Pacific Growth & Employment Project

Decent Work in the Pacific

16th South Pacific Nurses ForumMelbourne Australia 19th – 22nd November 2012

Nick Blake , International Project Officer , Australian Council of Trade Unions.

A bit of history

Millennium Development GoalsAust govt – ILO Partnership AgreementDecent Work AgendaDecent Work Country Programmes

Millennium Development Goals

Set in 2000 to be met by 2015

1.Eradication of poverty and hunger2.Universal primary education3.Gender equality4.Reducing Child mortality5.Combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases6.Improving maternal health7.Environmental sustainability 8.Global partnerships on development

Impact of the GFC in the Pacific

• Impact on Aid• Impact on tourism• Impact on labour migration/remittances

The Decent Work agenda

Growing Youth Unemployment

•In PNG of the 80,000 young people leaving school each year only 10,000 enter the formal labour market•In the Solomon's only one in 6 school leavers find formal employment . In 2009 it was estimated that youth unemployment rate was 75%•In Vanuatu there are around 3500 young people leaving school each year and only 700 jobs available

The Decent Work agenda

The Dignity of Decent Work

Not just important that people have work, but that it’s decent work.Provides income, paves the way for broader social and economic advancement, strengthens individuals, their families and communities. A source of personal dignity, family stability, peace in the community, economic growth that expands opportunities for productive jobs and enterprise development.

The Decent Work agenda

Is there decent work in the region?

•Virtually no collective bargaining outside PNG•A number of countries lack national minimum wages and where they do exist they are often irregularly reviewed and poorly enforced•High share of formal employment in the public sector and then falls away dramatically•Public sector pay & conditions well above the private sector•No social safety net – eg aged pension , sickness and accident benefits•Often no maternity leave payments•Low levels of education / training •Old & irrelevant laws

The Decent Work agenda

Create opportunities

to secure decent

employment and income

Enhance coverage and effectiveness

of social protection for

all

Governance, tripartism and social dialogue

Standards and rights at work

Decent work programmes in the Pacific Island Countries

Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP)

• PNG , SOL , VAN , FIJI ,

KIR , TUV , SAM , RMI

Content varies from country to country based on their priorities.

Constituents are involved in the development of each DWCPs.

Decent work programmes underway

• Minimum Wages Laws

Fiji, Kiribati , Vanuatu and Solomon Islands

• Reform of Labour Laws

PNG , Vanuatu , Kiribati & Samoa

• Social protections eg ARL , Maternity Severance

Vanuatu & the Solomon Islands

• Tackling the worst forms of child labour

PNG and Fiji