Decent Work

“Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.”                   

– International Labour Organisation

What does ‘decent work’ mean to you? That’s the question E tū members are discussing as we get ready for our next big campaign.

The Decent Work campaign brings together many strands of E tū’s existing work, such as our campaigns for a Just Transition, Fair Pay Agreements, the Living Wage, and social insurance.

On top of that, there is a Decent Work Charter in development, and E tū will host a Decent Work Summit in February 2022, to which E tū member leaders in Auckland will be invited.

The campaign is there for all E tū members to own – we all know what is needed to make our work decent and we know that we deserve no less. For some it might be better wages, for others it might be increased job security.

E tū has identified four key pillars that underpin our Decent Work thinking:

A decent income

  • A minimum of a Living Wage for directly employed and contracted workers employed on a regular and ongoing basis
  • Pay rates reflective of skills and responsibility
  • Leave provisions, for holidays, sickness, bereavement, and parental leave recognised in employment agreements
  • Equal pay

Secure work

  • Provision for stable work, including social insurance
  • Processes for restructuring and redundancy that mean workers are no worse off
  • Options for learning, upskilling, and career progression
  • Guaranteed work hours
  • Family-friendly approach to hours and location of work

A quality work environment

  • Safe and healthy work, with the elimination of physical and psychological harm, and an end to violence, harassment, and discrimination
  • Reasonable workplace pressures, such as manageable workloads and hours; and opportunity for control and flexibility around tasks and working time
  • Support from colleagues and managers, good managerial practices and task clarity
  • Healthy workplace culture, including appropriate tikanga, recognition of diversity
  • Rewarding and meaningful work

Workers’ voice

  • Promotion of collective bargaining and union representation
  • Recognised structures for ongoing engagement with workers and union representatives
  • Ability to genuinely influence decisions in the workplace, company, and industry