Justice to all is the sine qua non as this world is meant for all irrespective of language, caste, creed, religion, gender, etc. In history, we read caste issues in India; white vs. black issues in some countries in the West which no one accepts in the present world. And that is why social justice is popular now. At the outset, I wish to mention several organizations and institutions that have defined social justice but I am mentioning two organizations.
According to the United Nations, “Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.” On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers has defined “Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social workers aim to open the doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those in greatest need.” While formal definitions for social justice vary in wording, there are commonalities among them. These are a) Equal rights, b) Equal opportunity & c) Equal treatment (Sd foundation, 19/2/2021)
The United Nations General Assembly has decided to observe 20 February every year, the World Day of Social Justice and started in 2009. It may be mentioned here that the International Labour Organization unanimously adopted the ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization on 10 June 2008. This is the third major statement of principles and policies adopted by the International Labour Conference since the ILO’s Constitution of 1919.
Fruits of economic benefit should reach all but unfortunately, because of COVID-19 many lives were not only lost but individually many persons, families, petty traders, self-employed, casual workers, and others have awfully suffered. Industries like tourism, hotel, films, etc., are also the worst sufferer. According to one IFPRI Report, 140 million people scaled down to extreme poverty in low and middle-income countries. It is pertinent to mention that according to the World Bank, extreme poverty has been defined as earning a person less than $1.90 per day. The World Bank has collected information on basic needs from the 15 poorest countries and then they have made an average and thus $1.90 has been calculated (IFPRI, February 2021)
2021 Theme: A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy: Because of COVID-19, the digital economy is transforming the world of work. Mainly from the last two decades, expansion in broadband connectivity, cloud computing, and data has led to the scaling up of digital platforms, which have infiltrated several sectors of the economy. Also because of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic many business activities have turned to the digital economy. Now I am highlighting a few lines from the “2021 Theme: A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy” (www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day).
“While digital labor platforms provide workers with income-generating opportunities and benefits from flexible work arrangements, including for women, persons with disabilities, young people, and migrant workers, they also present some challenges. For workers, these relate to the regularity of work and income, their rights to fair working conditions, social protection and an adequate standard of living, skills utilization, and the right to form or join trade unions. Algorithmic monitoring practices, in some cases augmenting workplace surveillance, are also a growing concern. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are exposing the risks and inequalities of workers engaged in location-based platforms. For traditional businesses, the challenges include unfair competition from platforms, some of which are not subject to conventional taxation and other obligations because of their novel nature, including with respect to their workforce. Another challenge for traditional businesses is the amount of funding required to continuously adapt to digital transformations, especially for small and medium enterprises, and the inadequate availability of reliable digital infrastructure, in the global South.
The regulatory responses from many countries have started to address some of the issues related to working conditions on digital labor platforms. However, there is a need for international policy dialogue and coordination since digital labor platforms operate across multiple jurisdictions.
This year's commemoration supports efforts by the international community to search for solutions to achieve sustainable development, poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, universal social protection, gender equality and access to social well-being and justice for all”.
The following websites/Reports have been consulted while writing the article:
1) https://www.un.org/en/observances/social-justice-day
2) IFPRI, “IFPRI Discussion Paper: Consumer Immobility Predicts both Macroeconomic Contractions and Household Poverty during COVID-19, February 2021”
3) https://www.sdfoundation.org
Dr. Shankar Chatterjee
Hyderabad, 19 February 2021
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