Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary

7 October – World Day for Decent Work (#WDDW):

We are living in the midst of intersecting crises, and part of the solution is jobs, Just Jobs – the key message for the WDDW 2021.

Jobs with rights for all, including maximum working hours, living minimum wages and health and safety at work. Inclusive jobs – because women lost the majority of jobs to COVID-19. Climate-friendly jobs and jobs in care and infrastructure – because the recovery from the pandemic must be resilient and deliver a sustainable future for the world. Get involved here.

27 – 28 October – L20

Union leaders from the G20 countries will meet to discuss our expectation that governments will commit to a just recovery based on investment in jobs – climate-friendly jobs for all, with Just Transition, rights in supply chains and all forms of work, and equality of women’s participation and inclusive economies.

We expect a commitment to universal social protection, access to quality health care and education and an endorsement of a global social protection fund to build safeguards in the poorest countries. This will ensure a foundation of social and economic resilience.

To finance these demands, we expect a commitment to taxation reform with a base rate of corporate tax. People and the planet must be at the centre of a commitment to shared prosperity and a sustainable, more equal future. The L20 discussions will also lay the groundwork for the next G20 in Indonesia in 2022.

Next newsletter

Our next email newsletter will arrive early, in time for the G20 summit and COP26 climate talk – two crucial events for working people where we need to unite to demand action and justice.

Belarus and Hong Kong

We are deeply saddened by the decision of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) to commence the procedure to disband. Over 30 years the HKCTU has made enormous contributions to improving life for working people, but in recent months the Confederation, its member organisations and union leaders have faced unprecedented attacks and intimidation under the national security law. Our solidarity will continue with the hope of seeing a return to rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

We condemn the latest attacks by the Lukashenko regime in Belarus against the independent trade union movement. This widespread repression against members of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) has intensified after Lukashenko’s flawed presidential election victory in August 2020.

Please do all you can to support our union sisters and brothers as they face these systematic campaigns to crush the democratic voice of working people.

15 – 17 October – World Peace Congress :

We cannot focus on the economic, social and environmental challenges facing humanity without a framework of peace. The International Peace Bureau (IPB) congress comes at a time when governments who should know better are accelerating an arms race we cannot afford, financially or morally.

Trade unions must be at the centre of this fight for peace. You will remember that the ITUC is part of the project to reimagine the idea of common security for 2022. Check the website for two webinars this month covering: (1) the interplay between peace and the climate emergency and (2) how growing inequality threatens peace and security

In solidarity,

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary

@SharanBurrow