A new article in the Journal of Law and Society highlights the work of the Project on Unacceptable Forms of Work. ‘A Strategic Approach to Regulating Unacceptable Forms of Work’, by Professor Deirdre McCann (Durham University, UK) and Professor Judy Fudge (McMaster University, Canada), explores their Multidimensional Model of Unacceptable Forms of Work. The Model sets out 12 dimensions of UFW and a path for local stakeholders to identify and address unacceptable work in countries across a range of income-levels.

The Project on Unacceptable Forms of Work (2015-18) was led by Deirdre McCann and funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council through the Global Challenges Research Fund. It responded to the agenda of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) to upgrade UFW to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth). A  collaboration between the University of Durham, the University of Kent, and the ILO, the project brought together a global network from more than 50 research and policy bodies in more than 20 countries, including the UN Research Institute for Social Development, WIEGO, and government Ministries, MNCs, NGOs, trade unions, employers’ associations, and civil society organisations from across the world.

Highlighting that effective labour regulation is crucial to sustainable development, the network identified 9 Global Challenges to effective labour rights including the growth of casual work, ineffective enforcement of labour rights, violence and harassment in the care economy, and the need for new forms of worker representation. The project report – Unacceptable Forms of Work: Global Dialogue/Local Innovation – presents a set of research agendas to investigate and respond to each of these Global Regulatory Challenges.

For more on the UFW Project, please visit the website. The ongoing activities of Decent Work Regulation at Durham Law School can be followed on Twitter.