As working people around the world grapple with a dire economic and social situation, the Labour 20 (L20) is calling for swift measures to address the most pressing issues: low wages in times of high inflation, the need for millions of new, quality jobs and access to social protection and public services.
The global labour market has been severely impacted by macroeconomic choices, such as tightening monetary policies, wage suppression and austerity. Hundreds of millions of people are unemployed, billions work in informality and an estimated 214 million are in jobs of such a low quality that their wages are insufficient to lift them out of extreme poverty.
The G20 Labour Ministers have previously made commitments on labour-income share, fair wage principles and workers’ rights, but the implementation of these commitments has been slow.
Under the Indian Presidency of the G20, ministers will focus on extending social protection to platform workers, improving the financing of social protection systems, and closing global skills gaps.
To address these and underlying challenges, the L20 is calling on G20 Labour Ministers to:
- Advocate for fiscal and monetary policies that deliver a just transition and address the enormous investment gaps in public services, social protection and infrastructure.
- Ensure that all workers, including platform workers, benefit from the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and have access to social protection in line with ILO Convention C102 on Social Security and Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors.
- Call for an expansion of the contributory base of social protection systems with formalisation strategies, elimination of tax evasion and avoidance, progressive taxation and a global social protection fund for the poorest countries.
The L20 urges ministers to discuss and coordinate policy and funding for a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy with quality job creation in renewable energy, ecosystem restoration and public green infrastructure and services.
