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Democracy at work

Labour rights and worker organising.

Labour rights are the expression of democratic power by workers in the economy, and therefore democratising the workplace is critical to full respect for the rights of workers and the full realisation of human rights.

Building on Equidem’s well-established work in investigations and advocacy, we highlight serious exploitation and apply pressure on states and private actors to remedy specific abuses and address systemic, structural dynamics to fight human rights violations.

We centre workers and their communities in the dialogue - empowering them with ownership of the remedies and the solutions, whilst also working with stakeholders, engaging them to meet the scale of the challenges and identifying suitable approaches to respect for labour rights.

We have a regional presence in emerging frontier hubs of global supply chains (e.g. Ethiopia, the Gulf, Middle East and South Asia). Our experience includes working in difficult environments with minimal existing worker organising or trade union activity, invaluable in fighting increasingly common informal work arrangements.

Issues we cover include:

  • Forced labour, human trafficking, and modern slavery
  • Child labour
  • Gender-based violence and discrimination at work
  • Reintegration of worker survivors of human rights abuse
  • Post-conflict impacts on livelihoods
  • The evolution of labour organising, the future of work, and implications for the rights of marginalised and minority groups.