TUAC NEWS
TUAC Plenary sends strong messages on Jobs and inequality to OECD Week
01/06/2016
On the eve of the OECD’s Forum and the Ministerial Council Meeting, the TUAC held its plenary discussing its main messages to the OECD and its member governments. The OECD releases a range of reports including its annual Economic Outlook, a publication on the “Productivity and Inequality Nexus” and the Better Life Index this week. All of this, including OECD Forum discussions – with 13 Trade Union speakers on diverse subjects ranging from wealth to health – will feed into Ministerial discussions and the final declaration that will shape future policies and OECD work. In discussions with the OECD secretariat and based on the TUAC key priorities ( http://www.tuac.org/en/public/e-docs/00/00/12/2E/document_news.phtml ), the plenary called on to:
- To shift to supporting stronger labour market institutions, including unions and collective bargaining so as to raise demand and investment
- To use the 40th anniversary of the OECD MNE guidelines to strengthening National Contact Points ( http://www.tuac.org/en/public/e-docs/00/00/12/20/document_hottopic.phtml )
- To ensure quality jobs and regulatory quality when digitising economies ( http://www.tuac.org/en/public/e-docs/00/00/12/30/document_doc.phtml )
- To re-affirm fundamental OECD values in light of the accession
process of Colombia and the 20th anniversary of OECD
membership of Korea (
http://www.tuac.org/en/public/e-docs/00/00/11/D8/document_doc.phtml
)
The ITUC and TUAC also launched the L20
Priorities (http://www.ituc-csi.org/l20
) ahead of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting and L20
Summit taking place on 12-14 July in Beijing. The OECD Secretary
General acknowledged the impact and need for the labour voice at
the G20 level to keep past commitments alive and to achieve more
coordinated action on quality jobs and decent wages.
At the start of the OECD Forum, the TUAC held
a media briefing with John Evans (TUAC), Sharan Burrow (ITUC), Luca
Visentini (ETUC) and Frances O’Grady (TUC) calling for an
“inclusive productivity” approach by the OECD and urging
governments to address pressing issues such as the causalisation of
work, youth unemployment, working conditions in global value chains
(see the latest ITUC Global Poll results: http://www.ituc-csi.org/oecd-forum-warned-of-families)
and decent work challenges coming from some online platform
providers.
Trade Union representatives will continue raising all of these issues throughout the next few days at the OECD.