Comparing countries on characteristics of the ILO ‘Decent Work Agenda’: A WageIndicator Foundation perspective

Abstract

This paper will showcase the value of the WageIndicator Foundation Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) database, for knowledge institutions, workers, workers unions, employers associations and researchers by using a newly developed online tool for easy visualization and comparison of CBAs. The paper will, on the basis of a qualitative analysis, compare data originating from the WageIndicator Foundation CBA database with official documents and reports, concerning the progress towards the ‘Decent Work Agenda’, derived from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank. A comparison was made between the findings presented in ILO country reports and data concerning the contents of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) residing in the WageIndicator Foundation CBA database. The country profiles of Cambodia, Ethiopia and Indonesia, on the topic of ‘combining work, family and personal life’, using an online comparison tool, were compared with the contents of CBAs, residing in the industry sector, retrievable from the aforementioned database.