Introduction to the challenges of decent work and the Sustainable Development Goals

The first section of the chapter introduces the core International Labour Organization conventions, the Decent Work agenda and the inclusion of the agenda in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. It provides a brief overview of the most pronounced decent work deficits, which indicate that the decent work agenda and SDG 8 are not being met. It provides some explanations as to why it has been possible to achieve decent work in some places and why decent work deficits persist despite the mainstreaming of the decent work agenda. It discusses ways to enforce internationally agreed workers’ rights, and new challenges to the decent work agenda that question its ability to fully address workers’ rights: the global ecological crisis and digitalisation. The second section presents the structure of the Companion and its nine parts. Each of the 49 subsequent chapters is briefly summarised.