VI BRICS Trade Union Forum. Beijing. July 24-25, 2017
6th BRICS Trade Union Forum took place in Beijing on July 24-25, 2017
36 delegates representing major national trade union centres from all five BRICS countries discussed matters of common concern. The agenda of the Forum contained the following topics: (1) Sustainable development: opportunities and challenges facing the world of work; (2) Advancing the 2030 Agenda: the historic mission of trade unions; (3) Initiating the new golden decade: enhancing exchanges and cooperation in the world of work among the BRICS countries; (4) Discussion and adoption of Provisional Rules of BRICS Trade Union Forum.
The delegates listened with keen attention and then discussed presentations made by representatives of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. In the course of panel discussions participants in the Forum described specific features of their respective countries thus demonstrating the diversity of views existing among the national trade union centres on the problems in question.
The delegates discussed and adopted the Declaration of the 6th Trade Union Forum addressed to the heads of BRICS states and a Joint Statement to the Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting which took place later in Chongqing.
Adoption of Provisional Rules of BRICS Trade Union Forum has become an important step towards strengthening organisational framework of the Forum whose members will be using them as kind of a charter in preparation for and holding of their meetings and events.
Statements made by the delegates contained new proposals and initiatives subject to discussion and implementation in preparation for the future meetings. Russian delegation put forward a new initiative on establishing contacts with BRICS Business Council and New Development Bank to facilitate the promotion of Decent work standards in implementation of investment projects. In that context the Forum adopted appropriate appeals to BC and NDB.
A proposal was made to initiate the exchange of experience on training and skills development for workers according to changing labour markets.
Chinese delegate proposed to switch to paperless form of preparation of joint documents which turned out to be quite feasible considering the launching of www.tufbrics.org website developed and maintained by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia.