Who Gets to Shape the Future Of Work?

Conclusions from the International Labour Conference

by Menno Bart, Head of Policy Advocacy, the Adecco Group

People in business like to say that politicians do not create jobs; employers do. And clearly there’s a truth in that. But that doesn’t mean that all policy makers have to do is step away and let the invisible hand take care of the labour market. Together, we have decided that it is worth setting appropriate boundaries and framework conditions to ensure that workers and companies both reap the benefits of productive employment.

While labour markets are almost by definition national, there is still a lot of value in agreeing basic values that hold true for all around the world. These “Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work” (FPRW) are a product of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and in its annual meeting, the International Labour Conference, ILO constituents this year discussed progress in realizing those FPRW. Other topics on this year’s agenda included a discussion on Decent Work in the Care Economy, and the start of a standard-setting process on Biological Hazards. I was lucky enough to follow the committee discussing FPRW as part of the employers’ delegation.

The ILO is unique, as it is the only tripartite UN organization. This means that it takes decisions not just by involving its Member State governments, but that each discussion takes place between governments, as well as worker representatives and employers’ representatives from around the world. Together, they decide upon the strategic direction of the ILO. Clearly, debates can get heated, and interests may diverge between an Icelandic trade-unionist, a Ugandan employer, and the Chinese government, to name but an example. But that is also the challenge: for each group (workers, employers, and to a lesser degree governments) to find consensus among themselves, and then to agree on a common outcome. When it is crunch time, the most important ingredients to achieve that often include some creative wordsmithing, plenty of snacks, and a willingness to continue negotiating until well into the night.

On FPRW, there was a clear consensus among all that their value still holds true today, especially after the inclusion in 2021 of “a safe and healthy workplace” as fifth principle (in addition to freedom from forced labour, freedom from child labour, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of association and collective bargaining). The ILO should continue to spend resources in technical assistance programmes and on research that may support realising the FPRW. There was plenty of discussion on how to do that though. As employers’ delegation, we prefer to see the FPRW as five equally important goals. Others however rather see freedom of association and collective bargaining as one that is more important than the others. The argument that unionization may bring about other positive benefits for workers may have some merit, but we did not feel it was appropriate to put unionization efforts ahead of efforts to fight — for example — child labour.

Another element of discussion was on whether to point out specific parts of the labour market, such as the gig/platform economy. Some felt it was needed to include references to the particular risks that platform work may bring to FPRW as a point of attention in the ILO’s work. As employers, we felt compelled to balance that by pointing out that, actually, platform work may just as well bring opportunities for inclusion and formalization. As the ILO will have an extensive discussion specifically on platform work in 2025–2026, it was decided not to pre-empt that discussion this year, as it could have taken up more time than we had.

To some, these discussions may seem tedious, or inconsequential. And I will admit, when you’re in the middle of the negotiations, it is close to midnight and you’ve barely seen any daylight for several days in a row, it is easy to question the sanity of it all. But looking at the bigger picture, what is important to remember is that these discussions set the background for much more concrete discussions at the national level. ILC constituents have the ability to shift the global spotlight to particular areas that deserve attention. At the Adecco Group, we are driven by our purpose: making the future work for everyone. So yes, if burning the midnight oil discussing FPRW has helped realise a better world of work, if only for one person, than it will have been absolutely worth it.

For more information on this year’s ILC see here, and for the specific FPRW discussion see here.

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