G20: Global Trade Unions Call For Urgent And Comprehensive Action On Jobs, Recovery And Resilience

The international trade union movement is calling on the G20 governments to act urgently and decisively to protect and promote employment as the world faces continuing destruction of jobs and economic activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement to the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers meeting, the L20 unions set out a comprehensive plan to tackle the social and economic impacts of the crisis, with employment, social protection, fundamental rights and vital investment in recovery and resilience at the heart of the global response.

Central to the union demands are investment in care – healthcare, education, child care and aged care as well as in infrastructure and industry policy to drive climate action and just transition, along with fulfilling previous commitments concerning women and young people, ensuring fundamental rights for all workers in line with the ILO Centenary Declaration, and occupational health and safety at work.

“The scale and depth of this crisis everywhere require courageous action by governments, with 350 million jobs lost or under threat, and hundreds of millions of workers in the informal economy facing destitution. Partial measures, or even worse a retreat to the failed dogma of austerity, would be disastrous. Now is the time for governments to put in place a new social contract with financing for recovery that meets the test of realising the Sustainable Development Goals and climate action with social dialogue for just transition. Decisions made by the G20 will impact every country directly or indirectly, and we are looking to them to show the political will necessary to enable the global economy on a path of sustainability and of prosperity for all,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

Pierre Habbard, General Secretary of the OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee, said: “We need a recovery plan that delivers trust – trust in the health systems, in occupational health and safety protections for workers and in robust fiscal stimulus plans for sustainable recovery. The crisis has shown significant gaps between those with stable employment contracts and adequate social protection – and the rest. Non-standard workers, young people, women and migrants in particular are hit hard by the crisis. G20 Labour Ministers have to set out a road map to restore and create more quality jobs and fill in the gaps in regulation and protection for workers.”

To read the L20 submission: https://www.ituc-csi.org/l20-statement-sep-2020

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