Trade Union Forum

Statement by BRICS Trade Unions to the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting. Chóngqìng (China) July 26, 2017

Statement

by BRICS Trade Unions to the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting

July 26, 2017

 

In Beijing On July 24-25, 2017, trade union delegates from the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India and the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa, conducted full, effective and practical discussions on such topics as promoting economic growth, creating jobs, enhancing employment quality and realizing decent work in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. The delegates expressed their unanimous support for the BRICS Xiamen Summit scheduled to be held in September 2017 to take “BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future” as its theme. The delegates unanimously agreed to put forward the following recommendations to the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting:

1) Foster the concept of a community of shared future for mankind and deliver robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in the global economy. We realize that the world economy remains sluggish and lacks momentum. The situation is harming the interests of the broad masses of workers. We advocate that the BRICS countries should strengthen their unity, make joint efforts to fight against protectionist polices and to tackle global challenges such as terrorism, infectious diseases and climate change. We appeal to the BRICS governments to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, work together in the spirit of mutual respect, common progress, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, speed up the strategic integration of their development policies, and inject new impetus into international development and cooperation and the promotion of well-being of workers by employing new ideas, new concepts and new measures.

2) Safeguard the rights and interests of workers of the BRICS countries and promote social justice and fairness. We realize that work is the driving force behind social progress of mankind and that safeguarding the rights and interests of workers is the basic guarantee for sound social and economic development in the BRICS countries. We appeal that in their efforts to improve global governance mechanism the BRICS governments should listen to the voice of workers and their concerns and come up with more BRICS plans that are of benefit to workers. The BRICS countries should participate in global governance on behalf of developing countries and better safeguard the interests of workers in emerging markets and developing countries so that more workers can be benefited from development.

3) Improve macroeconomic policies and measures and promote full employment and decent work. We note that while the BRICS countries have contributed more than half of the global growth, they themselves are beset by some challenges in terms of making proper economic and social policies, particularly those on enhancing employment quality and safeguarding workers’ interests. We appeal to the BRICS governments to seize the opportunities brought by the new round of industrial revolution and the digital economy, improve their labour policies, increase jobs, encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, raise financial input for vocational education and job training, establish an inclusive and efficient job training system, deepen cooperation with social partners, intensify efforts to provide employment and re-employment training for workers and enhance workers’ competency and adaptability. The BRICS countries should strengthen their social security systems, increase workers’ income, improve working conditions, and safeguard and develop workers’ legitimate rights and interests.

4) Push forward global climate change governance and promote green growth, green production and green living. We realize that developing the green economy has an enormous potential for achieving sustainable development and creating new jobs and that a win-win solution to economic development and climate change has become a matter of common concern to mankind. We appeal to the BRICS countries to take the path of green, cyclic and low-carbon development, establish an interest-oriented and incentive mechanism so as to bring about a just transition to environmental sustainability. The BRICS countries should put the green concept into practice, step up technical cooperation with the International Labour Organization, share climate-friendly technologies, promote green growth in line with the Paris Agreement, and work together to deal with global climate change. When implementing regional and multilateral cooperation initiatives such as the building of the Belt and Road, the BRICS countries should enhance environmental protection and ecological progress, promote sustainable development and bring the benefits of development to more workers.

5) Enhance communication and cooperation with social partners and bring into better play the role of the BRICS Trade Union Forum in the BRICS cooperation mechanism. We note that it is of great significance for the BRICS Trade Union Forum to voice workers’ concerns and facilitate the proper operation of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. We appeal to the BRICS countries to improve the BRICS cooperation mechanism, grant the BRICS Trade Union Forum a status on par with the BRICS Business Council, improve the tripartite mechanism, strengthen social dialogue, make it easier to incorporate issues of immediate concern to the world of work into the BRICS cooperation mechanism in a bid to deliver a major boost to development and cooperation in the BRICS countries.