2nd World Day of Social Justice

In marking the 2nd World Day of Social Justice (on 20 February), the ITUC is calling for an end to the prevailing neo-liberal model of economic globalization, which has brought about the worst economic downturn since the great depression. It has denied social justice to millions of men and women hit by unemployment, or marginalized into the ranks of the working poor.

“Social justice must mean, above all distributive justice,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. “If anything, the global crisis has served to show up the serious fault lines in the current model of huge capital accumulation through risky, unregulated financial transactions, and its failure to spread the wealth in a fair and sustainable way, through the creation of decent jobs and livelihoods for all.”

The ITUC affirms the need for a new framework for distributive justice, with the ILO Global Jobs Pact at its core. The Pact’s proposals for comprehensive measures to stimulate employment growth, and provide a social protection floor to mitigate the negative impacts of the crisis on workers and their families, must be central to the global economy in future. Trade unions have welcomed the Pact’s emphasis on the need for recovery packages to integrate gender concerns into their design, as well as in the monitoring of implementation. They point to the ILO 2009 Resolution on gender equality at the heart of decent work as providing a blueprint for mainstreaming gender into employment-centred responses to the crisis.

“The obstacles to achieving social justice and decent livelihoods for all are many and daunting, but they are not insurmountable,” said Ryder. “In commemorating the 2nd World Day of Social Justice, the ITUC affirms its readiness to continue active mobilization for change, coupled with strong advocacy at highest levels: the G20, the IFIs, the United Nations and other key bodies. Major systemic reforms are a pre-requisite to the attainment of social justice.”

To Read the ITUC Statement on the 2nd World Day of Social Justice

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates. http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018.

Photo: Steve Rohdes