ILO publishes handbook to assess the realization of the five fundamental principles and rights at work in the workplace

Millions of workers worldwide are in vulnerable working conditions. In particular, realizing fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), including the right to a safe and healthy working environment, continues to be a cause of significant concern.

The ILO, under the Safety + Health for All  Programme, developed a research methodology that, for the first time, addresses under a combined framework the five fundamental principles and rights at work: freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced or compulsory labour, the abolition of child labour, the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation, and the right to a safe and healthy working environment. Through improved research in these areas – particularly in informal settings – the ILO aims to identify factors that enable or constrain the realisation of these core standards at the workplace, which are often interconnected.

The handbook is a practical guide for development practitioners to improve their data collection processes and analysis. It is accompanied by a questionnaire to be used for employers, a questionnaire for workers, and two supplemental manuals for the administration of the questionnaires and conducting semi-structured interviews.

The handbook has already been used to foster evidence-based interventions in various projects such as Safety + Health for All Workers in South Asia and Improving Workers’ Rights in Rural Sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a Focus on Women.