G20 Brazil – More than 50 delegations discuss labor and employment

The Minister of Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho, opened this Tuesday (20) a virtual meeting to take stock of the closing of the 1st First Technical Meeting of the Working Group on Employment of the G20 Brazil. The meeting was attended by government representatives from more than 50 delegations, from all continents (member countries and guests), trade union organizations and civil society. The work was coordinated by the deputy head of the Special Advisory on International Affairs of the MTE, Maíra Lacerda, with the support of Adriana Martins, head of the Social Issues Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE).

The 4 priorities of the Working Group on Employment at the G20 Brazil are the creation of quality jobs and the promotion of decent work to ensure social inclusion and eliminate poverty; promoting a just transition in the process of digital and energy transformations; technologies as a way to improve the quality of life for all; and Gender equality and the promotion of diversity in the world of work.

The MTE representative explained at the meeting how the priorities established by the Brazilian presidency were discussed. They are: the creation of quality jobs and the promotion of decent work to ensure social inclusion and eliminate poverty and a just transition in the face of digital and energy transformations. Maíra explains that a just transition means leaving no one behind in training workers for the world of work. "Bring people who are, for example, in an extractive activity, which makes the environment precarious, to green jobs. To leave no one behind in the face of this transformation, including climate change," she argued.

Technologies are another priority as a means of improving the quality of life for everyone. Lacerda recalls that for some time now, the Working Group on Applications has debated a lot about working through digital platforms. "Minister Marinho decided that we should broaden the debate to talk about the impact of technology on the world of work in general," she revealed. Gender equality, included in the priority agenda of debates since the G20 Australia, held in Brisbane, was maintained by Brazil for another year. "Minister Marinho decided to broaden the debate to talk about the promotion of diversity in the world of work," said Maíra.

Specifically, he explained, the Working Group on Employment seeks concrete results, as it is a repository of social protection policies. In addition, "It is to seek support for members and guests to support the ILO's global coalition for social justice." She says that there is also the objective of encouraging members to join the international coalition for equal pay pay, an initiative of the ILO, UN Women and the OECD.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNESCO, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the African Union.

Next meetings - The agenda of the face-to-face meeting of the WG, which will be held on March 27th and 28th in Brasilia, will have as its main topic of debate Gender Equality and the Promotion of Diversity in the world of work, in celebration of March 8th - International Women's Day. The MTE intends to launch the first report on pay transparency between men and women next March. The document aims to assess the equality of salaries and remuneration, complying with the recommendations of Law 14.611/23.1.

Press briefing - Follow the press briefing of the Working Group on Employment, in full, at the following link: https:// youtube.com/watch?v=tYjlcYttDiM