"2019 was the centennial anniversary of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which was established in the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I. Its constitution's preamble begins with "… universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice." It then asserts that unjust and harsh work and living conditions for the working class are a major threat to global peace, requiring urgent improvements. At the time of the ILO's founding, the debates over the future rights of labor and protections for workers included whether or not wage labor systems would persist; establishment of socialism following the war; declaring that labor is not a commodity; hours of work; a living wage; equal pay for women workers; freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association; weekends; child labor; and equality for foreign workers. Those were the parameters for the future of work in the twentieth century. Now, the ILO has established “the future of work” as a centennial anniversary theme. ..."

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