Ergonweb

Alastair Usher blogs on decent work in Brazil

World Development Report 2012 - Gender equality and development

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.

Latest Update includes pieces on new IFC Performance Standards, freedom of association and development and the review of the Equator Principles.

Published by the Global Compact and the ILO, the Guide aims at helping companies understand and put the four labour principles into practice. In a question and answer format, the Guide provides a brief description of each labour principle, and provides practical guidance on what companies can do to respect, promote, and realize them.

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.

Annual report from BSCI highlights improvements in audit results (28% audited factories and farms were rated "good" in the initial audit, followed by 51% in the re-audit) as well as capacity-building programmes. a focus on the agricultural sector is particularly highlighted.

TUC welcomes the agreement between Indonesian unions and major sportswear brands

Saudi Arabia says it will stop issuing permits for Indonesian and Filipino workers, after Indonesia announced a moratorium on Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia. This followed the beheading of an Indonesian domestic worker in June 2011.