Unit 5 - Lesson Objectives Flashcards
What is the mandate of the ILO, and why is it important?
The mandate and vision of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is to promote decent work for all workers, regardless of where they work. For the millions of workers and employers, especially for young people in the informal economy worldwide, Decent Work remains an elusive goal.
Which ILO core Conventions has Canada not ratified?
Convention 138 & 98.
138 requires member countries to prohibit children under age 13 from working and several Canadian provinces have no such prohibition.
98 requires member countries to ensure that legal mechanisms are in place to guarantee all private sector workers the right to join independent unions and engage in collective bargaining without interference by employers and the state.
What effects have trade deals had on the law of work?
The dismantling of trade barriers, part of a wider process of economic globalization, has influenced the political climate in which work laws are developed and applied. Economic globalization facilitates greater capital mobility across national borders, and this, in theory at least, creates the possibility of a race to the bottom in labour standards as nationscompete for business investment by offering lower labour standards, or fewer or weaker unions.
What is precarious work, and how do work laws need to change to address the issues raised by it?
Precarious work - work that is defined by characteristices such as job insecurity; short job tenure; low pay few benefits; low collective bargainingcoverage; and sporadic, limited, or unpredictable work hours
The issue of precarious workers not covered by existing legislation is compounded by the emergence of the so-called gig economy. Appropriately protecting workers in the gig economy may require a new and innovative model of work law. And given the rapid growth of this sector, the need to find new forms of protection is pressing.
What are some of the pressures on the Wagner labour relations model, and what are some of the reforms proposed?
- a significant critique has emerged that Wagnerism has worked well for a relatively narrow circle of workers, namely “white” men in industrial occupations firmly entrenched in the SER (Foley & Baker, 2009).
- the rise of neo-liberalism, globalization, and a renewed employer hostility to unions has created new challenges for the labour movement.
How does the rise of migrant workers reveal inadequacies the Canada’s blanket of worker protections?
Of particular importance is the precariousness of their residency status, which makes them more vulnerable to exploitation. Migrant workers in Canada are more likely to experience poor working conditions, inadequate housing, lack of access to services, and an overall marginalization in the community
Officially, migrant workers are covered by relevant work legislation, formally providing them the same protections as other workers. However, research has found that migrant workers have greater challenges in exercising employment rights and are more likely to have working conditions that do not meet legal standards (Fudge & McPhail, 2009). Current work laws do not adequately address the nature of their vulnerability or the unique approaches required to protect them.
Making work laws effective for migrant workers may or may not require amendments to those laws, but we do know it will require a substantial change to how the rules are applied and enforced.
Wagner labour relations model
Canada’s labour relations system (Wagner model) is a product of the post-war boom.
