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Improvement in labor market conditions has been the main explanation behind many of the poverty success stories observed in the last decade-that is the primary conclusion of an analysis of changes in poverty by income source. Changes in labor earnings were the largest contributor to poverty reduction for a sample of 16 countries where poverty increased substantially. In 10 of these countries, labor income explained more than half of the change in poverty, and in another 4 countries, it accounted for more than 40 percent of the reduction in poverty. A declining dependency rate accounts for over a fifth of the reduction in poverty in 10 out of 16 countries, while transfers and other nonearned incomes account for more than a quarter of the reduction in poverty in 9 of these countries. A further decomposition of the contribution of labor income to poverty reduction in Bangladesh, Peru, and Thailand found that changes in individual characteristics (education, work experience, and region of residence) were important, but that overall, increases in real earnings among the poor matter the most.

This report examines the role of commodity buyers, food processors and retailers inthe realization of the right to food. These actors play a key role, as they connect producersto consumers, and as they transform raw commodities into edible food. But the vastmajority of those who are hungry in the world today are part of the food system; smallindependent food producers or waged agricultural workers working on farms in the formalor informal sector represent over half of the billion who go hungry today. The reporttherefore asks how the sourcing, pricing, and wages policies of commodity buyers, foodprocessors and retailers impact the right to food. The report seeks to contribute to a betterunderstanding, by agribusiness corporations and States alike, of their respectiveresponsibilities and obligations under international law. It ends with 10 recommendationsto States and the agribusiness sector to ensure that the current transformation of the foodchain will contribute to the realization of the right to food. The recommendations relate to arange of areas, including codes of conduct and international framework agreements,cooperatives, marketing boards, public procurement, and competition law.

Trade negotiations -bilateral, regional or multilateral - routinely lead to debates on the implications for employment. Factual assessments of the employment and distributional impacts of trade agreements are, however, too often missing. This book tries to address this disconnect between the prominence of trade and employment linkages in the public debate and the relative absence of factual assessments of the employment implications of trade by taking stock of the most recent evidence, and by providing guidance on the design of tools to assess the employment impacts of trade.

World Bank note (May 2012) on wage and poverty alleviation trends linked to the garment sector. "A radical shift in apparel production between countries over the last few years has had mixed results in wages and poverty reduction across the developing world. This is particularly true since the end of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) and the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) in 2005, which abolished export and import quotas. While most people predicted that China would gain, because of low wages, and all others would lose, many other Asian apparel exporters in fact benefited, such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Pakistan. And not just because of low wages -salaries tended to increase in most exporting countries-but because of domestic policies supporting the textile industry. On the other hand, countries like Honduras, Mexico, Morocco and Sri Lanka experienced falling apparel employment, something that would appear to be bad news as jobs for women and workers most likely to be closest to poverty, were lost. But Mexico's experience suggests that shifting out of apparel may not be necessarily negative news when the country is moving up the value chain into more advanced manufacturing. In fact, this would be a sign of economic development as long as the shift into higher-value goods and services is possible. What matters is for countries to have policies that focus on improving competitiveness in the long-run, but also workforce programs to help workers make the transition. Increasing apparel exports is a good thing for poverty reduction in developing countries but moving up the ladder is an inevitable step in the quest for prosperity. Let's allow the textile industry to keep moving across borders and to help countries lift themselves out of poverty."

"This report digs underneath the façade of social auditing and certification schemes to reveal a deeply disturbing abdication of responsibilities on the part of both governments to protect human rights at the workplace and of companies to respect these rights by exercising due diligence regarding the impact of their business activities and their business relationships."

Sample survey of 2000 garment workers conducted by Banglaore University. 72.8% are women; 63.4% are from lower castes; 76.4% continue to visit their villages; over half paid in cash. High rates of attrition and absenteeism; workers prone to wide range of health risks. Researchers conclude that urban migration is a survival strategy for these workers that doesn't enable them to acquire permanent assets or lift themselves out of poverty.

ITUC's annual country-by-country survey of the state of trade union rights

New WB report on promoting export growth in BGD.

New report from ODI, July 2012.

New report by Ergon for the ILO looking at the ways in which strong, independent worker and employer organisations contribute to economic and social development. The study contains case studies from emerging economies and analysis of the roles played by freedom of association in a variety of spheres.

Human Rights Watch report, Aug 2011. Workers in Western Cape province who help produce South Africa's renowned wines and fruit are denied adequate housing, proper safety equipment, and basic labor rights, HRW said in a report released today. The government of South Africa, along with the industries that employ these laborers, should take immediate steps to improve their working and housing conditions, HRW said. The 96-page report documents conditions that include on-site housing that is unfit for living, exposure to pesticides without proper safety equipment, lack of access to toilets or drinking water while working, and efforts to block workers from forming unions. While the Western Cape's fruit and wine industries contribute billions of rand to the country's economy, support tourism, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world, their farmworkers earn among the lowest wages in South Africa. The report also describes insecure tenure rights and threats of eviction for longtime residents on farms.

"The BSCI Code draws on important international labour standards protecting workers' rights such as International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, declarations of the United Nations (UN) as well as guidelines of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It sets out 11 core labour rights, which our participating companies and their business partners commit to incorporating within their supply chain in a step-by-step development approach. The 2014 version has been reinforced with new principles such as 'No Precarious Employment' and 'Ethical Business Behaviour'. "