislation is applied in all enterprises”.
Cooperatives around the world have been a source for preventing child labour and forced labour through the provision of employment and income generating activities for adults. They have also been active on raising awareness of these issues among their workers, members and the community in general. Cooperatives have also been acting as sources of funding to allow members to send their children to school or have even established day cares and schools to serve their members and the communities. They have also been involved in child labour monitoring activities at the community level and in partnership with other key local actors. As per their principle No. 1 “voluntary and open membership” without any discrimination, cooperatives have proven to be a source of inclusion in the labour market of vulnerable people such as indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, migrants, among others. Women’s cooperatives have provided their members with the opportunity to enter the labour market with improved conditions, and facilitate access to and/or provide care services and education for children, reducing time and effort allocated to family responsibilities. Cooperatives have also played an important role by contributing to the representativeness of workers, especially those working in the informal economy such as waste pickers and taxi drivers and in areas where other organizational forms are limited. Moreover, cooperatives and trade unions have a long story of relationship and collaboration, trade unions have relied on cooperatives to deliver services to their members and have established cooperatives of rural and informal workers.