Professor Judy Fudge, of Kent Law School, is part of a research network that has produced a new study that concludes workers’ rights should be at the heart of sustainable development.
The Unacceptable Forms of Work: Global Dialogue/Location Innovation report comes as the world’s politicians review progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report says that protection for workers, including the upgrading of unsafe, low-waged and insecure jobs, is important for sustainable development.
The study goes on to highlight a set of global challenges to effective labour rights that are shared between rich and lower-income countries. These include casual work, forced labour, violence and harassment, informality, and the weak enforcement of labour standards.
The network, led by Durham University, is a collaboration with the UN International Labour Organization and Kent Law School. Other members include academics from the universities of Cambridge, Harvard, Cape Town and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and stakeholders from labour ministries, unions, employers’ associations, and non-governmental organisations in all regions.