No future for decent work without the right to strike

Despite a certain conceptual vagueness, Decent Work is not trivial. It grants equal recognition to all workers, whether formal or informal. Decent work embodies the concept of labour rights, social security, quality of employment and, arguably most importantly, collective representation of workers as mutually reinforcing key elements. The insistence that democracy in the workplace is essential for meaningful development fundamentally distinguishes Decent Work from other, more technical development strategies. In turn, the right to strike is essential to democracy in the workplace and in society as a whole. Without this fundamental right, workers lack the only tool they have to force employers to negotiate and honour collective agreements. The employers’ attack on the right to strike at the ILO is therefore an attack on the broader vision of Decent Work and on the ILO as a meaningful organisation for the promotion of workers’ rights and social peace.