Our Commitment to a Future with Fair Work

This statement is intended to be a both a living document and a statement of intention. The undersigned philanthropies generally affirm the commitments herein and encourage other philanthropies to join this statement by providing their endorsement.

We are philanthropies committed to a vision of global social justice for workers, with equitable opportunity, rights and livelihoods that are protected and respected, regardless of citizenship, nationality and/or immigration status. We see closing civil society space, the growth of employment arrangements with barriers to freedom of association and an increasingly imbalanced global economy as a threat to fair work, human rights, peace and democracy. We know that discrimination and social exclusion are used to reinforce economic exclusion and undermine fair work.

We also recognize the critical need for workers in the formal and informal sectors to be able to organize, to bargain, and to build power together. We see the negative consequences in societies where these rights are neither established nor respected. The ‘knock-on’ effects are many, and can have serious repercussions on assembly rights, freedom of speech, and around diversity and inclusion. Freedom of association is an enabling right in the formal and informal sector and is critical not only to a democratic and dignified workplace but also to a fair and open society. Yet we are not doing enough to support it.

In a rapidly changing world of work marked by expanded global supply chains, women’s entry into labor markets, and labor migration, we see the need for transnational collective action not only amongst and between workers but also amongst and between ourselves. Our foundations are committed to doing more to support the future of all workers.

In June 2019 at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, we witnessed the International Labour Organisation—in its 100th year—adopt the new and historic Convention 190 (C190) Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (№190) on the elimination of gender-based violence and harassment at work.

In the context of this achievement, we commit to the following: increased alignment and collaboration amongst our philanthropies; direct support for labor organizations and worker groups in our portfolios, with improved integration and collaboration with other communities of practice we support; support for the ratification and implementation of the historic new convention C190 on the elimination of gender-based violence and harassment at work; strengthened advocacy efforts to support the protection and expansion of civic space; and support for institutions critical for the future of work, including the ILO.

We reaffirm our commitment to the interrelated principles contained in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work along with critical protections of health and safety, living wage, and fair scheduling. We commit to aligning and scaling up our support—through our philanthropic efforts, our networks and with our collective voices—to promote fair work for all.

• Endorsed by:

  • C & A Foundation
  • Freedom Fund
  • Fundacion Avina
  • Humanity United
  • Open Society Foundations