Decent Work Should be the Social Foundation of Globalization

Marco Piva

Juan Somavía, the Chilean Director General of the International Labor Organization ( ILO) says he makes his mandate an instrument to promote decent work. In an interview, he gives his impressions about the World Social Forum, the role of ILO in promoting decent work for all, workers‚ rights and the need to integrate economic and social objectives in policies, processes and institutions to transform globalization.

How do you see the second World Social Forum ?

This Forum reflects many people‚s concerns about the feeling of insecurity generated by the present model of globalization, a feeling of powerlessness facing a process no one controls. We are searching for solutions and this event is an impressive source of ideas, debates and alternatives. It is of utmost importance to build bridges of understanding among people with different visions of the world and globalization in order to transform it into a system that benefits all, as the Forum says, a better world. The Forum is contributing because of the many voices and perspectives that are represented here, and the energy and hope that it generates.

Why did you attend?

I am here at the invitation of Trade Union Federations. But, even if I were not the Director-General of ILO, I would be in Porto Alegre because, here, I am among friends. I have worked with many people here when I was in exile in the fight for democracy in Latin America and during the Social Summit. The Forum has large trade union participation as well as other very important social movements in the fight for a more fair and just world˜women, indigenous, youth, environment, human rights, peace and economic justice. I want to contribute to the construction of a better world. I believe in the capacity of civil society in this wide movement to participate in the search for alternatives. This interests ILO and the United Nations system.

How do you see the unemployment problem in the world?

The decade of the 90‚s ended with 60 million more officially-counted unemployed people in the world than at the start of the decade. Just with last year‚s recession, some 30 million jobs were lost. We face the same risk this year and unemployment is only the tip of the iceberg. There are over 500 million workers and their families who somehow live below the poverty line, in addition to hundreds of millions people working in terrible conditions, with no social security, and without proper representation. If decent work is not treated as a top priority in national and international policies, then this picture will tend to continue or get worse.

What are the ILO‚s priorities?

The absolute priority of ILO is decent work. We see the problems and aspirations through the eyes of people. Their priorities are decent work and income, opportunities for their children, job stability, security for and in the family and in retirement, respect of their rights and voice and participation in the decisions that affect them. This is what decent work means to us. This is our objective for all women and men of both the formal and informal economy. All people should have the opportunity to achieve dignified and productive work. This is the basic condition for socially sustainable development. The way towards equality, a source of hope which is essential to achieve peace.

What is the situation of labor rights and freedom of association in Latin America and the world?

Ensuring the basic rights of workers should be the social floor for global economy. Today, there is an intolerable deficit of such rights. Discrimination by race and gender exists in all parts of the world and is an important cause for inequality and poverty. There are extreme situations of child labor, exploitation and forced labor. One of the main problems concerns trade union rights. About 40% of countries today have serious problems of freedom of association rights. In Colombia, Guatemala and too many other countries, trade union leaders are murdered for defending their values and goals. We have to understand that the rights of the workers are human rights. That is why we have a lot to do. This way, the rights of the workers are in the heart of the ILO strategy to promote decent work as it explicitly links rights and development agendas.

How do you see the present process of globalization?

The central issue of the model of globalization is the lack of integration between economic and social objectives. The social foundation of the global economy needs to be built. That will transform the present model. The effort to put in place efficient rules and institutions is concentrated in the economic sphere. We need to build mechanisms to take into account the social impact of economic and other public policies. Economic policies pay a great deal of attention to reducing budget deficits. I believe the time has come to insist on policies that reduce the global deficit of decent work. This is an agenda that aims to promote workers‚ rights, more and better employment and sustainable development. We need a system that can regulate the global economy in such a way that production and commerce, investment, migration and other key components fueling globalization, are coherent with human rights, people‚s security and employment. To achieve this, a global economy that realizes worker‚s and their families‚ aspirations, social dialogue is fundamental.