After having taken part as the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Argentine workers representative before the G20 Labour Ministers’ Meeting in Washington DC on 20-21 April 2010, Gerardo Martinez urged governments, especially G20 governments, to adopt measures aimed at targeted efforts to generate employment and enforce workers rights. Martinez declared “having no proposals to tackle unemployment rates due to global crisis, no social peace will be guaranteed, since the people will not stand to lose their rights”.

In line with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Gerardo Martinez emphasized that “social dialogue and collective bargaining may need to be strengthened as well as the creation of employment for the most vulnerable sectors and the Global Jobs Pact implementation.

The most important proposals set out in the ITUC’s document

After having taken part as the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Argentine workers representative before the G20 Labour Ministers’ Meeting in Washington DC on 20-21 April 2010, Gerardo Martinez urged governments, especially G20 governments, to adopt measures aimed at targeted efforts to generate employment and enforce workers rights. Martinez declared “having no proposals to tackle unemployment rates due to global crisis, no social peace will be guaranteed, since the people will not stand to lose their rights”.

In line with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Gerardo Martinez emphasized that “social dialogue and collective bargaining may need to be strengthened as well as the creation of employment for the most vulnerable sectors and the Global Jobs Pact implementation.

The most important proposals set out in the ITUC’s document

• The outcome of the first meeting of G20 Employment and Labour Ministers has to be judged against the scale of job creation required to halt the rise and then reduce unemployment levels in the wake of the global economic crisis. The Ministers note in their final communiqué that the ILO estimates that government action saved or created 21 million jobs worldwide in 2009-2010; however as trade unions have underlined, global unemployment has risen by 34 million since the crisis began and many millions more workers have fallen out of the recorded labour force. Moreover with pressures rising from some quarters to cut back on recovery programmes and reduce public deficits the risk is that premature “exit strategies” could tip the global economy back into a recession with catastrophic results. The risk would be that mass unemployment could become “the new normal”.

• On several other issues however the Ministers adopted potentially significant recommendations to the G20 Leaders that will be important for trade union follow-up. These include their call for targeted efforts to generate employment for poor households in lower and middle income countries; the need for corrective measures to address widening income disparities over the long term through strengthening of “minimum wage policies and improved institutions for social dialogue and collective bargaining”; the social and economic case for establishing “adequate social protection systems”; and paying attention to the problems of vulnerable sectors of the labour force. It called for international institutions to consider ILO standards and the ILO Global Jobs Pact in their analysis and activities. It also welcomed the ILO’s role in implementing the G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth, as part of enhanced coherence and coordination of government policies.

• The conclusions make no reference to follow-up (beyond the finalization of the previously mandated training strategy to be presented to the Toronto G20 Summit) whether through a continuation of interaction between G20 labour ministries, preparation of further recommendations to G20 Leaders or the holding of any second Labour Ministerial Meeting. There is no response to the Global Unions’ call for the establishment of a tripartite task force to track implementation of the recommendations – this will require forceful advocacy in the run up to the Toronto G20 Leaders’ Summit in June.

• It is welcomed the ILO’s report, prepared with input from the OECD and mandated by the G20 Pittsburgh Summit, as well as the Global Jobs Pact and ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. It emphasizes the ILO’s recommendations which “will make a strong contribution to the G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth and will enhance policy coherence”.

• As regards Social protection systems and active labour market policies, it is recommended to be strengthened, since historical experience shows that significant numbers of people stand to remain unemployed even after recovery begins. Particular attention is drawn to the most disadvantaged and to those ineligible for unemployment schemes because of their concentration in irregular and temporary employment relationships. The need to integrate active labour market policies with social protection systems is highlighted, in order to reduce dependency and improve sustainability of social protection systems.

• Importantly, Ministers again draw the attention of G20 Leaders to the positive macroeconomic effects of such investments, indicating that “spending on social protection systems can also provide significant levels of job creation in the provision of services and multiplier effects, helping to sustain nascent recoveries.”

• It is also highlighted the need for a basic social floor, through various measures including “income support to poor households through cash transfers, nutritional assistance, publicly funded access to basic health services, housing assistance and support for children, the elderly and disabled”. Trade unions had called for G20 Ministers to support the ILO campaign for a universal social protection floor worldwide.

• It is asked for increased support by multilateral development banks for extension of social protection systems and invite the ILO to assist countries in “designing and building such systems.”

• It is called for “greater coherence and coordination of the policies of our national governments as well as between international bodies assigned responsibility for different aspects of international economic policy”.

• However, we find important recommendations in the Labour Ministers Statement, again the issue remains of what policy action will be taken by G20 as follow up on employment now.

• However, G20 Leaders must go further with regard to action to ensure measures for recovery instead of risks of being thwarted.

• Leaders must furthermore build on the social dialogue references by Ministers by undertaking a formal consultation session with the social partners at their Toronto Summit. The process of cooperation among Labour Ministries should continue and G20 Leaders need to establish an ongoing G20 Decent Work Task Force including social partner participation, to prepare for a second G20 Employment Ministerial before the end of the year.

• Eventually, ITUC says it is expected that G20 Leaders should take forward at their Toronto Summit in June 2010, particularly with regard to: Strengthening of social dialogue and collective bargaining; Establishment and strengthening of adequate social protection systems; Employment generation for vulnerable groups; Implementation of the Global Jobs Pact; Role of the ILO in the G20 Global Framework.