World Day for Decent Work 2025

Toronto – October 7, 2025 – Today is the World Day for Decent Work, an annual day recognizing the need for jobs that respect the rights and dignity of all workers.

Decent work means fair pay, safe working conditions, and respect for workers’ well-being. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that decent work involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men. The four pillars of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, The four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda – employment creation, social protection, rights at work, and social dialogue – are integral elements of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2023, the ILO released the Policy guidelines for the promotion of decent work in the agri-food sector, aimed at supporting efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of the more than 1.3 billion workers in the agrifood sector. UFCW Canada continues to advance this agenda for decent work in the agrifood sector, advocating for Canada to be a leader in advancing decent work throughout the food system and supply chain.

This 2025, for the World Day of Decent Work, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the global trade union movement are calling for peace and democracy this World Day for Decent Work, 7 October, as authoritarianism and escalating military conflicts devastate workers' lives worldwide. Trade unions reaffirm their stance: without peace, there can be no social justice, and without social justice, peace cannot last.