Decent work is one of the keys to combatting global inequality and poverty and to making globalisation fairer. Solidar Suisse champions living wages, a minimum level of social support and the possibility for workers to defend their interests, for example through unionisation. Over two billion people are informally employed. That’s the equivalent of about two-thirds of the global workforce. But even employment contracts do not protect against exploitation.

Workers’ living and working conditions can only be improved in a lasting manner if their voice carries the right level of weight on the ground. Therefore, Solidar Suisse promotes the development of democratically organized trade unions. We inform workers of their rights, support them in their struggle to secure an increase to the minimum wage and run workshops to strengthen their negotiating position. Effective unions are decisive in achieving a power shift in global supply chains and social equity.  in the context of small-scale farming we support cooperatives for the same reasons.

Since 2011, the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) set out international minimum standards for companies’ responsibility to protect human rights. Solidar Suisse takes its guidance from these standards and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through research, we uncover labor rights violations, confront companies with grievances, and seek approaches to improving working conditions in their supply chains through dialogue.