Standards for women at work: a case for treatment

Many countries don’t meet the international standards for Decent Work as set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the London-based employment research organisation Incomes Data Services found in its latest survey. The principles of a healthy and safe working environment are often not put into practice.

The Decent Work Check of six countries (Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, the Netherlands and South Africa), carried out by Incomes Data Services (IDS), found that there is still a lot of work to be done. All countries showed areas of non-compliance with the ILO Standards, with legislation being minimal or non-existent.  

These findings are confirmed by separate analysis by IDS, looking at working conditions in 12 countries, using data from the online WageIndicator survey for each country, based on more than 95,000 responses. The survey looked at health and safety, overtime, and participation in work-related pension and medical insurance schemes, among others.

The research showed that the majority of workers working overtime do not receive compensation for these hours. An example was Mexico, where 80% of survey respondents said that they are not paid compensation for the extra hours worked. Also, in most countries, women are less likely to receive overtime compensation.

Trade union membership and coverage by collective agreement can improve conditions for workers, especially for women who are often among the most vulnerable in the workplace. This is particularly the case in developing countries. However, the survey results also show that the degree of trade union membership is still low in some countries. It ranges between 9% and 40%, with Brazil and Finland being the positive exceptions with 70% and 80% of survey respondents in each country saying that they are a member of a trade union.

Another positive finding was the extent of coverage by collective agreement. A significant proportion of survey participants who are not a member of a trade union are nevertheless covered by a collective agreement, showing the extent of the influence such agreements can have in the workplace.

Countries that have signed up to the ILO treaties on working conditions have committed themselves to implement policies and undertake clear actions so they will meet the terms that they agreed to. The Decent Work Check from the WageIndicator Foundation provides a possibility to check in how far countries are complying with these Standards for Decent Work (http://www.decentworkcheck.org/main/international-conventions).