Decent work is productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Conditions in harmony with the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Rights and Principles. The long-term objective is to promote decent work in a sustainable environment. The immediate objective is to put in place a social floor for the global economy in ways that meet the concerns of developing countries and working families. The decent work agenda is an attempt to move towards an integrated development strategy, which links rights at work and social protection with employment and enterprise creation in a framework of social dialogue.
Decent work is a universal aspiration of people everywhere, North and South.
It is the simple way that most women and men express their needs. It is work that enables me to educate my children, to have a stable family life in health and security, to have my rights at work respected and to have a pension at the end of my working days. Decent work is a concept expressed in very different cultures and levels of development among countries and communities. We all know what is decent in our own societies. If my choice is between accepting anything that is offered and starving, I usually accept the offer.