Precarious Work dominates discussion at IMF Central Committee meeting in Brazil

BRAZIL: Almost 500 delegates representing metalworkers from around the globe gathered in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, on November 28 and 29 to discuss ways to improve standards for precarious workers and develop a global strategy to stop the causualisation of permanent work.

Precarious work is typically non-permanent, temporary, casual, insecure and contingent. Workers in these jobs are often not covered by labour laws and social security protections. Precarious work is caused by employment practices designed to maximize employer profits and flexibility and to shift risks onto workers.

IMF affiliates put forth recommendations for actions to be taken as part of a global effort against precarious work. Some of these recommendations include:

• Unions should demand collective agreements that apply to all employees, including precarious workers.
• Clauses on precarious work should be included in collective agreements, both on improved working conditions and on limiting the incidence of precarious work.
• Unions should educate workers on the effects and impacts of precarious work, including on occupational safety and health.
• Unions should conduct national campaigns against precarious work and develop action plans to eradicate it, especially in Export Processing Zones.
• Unions should build alliances with other social movements in the struggle against precarious work.
• Unions should increase their intervention in labour reform in favour of precarious workers and actively resist legal reforms that facilitate precarious work or reduce the rights of precarious workers.
• Legal restrictions on the rights of precarious workers to join the same union, to bargain under the same agreement and to take collective action with regular workers should be removed.
• IMF shall coordinate an international Day of Action against precarious work that includes prior education and has a national focus.
• IMF shall coordinate international solidarity actions in support of precarious workers.
• International Framework Agreements should include rejection or limitation of precarious work.
• IMF should help to develop a global strategy, linking with other global union federations and national centres.

Following the two day meeting, approximately 2000 metalworkers marched through the streets of Salvador chanting “The people, united, will never be defeated!” in Portuguese, Spanish and English. Demonstrators flew union flags and banners high above the crowd, while others held signs calling for an end to Precarious Work.

“This is an important issue to working people around the world, regardless of the country they come from,” said Marcello Malentacchi, IMF general secretary. “We see it on every continent, precarious work not only strips workers of basic human rights, but compromises workplace health and safety standards, erodes working conditions and wages, and places an enormous stress on workers and their families. This is of serious concern to the IMF and the international labour movement. We can and must play a role in working to eradicate the degradation of good, permanent jobs.”