The Labour20 (L20) Summit in Moscow was held against the background of gloomy, downward revised growth and employment forecasts as evidenced by the OECD/ ILO joint unemployment projections1 that were disclosed before the G20 Ministerial Meetings. Trade Union representatives acknowledge the broader messages of the G20 Joint Labour and Employment and Finance Ministers' Communiqué2 and the Labour and Employment Ministers' Declaration3 with regard to the support for aggregate demand, investment in jobs and social policies, social protection, minimum wages, and collective bargaining "to reinforce the links between productivity, wages and employment" (#8.5 of the Joint Communiqué).

However, this change of tone needs to be followed up with strong commitments and policy action, including a comprehensive G20 Jobs Plan, at the St. Petersburg G20 Leaders Summit on 5-6 September. G20 Leaders have to take this opportunity to give back confidence and hope to working families that were hit hard by the global economic crisis and continue suffering under current policies. At present, these messages are in sharp contrast to recent austerity policies and calls for labour market deregulation, particularly promoted by the Troika in the European Union. The L20 delegation to the social partner consultations with Labour Ministers raised these concerns and conveyed its key messages. The B20 and L20 also released a Joint Statement and Letter to Ministers, which urged governments to scale-up quality apprenticeships.

Read more: