Strategy for Workers’ Rights within the Decent Work Agenda

The Norwegian Government establishes a strategy in seven action points to strengthen and coordinate Norway’s efforts in promoting workers’ rights abroad. The strategy will serve as a supplement to the efforts against social dumping at home.

– Norway is probably the first country in the world to adopt such a comprehensive strategy to strengthen and coordinate the promotion of workers’ rights at a global level, says Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre.

 
Ensuring workers’ rights in other countries shall be an important aspect of the Government’s industrial policy. (Photo: Arbeidstilsynet.)

The ILO’s "Decent Work Agenda" is the basis for the Government’s increased effort. As a first specific measure of the strategy, Norway’s financial contribution to the ILO will be increased from 2009.

– It is important for the Norwegian Government to have a close dialogue with the Social Partners. The strategy is therefore to be further formulated and developed in cooperation with the Social Partners through the Norwegian ILO Committee, says Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, Mr. Dag Terje Andersen.

The strategy will serve as a framework both for the implementation of specific policy initiatives and for the cooperation between the Ministries. It will be put forward in the National Budget for 2009. The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have the overall responsibility for the implementation, in consultation with the different Ministries.

The strategy shall be based upon the following seven action points:

1. Norway will strengthen its efforts to promote worker’s rights on a global level. This will be done both through policy initiatives in the ILO and through the fields of foreign policy, development aid policy, trade policy, ownership policy and labour policy. In addition, the policy coordination in this area will be improved.

2. Norway’s policy vis-à-vis the ILO will be further developed. This may take place both through increasing Norway’s financial contributions to the ILO, and through raising Norwegian competence as regards the ILO and the ILO’s work, and by facilitating more contact and cooperation with the ILO.

3. Promotion of worker’s rights in other countries will be given a higher priority in the fields of foreign policy and development aid policy. Respect for worker’s rights, especially the ILO’s eight fundamental conventions, will be made a criterion for assessing how to prioritize the use of Norwegian development aid funds. Everyone who performs work in connection with development aid projects should have work terms which as a minimum comply with the ILO’s eight fundamental conventions.

4. Also when it comes to trade policy, Norway will be a driving force in the work to promote decent working conditions, inter alia in bilateral trade agreements and in multinational and regional agreements.

5. Ensuring workers’ rights in other countries shall be an important aspect of the Government’s industrial policy and in the Government’s efforts to make Norwegian companies assume social responsibility. The state, in its role as owner, expects the companies to assume social responsibility. The activity of the companies must be in accordance with basic human rights, and the same requirement must apply to business partners and suppliers. The Government expects Norwegian companies to base their business on the ILO’s eight fundamental conventions, and to have a good HSE standard which ensures the health and safety of the workers. Norwegian companies must also have follow-up systems to ensure this in practice.

6. A special effort will be made to strengthen the verification and enforcement of laws and regulations concerning labour standards. This may e.g. take place through development aid policy, the work in the ILO and by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority cooperating with corresponding authorities in other countries.

7. Norwegian experiences will be utilized to improve working environment monitoring in other countries. The expertise of the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), with the recently established National surveillance system for work environment and occupational health (NOA), will be utilized in this work.

The ILO’s “Decent Work Agenda” implies that the fight against poverty must be part of a comprehensive change whereby people get decent and productive jobs, where fundamental labour standards are respected and where jobs deliver a fair income.

 

The Government pension Fund already has ethical guidelines which include conditions for workers in the companies in their investment universe.