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Working conditions are under constant threat as a result of the increasingly precarious nature of work, according to a report from the global metalworkers' union federation IMF. It says employers are adopting labour practices and governments imposing laws that put vast numbers of people's livelihoods, jobs and working conditions in a precarious state.
The global union body says transnational companies' drive to reduce their permanent workforces to a minimum, while governments deregulate and weaken labour and social protections, has led to a lack of security not just for temporary contract workers, but for all workers. Outsourcing, subcontracting, the use of private employment agencies, labour brokers and daily hire, all contribute to excluding workers from positions of permanent employment and consigning them to the growing ranks of precarious work. IMF says: 'It is not just a matter of whether a worker will have a job the next day or next month; precarious jobs often mean dangerous working conditions, and for millions of workers, a complete lack of labour and social protections.' Studies have linked 'precarious' employment to higher rates of occupational accidents and ill-health and greater exposure to workplace risks.
A European study this year said this form of insecure work was on the increase and was one of the factors leading to new types of occupational health problems at work. A major report last year reached similar conclusions, adding globalisation was fuelling the trend.
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