The prospect of decent work, decent industrial relations and decent social relations in China: towards a multi-level and multi-disciplinary approach

Abstract

Decent Work is a key initiative launched by the International Labour Organization in 1999. The initiative is to promote decent and productive employment with decent conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity. In reviewing academic literature on 'decent work', existing studies have been conducted primarily from a legal and political economic perspective. It is also largely situated outside any national industrial relations framework, both theoretically and practically. Decent work is an advocacy initiative of ILO, but the promotion of universal values embodied in the notion (e.g. equality, fairness, justice and dignity) needs to be tailored to specific societal contexts. Drawing on existing academic literature, this review article examines ideological, institutional and cultural distances between decent work and the reality of employment in China. It argues that achieving decent work requires an ideological transition of 'traditional' Chinese work ethics and a cultural transition from collectivism and altruism towards individualism and an emphasis on individual rights. This study also examines and highlights regulatory enforcement deficits and the inadequate role of the trade union in facilitating the advancement of decent work at various levels. Finally, the article argues that the study of decent work should be mainstreamed as an integral part of decent industrial relations and ultimately, decent social relations. It calls for a multi-level and multidisciplinary approach to examining the historical, political, economic, ideological and cultural context of specific countries in fulfilling the 'Decent Work' agenda.

Decent Work in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Application of Psychology of Working Theory in a Sample of Togolese Primary School Teachers

“…Thus, the appropriateness of a general factor needs to be further investigated. Decent work has been argued to be a top-down initiative from a Western perspective, international organizations, and authors have highlighted that it should be contextualized, as sociocultural values significantly influence both individuals’ attitudes toward work and the meaning they could find in working in a given cultural context (e.g., Cooke et al, 2019). Regardless of working conditions, some key decent work features such as professionalism, productivity, and enjoyment were reported as important in the study context (Kazimna et al, 2020).…”

“…First, to our knowledge, there is no validated scale assessing this construct in Togo or in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, authors have argued work meaning is a culture-dependent construct (e.g., Cooke et al, 2019). As the conceptualization of this construct in the African context has not been investigated, and given the lack of an available instrument, the use of this item was the most accessible solution for the present study.…”

“…Most of these studies have provided empirical support for the conceptualization of decent work as designed within PWT and have provided additional features for the understanding of the concept in the above contexts through qualitative investigations among local populations. However, knowledge about decent work from the perspective of less industrialized countries, especially from African populations, is still lacking (Cooke et al, 2019).…”

“…According to the ILO recommendations, states should be responsible for promoting decent work through laws, policies, and institutions (ILO, 2013). However, numerous international reports and publications have highlighted that access to decent work remains a big issue in the world and that governments and organizations should increase their efforts in this regard (e.g., Cooke et al, 2019; ILO, 2013).…”

Critical analysis of engineering education focused on sustainability in supply chain management: an overview of Brazilian higher education institutions

“…This objective is directly related to engineers tasks for product design. In this sense, the (Cooke et al, 2019). UNESCO (2017) emphasize that students need to be taught about the importance of aligning economic growth with decent work opportunities.…”