Trade Union Forum

6th Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Labour and Employment

Trade Union Delegates took part in the Sixth Meeting of BRICS Labor Ministers

09.10.2020

The Sixth meeting of the BRICS Ministers of labour and employment was held on October 9 in a video conference format.

The opening session was addressed by Mr. Anton Kotyakov, Minister of labour and social protection of the Russian Federation, who chaired the meeting; Mr.  Alexander Shokhin, President of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Mr. Mikhail Shmakov, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR); Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General  of the ILO, and Mr. Marcelo Caetano, General Secretary of the ISSA.

During the meeting, the BRICS Ministers raised the most pressing issues related to the current state of the labour market under pandemic conditions, as well as spoke about the measures taken in their countries to maintain employment and ensure workers' safety. During the meeting, its participants discussed the follow-up to the LEMM Declaration adopted by the Labour Ministerial in 2019.

The key topics of the meeting were the approaches to creating a culture of safe work in the BRICS countries and reducing poverty through social and economic transformation.

Special emphasis was placed on the discussion of the future of work in digital economy. The Ministers recognised the need to adapt public policies and labour legislation to the new labour trends in this area, ensure active cooperation on managing labour market data, and improve working conditions to create a sustainable social security system.

Upon conclusion of the meeting, the Ministers adopted a Declaration in which they commended the progress and cooperation between the BRICS countries in the field of labour and employment, taking pandemic and other socioeconomic challenges into account.