Think about the world of work based on technological changes, environmental emergencies and social justice. These are the pillars of the demands that Brazilian trade unions will take to the G20 Social Summit, scheduled to take place between the 14th and 16th of November, in the Praça Mauá region, in Rio de Janeiro.
The first two days of the event will feature self-managed activities, that is, organized by civil society entities. The activity promoted by the unions takes place on the 14th, between 1:30 pm and 4 pm. At the end of the day, a text called “Transitions in the world of work: ensuring quality jobs and promoting the reduction of inequalities” will be approved. It will be presented alongside the proposals from other civil entities on the 16th, when a summary document of the Social Summit will be produced.
The meeting of trade union centrals is organized by: CSB (Central dos Sindicatos Brasileiros), CTB (Central dos Trabalhadores do Brasil), Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT), Força Sindical, Intersindical, Nova Central Sindical de Trabalhadores (NCST), Public, General Workers Union (UGT) and Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (Dieese).
“In other G20 meetings that took place around the world, the debate was restricted to heads of state. The union and social movements remained on the sidelines, trying to carry out parallel activities to be heard. In Brazil’s G20, society is integrated and will be able to debate and present its proposals. We hope to contribute a single document and deliver it to President Lula, so that he can read it in front of the other heads of state. It is an extraordinary opportunity to present a broad agenda in relation to urgent topics”, says Sérgio Nobre, national president of CUT.
Future of work
The trade unions’ document is based on the understanding that global climate impacts intensify the displacement of refugees and deepen social disparities. There is concern about the loss of jobs due to heat stress, in sectors such as agriculture, construction, tourism and street commerce. They are considered more vulnerable due to greater exposure to excessive heat or cold, water scarcity, floods, fires, and other extreme conditions.
Based on information from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the centers support a sustainable economy, with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, which is capable of generating social inclusion and creating up to 60 million more jobs than the conventional economy. .
There is also concern that the growth of digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will promote changes in the job market and accelerate professional obsolescence. Automation is an alarm signal especially in countries with a predominance of low-income jobs, because it can deepen problems of unemployment, precariousness and inequalities. The centers highlight the increase in jobs with fewer rights, without social protection, with obstacles to union organization, long and unregulated working hours, income instability and task overload.
“In this more sustainable world that we desire, it is important that we ensure that no one is left behind. Neither workers, nor traditional communities, nor black women, youth. Therefore, it must have as its structural axis the reduction of inequalities. And, in this sense, the working class demands environmentally sustainable jobs, with decent working conditions, guided by the ILO’s concept of decent work”, says Adriana Marcolino, sociologist and technical director at Dieese.
Demands to the G20
For trade unions, the G20 is a unique opportunity to amplify workers’ voices and demands. The expectation is that the meeting of heads of state will address more than macroeconomic issues, and will also include social issues. One of the paths advocated is that it is possible to reduce the inequalities that occur even between the bloc’s countries, such as different legislation and working conditions.
“It is important that the debate takes everyone’s interests into account. And look for international parameters. The ILO has a fundamental role in this discussion, so that we can have a unitary model of labor legislation and production space. Today, we have different rules from one place to another. There are some with unhealthy production environments, without regulated working hours. Often, a multinational leaves one country and goes to another, looking for what it can subvert in the law of another country. Competition based on this precariousness harms workers and the environment”, analyzes João Carlos Gonçalves (Juruna), general secretary of Força Sindical.
Therefore, the document that will be presented at the G20 Social Summit by Brazilian trade unions will have at least 20 demands:
1 – Implementation of socially fair and environmentally sustainable economic development policies, reducing the different dimensions of inequalities.
2 – Guarantee of public, universal and quality access to health, education, care and security services for populations throughout their lives.
3 – Guarantee of labor, social security and union rights, reversing processes of precarious work widespread around the world, reviewing the establishment of precarious employment contracts.
4 – Strengthening freedom of union organization and collective bargaining in the public and private sectors, combating anti-union practices and guaranteeing workers’ autonomy in defining the union financing system.
5 – Implementation of the salary appreciation policy.
6 – Expanding adherence to ILO Conventions, such as convention 156, on the adoption of measures to prevent family demands from hindering access to employment and professional growth; creation of conventions that deal with new forms of work mediated by digitalization and the use of Artificial Intelligence.
7 – Expansion of opportunities guided by the principles of decent work for women, the black population, youth, LGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities, in addition to combating slave labor and eradicating child labor.
8 – Update of working day regulations in order to limit the fragmentation of working time through new technologies.
9 – Guarantee of permanent professional training and professional qualifications for new jobs in cases of companies affected by automation.
10 – Elimination of production processes harmful to workers’ health, ensuring health and safety at work.
11 – Guaranteeing protection for the unemployed through policies such as unemployment insurance, professional training, labor intermediation and income transfer programs.
12 – Institution of universal basic income as a social right, complementary to labor rights.
13 – Implementation of progressive taxation on income and assets and increased taxation on large inheritances and fortunes, profits and dividends to create a global fund for energy transition and the fight against poverty and inequalities.
14 – Implementation of transition, recovery and environmental preservation policies that include the generation of decent work and support for all affected communities.
15 – Guaranteeing the valorization of family farming, agroecology, the circular economy and the reduction of pollution in cities and the countryside.
16 – Implementation of investments in clean, renewable and affordable energy, ensuring that the population has access to decent living standards and mobility.
17 – Expansion of investments in infrastructure for productivity anchored in science and technology and the creation of quality and sustainable formal jobs.
18 – Establish economic, social and environmental infrastructure for sustainable industrialization, reversing the process of reprimarization in peripheral countries.
19 – Regulation of the use of technologies that negatively impact jobs and working conditions, so that innovations are elements of promotion and improvement of life in society.
20 – Sharing of productivity gains arising from technological advances with workers (through reduced working hours and increased wages) and with the State (tax collection).
