G20 – ITUC’s General Secretary, Sharan Burrow’s remarks at the extraordinary G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, calls on the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers at their meeting on Covid-19 to co-ordinate a global response with G20 support and leadership:

• on global funding for social protection;
• on global cooperation and coherence on support to non-essential global supply chains for business continuity, wages and income support for workers;
• on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work including occupational health and safety.

This is a time for social dialogue to be strengthened to resolve problems, not an opportunity to attack labour laws.

The climate emergency is as urgent as it was before this pandemic and just transition measures are needed to respond to that emergency. Now the critical issue of universal access to health must be included.