Code of Conduct

Before we start looking for an answer to the question asked in the title of this chapter, let us look at where the concept of decent work comes from in general. Our understanding and concern for labour relations today is relatively young, and its origins are to be found in the success of the first workers' movements. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, which gave rise to a considerable supply of paid work, also brought many problems arising from a new model of production, a new way of earning a living and a new type of social relationship, at least in terms of scale. The answer to these problems was the first workers' movements and their successes: working time regulations and the first solutions to increase workers' safety. Subsequent efforts have led to the first social safeguards and the ordering of association rights. At the beginning of the 20th century, efforts to improve working conditions and further develop workers' rights were disrupted by two successive world wars. Their conclusion, in turn, introduced a new quality to thinking about labour relations and the role of work in social life.

 

The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 signed at the Paris Peace Conference made it clear that peace between nations can only be achieved by ensuring social peace. The International Labour Organisation, established at the same time in its constitution, underlines this by stating that 'universal and lasting peace can only be built on the principles of social justice'. This gave birth to the understanding of work as one of the fundamental elements of the social order, and ensuring decent working conditions has become not only an important element of social or economic policy but also an indispensable foundation for world peace. The Philadelphia Declaration of 1944, which clarifies and complements the ILO Constitution, introduces the basic principles on which the Organisation and its aspirations are based. These principles preach:

• work is not a product;
• freedom of expression and association is a prerequisite for sustainable progress;
• poverty, wherever it exists, is a threat to the well-being of all;
• the fight against poverty must be carried out with tireless energy within each nation, as well as a sustained and concerted international effort in which workers' and employers' representatives, working on an equal footing with government representatives, take part in free discussions and democratic decisions to achieve universal prosperity.

 

The very idea of decent work was introduced in 1999 at the 87th session of the International Labour Conference. It was a response to the challenges of the turn of the century: increasing globalisation, internationalisation of capital markets, liberalisation of trade. These changes inevitably led to a distortion of symmetry between business and the labour market and to a deterioration in the situation of workers. Decent work was then defined as "an opportunity for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity". Decent work in this sense consists of four components:

• employment,
• social protection,
• fundamental workers' rights,
• social dialogue.

 

Since the announcement of the idea of decent work, its achievement and implementation of these components have become strategic objectives of the ILO, to which successive budgets and programmes are subordinated. The ideas described in the conventions of the International Labour Organisation have permeated the legislation of all Member States and the awareness of workers.

 

Technological progress, economic development and the resulting increase in prosperity (at least for part of the population) and the germinating labour market in some sectors have led to increased expectations of labour standards. When writing about fair workplaces, Dani Rodrik defines them as giving stable employment in the legal, economic sector; guaranteeing secure working conditions, the right to collective bargaining and protection against arbitrary dismissal; providing access to middle-class living, that is, the possibility of securing housing, food, transport and education needs, and the possibility of starting a family and making minimum savings. An even broader picture of decent work comes from Dona Hick, author of a cultural model and leadership based on dignity. She lists the ten elements that make up the experience of dignity at work: acceptance, recognition, inclusion, security, justice, freedom, understanding, the right to doubt, responsibility and space to take responsibility and correct mistakes made.

 

We also asked ourselves the question of the importance and definition of decent work during meetings with representatives of trade unions and employers, which were part of the project Enhancing the potential of actions to promote decent work in social dialogue. What is a decent job for people involved in the steel industry? Apart from the postulate of broadly understood security (proper and stable remuneration, safe working conditions, protection of rights, including human rights), the most frequent answers concerned:

• opportunities for professional development understood both as continuous learning and acquiring new competencies, as well as opportunities for professional advancement;
• ensure the influence on the way the work is done, the possibility of showing off in creative tasks and the realisation of one's ideas;
• emotional and mental safety understood as freedom from excessive stress, harassment or toxic atmosphere;
• ensure a balance between work and private life, space for relaxation and the development of non-professional interests.