Seminar and Publication on Codes of International Labour Practice

The globalization of the international trade leads to intense competition between nations. Domestic and international rules and regulations are changed in order to stimulate the expansion of free trade. At present, numerous bilateral and multilateral trade agreements are created in order to increase trade performance between nations. Being under pressure, governments attempt to initiate measures that would attract and benefit investors. One such measure is to make a country attractive by offering cheap labour and a flexible employment system. In many countries, free trade areas provide the investors with privileges and limit the workers’ rights to unionization and the right to collective bargaining. Labour related laws are modified, cutting down workers’ welfare and weakening existing social security systems. Thus, while governments in developing countries are competing against each other for investors, the workers are the victims of this competition. 

In addition to the trade union movement, new social movements have emerged in many countries, in order to lobby for the improvement of world-wide labour conditions. Ethical production and consumption is the aim of several trade-related initiatives that have been launched in recent years. Those include alternative trade, social labeling, WTO campaigns, framework agreements, world works councils, global union networks and Codes of Conduct. Codes of Conduct, the roots of which go back to the conventions of the ILO, OECD guidelines and other international declarations, are increasingly favoured by transnational corporations (TNCs) and governments. They also represent a new kind of challenge to the international labour movement. Considerable confusion exists among workers and NGOs about the pros and cons of this instrument. In order to exploit the opportunities offered by Codes of Conduct, it is necessary to know their background, roles, limitations, advantages and main features. There is still doubt whether Codes of Conduct serve as a tool for workers to promote their rights and improve their living conditions or if they are just a PR ploy for TNCs.

In Thailand, many local companies, who are contractors of TNCs, have their own Codes of Conduct but most workers and employees are not aware of their existence. In addition, a debate is still missing between employers, workers and the government as crucial stakeholders regarding the problems and opportunities of such Codes of Conduct. 

On June 2, 2006, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, organized a seminar on this topic. As keynote speaker, Ms. Ingeborg Wick, a well-known German expert and researcher on the subject of codes was invited. Ms. Wick also discussed and exchanged ideas with the participants of the trade union movement and the employers’ federations. Ms. Wick is the author of a FES and Südwind Institute publication titled “Workers’ tool or PR ploy? A guide to codes of international labour practice”, which has received global recognition. The guide is available in its in the meantime 4th revised edition. Due to the high interest also here in Thailand, FES has published a Thai version.

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