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As high levels of geo-political uncertainty threaten democracies and working people, G20 leaders, meeting in Hamburg for their annual Summit, must put in place new rules for the global economy that deliver economic growth, secure jobs and decent wages.

“We cannot allow seismic shifts in the world of work to erode labour rights and diminish human dignity. The re-signing of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety last week shows that we can hold multinational corporations accountable for their global supply chain choices. The recommendations put forth by the G20 Labour Ministers on the future of work recognize that living wages and rights on the job cannot be undercut if we want our economies and our democracies to thrive,” said UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings.

The Labour 20 Statement from workers and trade unions at the G20 sets out policies for leaders which will ensure co-ordinated action to create quality jobs for the future, reduce inequality to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and meet the commitments in the Paris Agreement.

“Globalisation is in trouble because the world’s workforce is in trouble and people simply don’t trust governments which are simply offering them more of the same. People want global rules for global supply chains where multinational corporates are held to account, they want a minimum wage on which they can live with dignity, they want investment in jobs for themselves and their children and they want their governments to act on climate,” said Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation.

The road map for the G20 has been set by the G20 Labour Ministers Declaration, but it remains for the G20 Leaders to re-affirm the call from their Labour Ministers to:

Implement an integrated set of policies that places people and decent jobs at centre stage with investment in enabling green infrastructure and the care economy. 
Ensure that violations of decent work and fundamental principles and rights at work cannot be part of competition, with mandated due diligence for human rights in global supply chains.

Philip Jennings comments: “UNI celebrates the labour ministers’ declaration. It recognises several of UNIs core demands, amongst others that all workers in all forms of employment must have access to social protection. This is fundamental. As is their recognition that workers must have access to lifelong learning, and that a just transition to the new world of work is called for. The G20 simply must reaffirm these important calls”

“The G20 Hamburg Summit is taking place after a year of backlash by voters against governments, institutions and the very functioning of economic systems, in particular a global system that has done far more to liberalise and de-regulate markets than to share the costs and benefits of globalisation fairly,” said John Evans, General Secretary, Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC).

“The G20 Labour Ministers agreed on policies that, if acted upon, would bring young people, women and migrants into decent work. They also underlined the role of social partners in creating a good future of work for everyone. G20 Leaders need to re-affirm this and the key role of collective bargaining and social dialogue. Business and labour at the G20 level jointly call for a lifelong learning guarantee and permanent quality jobs across sectors. It is time for the G20 to bring their Finance and Labour Ministerial outcomes in line to achieve these goals,” said Evans.

A list of the Labour 20’s policy priorities for G20 leaders is available here.