Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary

We have a global jobs crisis – with low-paid, insecure work on offer, a childcare and aged care shortage, and a great many jobs that need to become climate friendly.

The world has lost the equivalent of 225 million jobs since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, and an additional 130 million jobs are still at risk.

The Global Day of Action on Care, the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the COP26 UN climate talks in Glasgow put union campaigns for job creation plans with investment in the care economy, sustainable infrastructure, and climate-friendly jobs in the spotlight.

29 October – Global Day of Action on Care: investment and decent work

#CAREday21 #InvestInCare

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated some of the worst features of life as a care worker: long hours of work, lack of protective equipment, poor working conditions, low pay, and precarious informal employment. But the health crisis has reinforced the fact that care workers are indispensable.

Call on your government to invest in care, ensure decent work and create jobs for millions of care workers. Please spread the word using this social media pack and let us know what action you will be taking by sending an email to [email protected].

30 – 31 October – G20 Leaders’ Summit, Rome, Italy

Leaders at the G20 must commit to jobs and social protection. Working people deserve nothing short of a just recovery based on investment in care and climate-friendly jobs, economies centred on inclusion and equality, with a foundation of rights in all forms of work.

We welcomed the minimum global corporate tax rate as a good start, but the loopholes must be closed and ambition must be raised over time. We need to build resilience with a commitment to universal social protection backed by a global social protection fund, and access to good health care and education.

31 October – 12 November – UNFCCC COP26, Glasgow, UK

#JustTransition #Climate Action

We can raise climate ambition with Just Transition, but we are in a race against time. Dollar per dollar, investments in climate-friendly infrastructure create more jobs than the same investment in unsustainable infrastructure, according to new ITUC research.

Use our COP26 Briefing here to lobby your government to increase their climate ambitions and put in place Just Transition plans so we can secure climate-friendly jobs. The time for climate action is now.

The ILO Governing Body takes place 28 October – 11 November, with important follow-up on resolutions for social protection and a jobs-led recovery from the pandemic. We continue to push for health and safety to be recognised as a fundamental right. The military regime in Myanmar and the government of Bangladesh will again be under scrutiny for their abuse of workers’ rights.

ITUC webinars and events are listed on the ITUC events page, where you can register to join. Highlights this month include the webinars on Investment and Decent work in the Care Economy, the Common Security 2022 webinar series and the Committee on Workers’ Capital conference.

In solidarity,

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary

@SharanBurrow