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International labour rights organisations pay considerable attention to the working conditions in less developed countries. For labour rights activists, labour standards such as collective bargaining rights and maternal leave promote economic progress. We argue that this perspective has the causation backwards and that it is economic development that causes the codification of improved working conditions.

AbstractDecent labour standards are a prerequisite for perceived justice and social cohesion. Insofar as they have been achieved in Britain in the past, it has been the result of collective bargaining between employers and trade unions. This has all but vanished in the private sector and, it is argued, there is no chance of its being revived. Upholding labour standards now lies in the provision of statutory individual employment rights. Experience with minimum wages provides some guidance on how these might be developed through social partnership arrangements. Once achieved, such rights amount to little without effective enforcement. Increasingly important for this is the use of the law and consumer campaigns to expose poor employment practices and complex supply chains so that offending employers can be held to account. If Britain is to avoid falling into a competitive 'race to the bottom' with Brexit, it must institute a robust means of implementing and enforcing decent labour standards.

According to the authors, the denial of labour rights in Asia is a significant factor in the Asian investment boom and in the employment crises in the OECD countries. They believe that over the next 25 years, the world will see the biggest shift in the structure of the global economy for more than a century. The authors discuss the nature and consequences of economic globalization through drawing attention to the issue of labour standards. (DÜI-Sen)

Langille, Brian A.: Core labour rights - the true story (Reply to Alston). - S. 409-437 Maupain, Francis: Revitalization not retreat : the real potential of the 1998 ILO Declaration for the universal protection of workers' rights. - S. 439-465 Alston, Philip: Facing up to the complexities of the ILO's core labour standards agenda. - S. 467-480

The article assesses the ILO decent work agenda in the Global South: its objectives and coherence, its impact on labour relations and conditions, and its overall policy direction in relation to alternative labour rights and welfare policy thinking. This is followed by a case study of the Indian version of the decent work agenda and the extent to which the ILO–India collaboration has influenced regulatory frameworks and labour relations. From this, wider lessons for both the ILO decent work agenda and for Indian labour relations are drawn: it is argued that the present emphasis on progress in social protection has inherent dangers as this is not likely to overcome underlying inequalities and form the basis for broader welfare coalitions, including for the political mobilization of informal workers themselves.

Résumé La question des normes du travail joue un rôle croissant dans le commerce international. Nous examinons si les firmes du Sud peuvent être incitées par la politique commerciale à respecter les normes intenationales du travail. Nous montrons que cela n'est possible qu'en associant à la politique commerciale un dispositif de contrôle. Un mécanisme de contrôle crédible requiert un investissement initial, des institutions crédibles et une punition un cas de non-respect. JEL Code: J81, K31