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G20 Labour Ministers Meeting: It's time to put the workers first

26/09/2011

The international trade union movement is calling on the G20 Employment and Labour Ministers meeting in Paris on 26-27 September to make sure that the G20 Leaders tackle the jobs crisis without more delay.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, ITUC said that workers around the world cannot wait anymore. After the failure of the the G20 Finance Ministers' meeting in Washington, it's time for Labour Ministers to stand up for working people.

“If there is no commitment to investment in jobs the social problems that will cause tension and strikes will escalate. Now is the right time to address unemployment and boost the economy. Jobs and social protection as the only answers to boost the economy," highlighted Burrow.

“A Social Protection Floor offers a life line for the half of the world’s workforce that is trapped in informal work activities, including the majority of women workers," Burrow added. "Countries with well- developed social protection systems weather economic crises much better than those without, and help maintain the confidence of workers and their employers in a climate of uncertainty."

To create jobs in the real economy, efforts must be made to invest in social spending such as health, infrastructure and green jobs said John Evans, TUAC General Secretary.

“110 million jobs are needed over the next five years just to return to pre-crisis employment levels, yet with the new round of the crisis we risk seeing jobs being destroyed again unless action is taken to change policy”

The ITUC, TUAC and Global Unions are calling on G20 Employment and Labour Ministers to:

  • Ensure that their leaders make employment the central government priority
  • Insist that their governments develop alternative sources of finance to provide funding for employment policies including making domestic taxation more progressive, combating tax evasion and tax havens, introducing a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) and, for the Eurozone, “Eurobonds”;
  • Set up investment in infrastructure and “green” jobs, skills development and other active labour market policies;
  • Launch a G20 “Youth Pact” guaranteeing young people quality employment or education and training;
  • Establish a G20 Working Group on Employment and Social Protection.

 Read the ITUC,TUAC and Global Unions Statement to the G20 Employment and Labour Ministers’ Meeting.