May 1 has long been a symbolic date when it comes to demands for more dignified and secure conditions for workers. Now, given the transformations brought about by relentless technological advances, which put the employability of millions of citizens at risk, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the future of employment and working conditions.

The Work and Development Research Group at Fundação Getulio Vargas’s Sao Paulo Law School has just launched a guide titled An Introduction to ILO Convention 190, which uses straightforward language to explain the standard in which the International Labor Organization deals with the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.

Approved in 2019 by the International Labor Conference, Convention 190 was drafted by representatives of ILO member states, workers and employers, in order to establish definitions of harassment, protect workers from it and set out the duties of states that ratify the convention.

On March 8, 2023, International Women’s Day, as part of a package of measures to promote gender equality, the Brazilian government announced its intention to ratify the convention, considering that harassment and gender-based violence are common in Brazil. The ratification process began on March 13, 2023, through Message Regarding International Agreements, Covenants, Treaties and Acts 86 of 2023, authored by the federal government, which submitted the text of ILO Convention 190 to the House of Representatives, which is currently examining it.

According to Professor Olivia Pasqualeto, the coordinator of the Work and Development Research Group’s new guide, ILO Convention 190 broadens the definition of harassment, as well as its scope. “Convention 190 gives companies a very important role, especially when it comes to establishing a strategy to promote and raise awareness of violence prevention in the workplace,” she says.

In addition to the Work and Development Research Group, the FGV Sao Paulo Law School has several other bodies that also carry out research into labor law. One of them is the Human Rights and Companies Center (FGV CeDHE), which recently researched the role of partner companies and suppliers that make up value chains and how they can inhibit non-compliance with labor rules. This study can be accessed here.

The FGV Sao Paulo Law School’s Nucleus for Racial Justice is also working on studies aimed at identifying gaps and areas for improvement, as well as formulating labor law-related proposals to tackle social and racial inequalities.

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