Declaration of the 13 th BRICS Trade Union Forum September 8, 2024 Sochi, Russian Federation
13th BRICS Trade Union Forum
DECLARATION
1. Representatives of the national trade union centres of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the People's Republic of China, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of South Africa met on September 7-8, 2024 in the city of Sochi, the Russian Federation, at the 13-th BRICS Trade Union Forum held under the motto "Strengthening multilateralism for just global development and security."
2. The Trade Union Forum took place after the expansion of BRICS following the decision of the Johannesburg Summit in 2023. For the first time, five new countries have joined BRICS.
3. National member organisations of BRICS Trade Union Forum endorse and support the expansion of this interstate association. They welcome the accession of national trade union organisations of the new countries which share the principles of equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and constructive cooperation that are enshrined in the Moscow Declaration on the Formation of BRICS Trade Union Forum of December 12, 2012.
4. We endorse the BRICS Trade Union Forum Admission Procedure and invite all organisations representing the interests of workers in BRICS countries to be guided by it.
5. Responding to the desire to constructively contribute to the discussion of topical issues of the trade union movement, delegations of regional trade union
organisations from Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as representatives of a number of national trade union federations were invited to take part in the Forum.
6. BRICS Trade Union Forum notes that the model of globalisation with the hegemony of a single centre represented by the Western Bloc has failed due to its incapability to succeed in improving life, overcoming economic inequality and eradicating poverty for billions of people in all regions of the world. Globalisation, based on a free-market ideology, has created a world order that denies the sovereign rights to economic, political and civilisational identity. Unilateralist approaches have replaced the dialogue, which the developing countries had hoped for.
7. Sanctions and other restrictive measures have become the guiding principles of economic policy. The course for deterrence and pressure hamper economic
development, the transfer of technology and free movement of resources. In this
paradigm of goals, the global governance turns into its opposite.
8. A clear demand for justice in BRICS countries keeps pushing people to seek new ways forward. Justice and security are both key factors and goals for global
development. They are closely related to the defining nature of the internal growth of each country of the association.
9. The society is called to be not only an object of state policy, but also its active initiator and implementer. That is precisely where largely lies the inclusive nature of development, the involvement of citizens in this process, with the indispensable and innovative role played by the participants in BRICS Trade Union Forum - the most representative and organised part of the civil society of our countries.
10. In 2008, the ILO Declaration on Social Justice called on ILO member States to strengthen the promotion of decent work and, above all, to reaffirm the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) which are crucial for the equitable development of society. Labour is a key economic resource for almost all areas of human activity. Today, the traditional goals of trade unions, such as decent wages for honest work, safe workplaces, and social guarantees, are more important than ever for building a fair global economy.
11. BRICS trade unions will continue to contribute to the creation of a fair economy based on decent wages and equal guarantees for all workers regardless of the form of employment, through the effective application of the principles of social partnership.
12. We reaffirm the relevance and continuity of the Key Priorities set out in the Durban Declaration of the 12-th BRICS Trade Union Forum of 2023, emphasising the importance of Paragraph 7 devoted to advancing the work of the ILO and the transformation of multilateralism to meet the needs of the changing world. In particular, it provides for the "formalisation of BRICS Trade Union Forum in key social dialogue institutions both at national and international levels, particularly in the ILO, to advance common interests of the Forum, and institutionalise the work of tripartite partners in each country for the official support of partners". We consider it necessary to continue this work.
13. The Labour 20 (L20), one of the G20 Social engagement groups, remains an important tool for trade unions to realise their interests and objectives in the
international arena. The Forum participants expect it to work more resolutely towards a new model of development and global governance based on workers'
rights, decent work, fair distribution of wealth, democracy, gender equality and social protection.
14. The participants in BRICS Trade Union Forum can give an additional impetus to the work of the L20 by pursuing a coordinated policy on this platform, focused on their own vision of a multilateral and equitable world order. This task will help to supplement the arsenal of tools that enhance the effectiveness of the Trade Union Forum’s work in the international sphere.
15. We call on increasing the use of national currencies in trade and financial transactions among BRICS countries.
16. As was rightly underlined in the resolutions adopted by the 112-th session (2024) of the International Labour Conference, the renewed emphasis on multilateralism linked to the sustainable development agenda opens up multiple perspectives for advancing the FPRW not only as a goal, but also as a driving force of the entire social and economic progress. It is no coincidence that the FPRW are central to the work of the Global Coalition for Social Justice.
17. We call on the international labour community to pay close attention to the right to sovereign development of emerging markets and developing countries. We resolutely oppose any country or organisation to promote its biased, unfair and unjustified values, ideology, political standards and development model in the name of human rights, or use human rights as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, especially the labour affairs of the developing ones.
18. Participants in BRICS Trade Union Forum express their appreciation to Russian trade unions for hosting the 13th Forum in Sochi and offer their full support to Brazilian trade unions for holding the 14th BRICS Trade Union Forum in 2025.
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