Decent work

Over two billion people are informally employed. That's the equivalent of about two-thirds of the global workforce. But even employment contracts do not protect against exploitation.

Decent work for a dignified life  

Decent work is one of the keys to combatting global inequality and poverty and to making globalisation fairer. Solidar Suisse champions living wages, a minimum level of social support and the possibility for workers to defend their interests, for example through unionisation.

Neither freedom nor social security

Today’s economic order is driving the growing rift between rich and poor. Production is outsourced to low-wage countries in order to increase profit margins. This leads companies to accept poor occupational safety, social security and freedom of association for workers.

Internationally active large companies profit at least indirectly from violations of human rights and workers’ rights. The experience of the past 30 years shows that voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) does nothing to change this. What is does is shift the responsibility for violations of minimum standards in labour laws much more towards companies further up the supply chain. Companies maintain the facade by keeping the requirements made of their suppliers as low as possible and by auditing compliance with these requirements using inappropriate control mechanisms that do not involve employees. It is the workers on the ground who lose out from this situation; they pay the price with a life lived under precarious conditions and often also to the detriment of their health. 

  • Working poor Persons who are employed and yet poor. The absolute poverty line is set at $2.15 per day. However, there are many voices that demand at least $3.20 or even $5.50 so that a decent life is possible.

Empowering workers

Workers’ living and working conditions can only be improved in a lasting manner if their voice carries the right level of weight on the ground. Therefore, Solidar Suisse promotes the development of democratically organized trade unions. We inform workers of their rights, support them in their struggle to secure an increase to the minimum wage and run workshops to strengthen their negotiating position. Effective unions are decisive in achieving a power shift in global supply chains and social equity.  in the context of small-scale farming we support cooperatives for the same reasons.

Since 2011, the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) set out international minimum standards for companies’ responsibility to protect human rights. Solidar Suisse takes its guidance from these standards and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through research, we uncover labor rights violations, confront companies with grievances, and seek approaches to improving working conditions in their supply chains through dialogue.

Fighting together

In South Africa, CWAO offers legal advice and a network to exchange and organize.

Selected
projects

With our projects we contribute to the empowerment of workers in the global south. We support exploited workers and advocate for a functioning public service.

Fair Toys

Together with China Labor Watch, Action Aid France and the Christian initiative Romero, Solidar Suisse pressures international toy companies to guarantee decent working conditions in their supply chains. The Fair Toys Campaign has stopped companies from ignoring abuses in Chinese toy factories since 2015; they now investigate them with post-control inspections.

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Stop Asbestos

Through the Stop Asbestos Campaign we fight for an international ban on the highly toxic construction material. Asbestos has been banned in Switzerland since 1989 but it continues to be used in many countries in the Global South. Solidar Suisse advocates for chrysotile asbestos to be included in the Rotterdam Convention, which regulates the international trade in dangerous chemicals in order to promote safety.

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Fair World Cup

The Football World Cup has a poor human rights record – workers are repeatedly exploited, people are displaced and street vendors are deprived of their income. Solidar Suisse pressures Fifa– in its capacity as World Cup organiser it is within its power to uphold human rights.

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Donate to support workers in their struggle for fair wages and just working conditions.

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