Knowledge sharing on ILS, Policies and Case Law on Care Work

The care economy has moved to centre stage in global policy agendas. According to the ILO Care work report, the global care work- force represents 11.5 per cent of total global employment, and it is estimated that increasing investment in the care economy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will result in a total of 475 million jobs by 2030. The global care workforce includes care workers in various sectors such as education and health and social work), domestic workers and non-care workers in care sectors, who support care service provision. Overall, care workers remain some of the most vulnerable workers in the global economy. This is due in part to the lack of effective protection. They are also overexposed to OSH risks and to violence and harassment. More than half care workers in health services are among the 30 per cent lowest-paid workers with poor working conditions. These vulnerabilities result in significant decent work deficits. In view of the highly gendered nature of the care work, the situation of care workers, including nursing personnel and domestic workers, mirrors the situation faced by women workers generally around the world, which is characterized by gender segregation and segmentation. The work of the ILO supervisory bodies in this sector can provide valuable inputs for a comparative analysis of the implications of the existing decent work deficits in different areas of the world and offers some considerable insights on the importance of social dialogue and collective bargaining in this sector. Through the exchange of experiences and mutual learning on current policy gaps, good practices on transformative care policies based on human and labour rights and inconsistent judgments the discussion was focused on the contribution of the International Labour Standards (ILS) as a source of inspiration at national level in guiding future policies and Court decisions. OBJECTIVES The three-day debate aimed to provide an outstanding opportunity to analyse and discuss the implications and challenges brought about by the effects of the current decent work deficits and the consequent impact on decisions concerning the application of ILS and substantive rights for care workers . Drawing on the guidance from International Labour Standards (ILS), the knowledge sharing series has facilitated a comparative analysis of the current case law at national level and the current policy gaps. CONTENT During the three-day event participants had the opportunity to update knowledge and share experiences & case studies on the following topics: • Recent comparative studies at international level on the challenges in care work; • Transformative policies and gender equality • Effective implementation of relevant ILS; • Analysis of Case Law; • Comparative analysis of the trends worldwide.