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ITUC/TUAC Evaluation of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting (Washington DC, 20-21 April 2010)
English, French, Spanish

22/04/2010

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Introduction and Summary

1. 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 world wide 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”. The Global Unions statement to the meeting called for “an aggressive agenda to ensure more robust growth and growth that delivers more jobs”. In response the Ministers recommended “vigorous implementation of existing policies and consideration of additional employment measures” – this will not be enough and governments must take further steps to support global demand and employment over the months ahead.

2. 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 inclusion of many of these recommendations in the final version of the Minsters’ conclusions bears witness to the advocacy work of trade unions in the run-up to the G20 Labour Ministerial and in the tripartite consultation in Washington DC on the eve of the Ministerial itself.

3. However, the central issue for the period ahead is how these conclusions are to be followed up and implemented. The conclusions make no reference to follow-up (beyond the finalisation 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.

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The full evaluation is attached.

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