Decent Work and its Importance in Development of a Just and Fair Society
The aspirations that people have throughout their working lives are summed up by decent work. Decent work involves having the opportunity to acquire a job that pays fairly, is productive, safe, provide a prospect for personal growth and development, protect one’s family, and freedom to express oneself and be involved in decision making affecting one’s life. This paper will discuss the importance of decent work in the development of a just and fair society.
By creating decent work, society is bound to benefit as a whole. When most people in a society are productive and contribute to the growth of a country, the effect is felt by society. Decent work and employment that productive are critical elements to the achievement of fair globalization and eradication of poverty. In most places where people are unemployed, peace is disrupted (Marković, 2012). Lack of inadequate investments, under consumption, and decent work opportunities lead to erosion of social contract that underlies societies that are democratic where all should share in progress.
Decent work is considered to be the center of all the efforts aimed at reducing poverty and a way of achieving inclusive, sustainable, and equitable development (Vosko, 2002). In a society that is characterized by a wide gap between the poor and the rich, it is decent work that eliminates the gap through ensuring that people received fair wages, have social security, men and women are both provided with opportunities that are equal at the workplace, and the families are protected.
New Zealand believes that in order to reach the goals of ILO on decent work, certain factors which include the development of legislation to support employers and workers, providing equal opportunities, providing social protection for all families, increased capabilities of individuals in the workforce, and improvement of the businesses and people’s working environment can lead to just and fair society (International Labour Organization, 2007).
One of the components of decent work is equal opportunity for all the people, including women and men. A society where all the people have equal opportunities for employment is truly fair and equitable, which translates to harmony and prosperity. Failure to handle discrimination and provide opportunities that are equal hurts the families, individuals, and society at large since some people tend to be better off than others. For example, a society where men get employed more than women and even get better pay, that society cannot be considered to be fair or just since women are discriminated against. Gender equality is one way to promote social justice and ensure human rights are not violated. Decent work helps to enact the Human Rights Act of 1993 that prevents discrimination on the bases of race, gender, and the like (Hyde, 2013).
Another component of decent work is rights in the workplace. In the workplace, people should have the right to express themselves and raise their concerns and participate in making decisions that impact their lives. Through decent work, the voice of the people matters, and so is their right to express themselves. Exercising rights that come with decent work without interference or fear is key to living in a fair and open society where people can enjoy their human rights and access justice. Decent work promotes and enhances the Bill of Rights Act of 1990, which sets the crucial freedoms such as freedom of expression, and hence a just and fair society is developed.
The Employment Relations Act 2000, protects the rights of the workers in New Zealand such that they have the freedom to raise their concerns as well as being offered a conducive environment to work in. The minimum employment conditions in New Zealand are regulated by ERA. A worker protected by ERA is free from exploitation or abuse of any kind by the employer (Hyde, 2013). If all employees are covered by ERA, they can negotiate for whatever they want, which leaves them in a good position income-wise.
Decent work opportunities allow all the individuals to have the freedom of collective bargaining, operation, and recognition of unions, which fight for the rights of the workers, mediation services to enhance relationships between the workers, as well as enforcement of the agreements of the employees as covered by the ERA. If all individuals have the freedom to the above named, then society can be said to be fair and just.
Decent work also involves social security where an individual’s safety at the workplace and social protection of families is enhanced. It is evident that the social protection of family members through decent work enhances their well-being. Through social protection, the ability of families to seize equal and better opportunities in society is enhanced. A society where social protection is upheld is said to be fair, and just since all families have the ability to seize opportunities that are both social and economic (Marković, 2012).
Through the provision of social protection to the people, vulnerabilities and risks are reduced, development is boosted, and poverty reduced. Decent work promotes social inclusion. The poor and the working poor are a social deficit that requires to be handled efficiently and immediately (Kobayashi et al., 2019). In New Zealand, the campaign on decent work was launched in 2007. The campaign, which was jointly led by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Business and the department of labor, involved a website in improving the lives of the New Zealanders.
Ensuring that decent work provides security and safety for an individual at the workplace is in line with the Health and Safety in Employment Act of 1992, which requires employees and employers to take the right measures to maintain a workplace that is safe (Hyde, 2013). In a society that is just and fair, every individual knows what the value of safety is in an organization, and looks for the risks that pose a threat to the well-being of everyone. A just and fair society is created through the distribution of jointly agreed safety guidelines at the workplace to all the people. If the guidelines and regulations apply to every individual, fairness is enhanced in society. Therefore, providing decent work leads to the fulfillment of the component of security at the workplace, which develops a fair and just society.
Conclusion
Decent work is concerned more with availing employment in conditions of human dignity, security, equity, and freedom. Decent work involves work opportunities that provide income that is fair and is productive. It also means ensuring the safety of individuals while at work and the families’ social protection, freedom to express oneself, right to equal opportunities, participate in making of decisions that affect them, as well as prospects of integration and personal growth. Through decent work, a fair and just society is created by ensuring that all people have equal opportunities in society, express themselves freely, are safe while at the workplace, and receive social justice equally.
References
Hyde, R. (2013). Domestic workers in New Zealand and the implications of International Labour Organization Convention No. 189.
International Labour Organization. (2007). Decent work in New Zealand: Thinking globally, acting locally
Kobayashi, K., Nath, S., Chen, M. S., & Malenga, J. (2019). Decent Work and Economic Growth: Is NZ Business Progressing Well?. In Clean, Green and Responsible? (pp. 11-27). Springer, Cham.
Marković, D. Ž. (2012). Decent work and human dignity. Educația Plus, 8(2), 85-96.
Vosko, L. F. (2002). Decent Work’ The Shifting Role of the ILO and the Struggle for Global Social Justice. Global Social Policy, 2(1), 19-46.