Dear John,
Today, #GivingTuesdayNow – a new global day of giving and unity – calls on us to give generously as an emergency response to the dire need caused by COVID-19.
We know that so many of you are giving generously with your volunteer hours and financial contributions to initiatives in your local communities, including supporting locally-organized mutual aid efforts and funds for undocumented workers who have lost their jobs and are unable to access unemployment benefits or stimulus payments.
In addition to supporting these critically important efforts in your community, we hope that you will also make a gift to ILRF today to support advocacy for workers worldwide.
At ILRF we’re lifting up the stories and demands of our grassroots partners around the world and coordinating with global coalitions in our responses to the impact of the economic crisis on low-income workers. Job loss in the United States has skyrocketed with over 30 million people applying for unemployment during the pandemic, but the numbers are worse in dozens of the countries where we work – places where workers often don’t have access to unemployment relief. The latest estimate from the International Labour Organization is that nearly half of the global workforce is at risk of losing their livelihoods.
It is extremely urgent in this moment to demand that employers prioritize their workers’ health and livelihoods above corporate profits – and that corporations take full responsibility for the welfare of these workers who make their products, effectively treating them as they would their direct employees. Companies should keep workers on their regular payroll, and – when that is not possible – they should provide full, legally-mandated severance or other forms of income replacement, which is particularly important for those workers who have no access to unemployment benefits. If companies make order adjustments due to decreased demand, we’re calling on them to pay in full for their orders that were already in production. Where workplaces are currently open, employers should put into place all sanitation, hygiene, and social distancing measures necessary to minimize the health risks to workers and the people they come in contact with, as well as provide paid sick leave and respect the right to refuse unsafe work. And, when international financial institutions offer aid, that must come as grants that reach the most impacted workers and communities in a timely manner and require national governments to strengthen social protection systems.
Please support ILRF as we raise up demands for dignity and justice for workers in the global economy – as we do always and as we are doing now, most urgently, in this unprecedented time.
Best wishes,
Judy Gearhart
Executive Director
This email was sent by the International Labor Rights Forum.
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