Published on 31st January 2024
With climate change, demographic changes, technological development and – more generally – globalisation, the world of work is changing at an unprecedented pace and scale. While these changes have brought significant new opportunities, they have also led to inequality and risks of exclusion, threatening social cohesion, economic growth and human progress.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has taken on tackling this ‘social justice deficit’ by setting a Global Coalition bringing together different types of stakeholders. Already 100 partners have joined the Coalition, the ILO announced on 23 January. The World Employment Confederation (WEC) is one of the 14 employers’ organisations amongst them.
“The World Employment Confederation is honoured to be a Coalition partner,” says President Bettina Schaller. “The HR services industry plays an integral societal role in providing people access to work and in connecting talent to labour market demand. As a champion of social justice, we see this collaborative effort as a pathway towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and especially decent work for all.”
All Hands on Deck: a Multi-Stakeholder Approach
The Global Coalition for Social Justice aims to improve worldwide collaboration in addressing social justice gaps and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Decent Work Agenda. To date, it brings together 19 governments, 14 employers’ and 30 workers’ organizations, 11 international organizations and financial institutions, as well as 10 regional entities, 12 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), three enterprises and one academic institution. Through knowledge sharing and advocacy, the ILO initiative seeks to reduce global inequalities, alleviate poverty and meet essential needs, through the promotion of international labour standards and social dialogue.
One Shared Vision: Better Labour Markets for All.
The HR services industry fully supports this initiative as it aligns with its vision to enable better labour market outcomes for all. The ILO identifies four critical dimensions in pursuing social justice: fundamental principles and rights at work, full and freely chosen employment, social and labour protection, and social dialogue and tripartism.
Our sector plays a crucial role in advancing social justice in each of those dimensions. Offering diverse forms of work creates pathways to employment for more people, including underrepresented groups. Active social dialogue and collective bargaining have secured rights for agency workers, ensuring social and labour protection. As the setting-up of the Global Coalition for Social Justice progresses, the HR services industry aims to play a key role in it and shape a future where social justice is not just an ideal but a tangible reality for all. With two of WEC members, The Adecco Group and Randstad – and more likely to follow, having also joined the initiative, the sector certainly has a strong voice within the Coalition.
Read more about the HR services industry’s contribution to advancing social justice in WEC’s Strategic Issue Paper.
Photo: © ILO
