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Norwegian Government: Strategy for Workers' Rights within the Decent
Work Agenda
(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
RDATE:05092008
The Norwegian Government establishes a strategy in seven action points
to strengthen and coordinate Norway's efforts in promoting workers'
rights abroad. The strategy will serve as a supplement to the efforts
against social dumping at home.
- Norway is probably the first country in the world to adopt such a
comprehensive strategy to strengthen and coordinate the promotion of
workers' rights at a global level, says Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Mr. Jonas Gahr Store.
The ILO's "Decent Work Agenda" is the basis for the Government's
increased effort. As a first specific measure of the strategy, Norway's
financial contribution to the ILO will be increased from 2009.
- It is important for the Norwegian Government to have a close dialogue
with the Social Partners. The strategy is therefore to be further
formulated and developed in cooperation with the Social Partners
through the Norwegian ILO Committee, says Minister of Labour and Social
Inclusion, Mr. Dag Terje Andersen.
The strategy will serve as a framework both for the implementation of
specific policy initiatives and for the cooperation between the
Ministries. It will be put forward in the National Budget for 2009. The
Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion and The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs will have the overall responsibility for the implementation, in
consultation with the different Ministries.
The strategy shall be based upon the following seven action points:
1. Norway will strengthen its efforts to promote worker's rights on a
global level. This will be done both through policy initiatives in the
ILO and through the fields of foreign policy, development aid policy,
trade policy, ownership policy and labour policy. In addition, the
policy coordination in this area will be improved.
2. Norway's policy vis--vis the ILO will be further developed. This
may take place both through increasing Norway's financial contributions
to the ILO, and through raising Norwegian competence as regards the ILO
and the ILO's work, and by facilitating more contact and cooperation
with the ILO.
3. Promotion of worker's rights in other countries will be given a
higher priority in the fields of foreign policy and development aid
policy. Respect for worker's rights, especially the ILO's eight
fundamental conventions, will be made a criterion for assessing how to
prioritize the use of Norwegian development aid funds. Everyone who
performs work in connection with development aid projects should have
work terms which as a minimum comply with the ILO's eight fundamental
conventions.
4. Also when it comes to trade policy, Norway will be a driving force
in the work to promote decent working conditions, inter alia in
bilateral trade agreements and in multinational and regional agreements.
5. Ensuring workers' rights in other countries shall be an important
aspect of the Government's industrial policy and in the Government's
efforts to make Norwegian companies assume social responsibility. The
state, in its role as owner, expects the companies to assume social
responsibility. The activity of the companies must be in accordance
with basic human rights, and the same requirement must apply to
business partners and suppliers. The Government expects Norwegian
companies to base their business on the ILO's eight fundamental
conventions, and to have a good HSE standard which ensures the health
and safety of the workers. Norwegian companies must also have follow-up
systems to ensure this in practice.
6. A special effort will be made to strengthen the verification and
enforcement of laws and regulations concerning labour standards. This
may e.g. take place through development aid policy, the work in the ILO
and by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority cooperating with
corresponding authorities in other countries.
7. Norwegian experiences will be utilized to improve working
environment monitoring in other countries. The expertise of the
National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), with the recently
established National surveillance system for work environment and
occupational health (NOA), will be utilized in this work.
The ILO's "Decent Work Agenda" implies that the fight against poverty
must be part of a comprehensive change whereby people get decent and
productive jobs, where fundamental labour standards are respected and
where jobs deliver a fair income.
The Government pension Fund already has ethical guidelines which
include conditions for workers in the companies in their investment
universe.
CONTACT: Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, Norwegian Government
Tel: + 47 22 24 90 90
Fax: +47 22 24 87 11
e-mail: postmottak@aid.dep.no
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Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
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