19 November, 2015Just before the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, trade union leaders from around the world came together, as L20, to discuss a range of topics, including dialogue with business and civil society, the global refugee crisis, inequality and income share, and quality jobs.
In September this year, global unions made a statement expressing workers’ expectations of G20 leaders. One of the union movement’s key demands: “Creating quality jobs must become the central priority of the G20 with concrete policy commitments and coordinated follow-up”.
The labour statement included “increase public investment in social and physical infrastructure”, “raise low and middle incomes and reverse the decline in the labour income share”, “supporting youth employment”, “expanding women’s employment and promoting inclusive labor markets”, “tackling long-term unemployment”, “introducing global social protection floors”, “strengthening workers’ rights and social protection systems”, “guaranteeing safe workplaces” and “targeting commitments to settle refugees and asylum seekers and afford all migrants the right to work in the formal economy” as main messages for policy lines to the world leaders.
In the meantime, the L20 made a joint statement with B20 (business), called “jobs, growth and decent work”, in order to “determinedly tackle youth unemployment”, “pursue macro-economic policies that promote employment”, “make a reality of the 2014 Brisbane target of reducing by 25% the gender gap in employment in 2025”, “promote formality and implement the new recommendation on informality adopted by the 2015 International Labour Conference”, and “business and labour must play a key role in the shaping of economic and social policy”. The joint statement has given special attention to freedom of association, effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining and social dialogue.
The 2015 G20 Summit in Antalya witnessed an increasing common understanding and recognition, even from employers and governments, that growing inequality is one of the biggest threats to prosperity and economic growth in the world. However the union movement believes that fighting against inequality requires concrete action plans by the governments to create decent jobs, increase wages and improve working conditions as this is essential for a sustainable and stable world economy.
As a matter of fact, for the first time in G20 records, the statement made by the world leaders acknowledged that rising inequality is a major risk to “social cohesion”. The leaders committed to implementing the G20 Policy Priorities on Labour Income Share and Inequalities that recognize the need to strengthen labour market institutions, the role of minimum wages and collective bargaining.
The L20 is certain that such global level commitment needs to be implemented in the countries with concrete policies and plans. Union leaders attending the L20 welcomed the statement on refugees, as the world faces the biggest refugee crisis since WWII, and also welcomed the reference to climate.
“The L20 in Antalya has made an important step forward with higher visibility and profile given to workers’ demands,” said Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union who was one of the union leaders at the summit. “With this momentum, we need to be able to make progress in the 2016 G20 summit in Beijing for labour and social issues”.
The Labour 20 (L20) is one of six outreach groups within G20 and represents the interests of workers at the G20 level. It unites trade unions from G20 countries and Global Unions providing inputs to the G20 Summits by voicing the demands of the trade unions through frequent exchanges with the Employment Working Group, Sherpas, and Labour and Finance Ministers.
As Turkey held the 2015 Presidency, a steering committee was formed by L20 Turkey with involvement of three main Turkish trade union centers Türk-İş, Hak-İş and DISK in coordination with ITUC and TUAC.