[Title] L20 - B20 Joint Statement

The L20 and B20 groups place their appreciation on the vision of G20 for the future towards creating a better world to live in with the ideal "One Earth, One Family, One Future". We recognize the efforts made by many Governments to focus their activities both on the workers' well-being and the development of the industry. We assure our cooperation and collaboration to all such efforts and to the international community through L20-B20 Joint Statement. The approach should be modelled like an Industrial family. We reiterate the need for the development of public policies which ensure social cohesion, inclusion, and social dialogue, as well as policies for investment, education and lifelong learning.

The world of work requires bold ideas, social dialogue, policy reform and a sense of trust among all relevant stakeholders. A holistic and not compartmentalized approach to development is needed to reach the last person.

All key stakeholders, especially the Government, worker and employer organizations, need to work together displaying collective responsibility to build up higher values in the world of work.

The G20 nations' collective effort towards reaching and attaining the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals can only be achieved by deliberate genuine cooperation and collaboration by each of the L20 and B20 constituents.

A. To promote a mutually beneficial outcome for governments, employers, and workers in the G20, there need to have the following guiding principles that are fundamental in promoting social justice, social peace, decent work and sustainable enterprises. Both the L20 and B20 groups observe and agree that:

I. Recognise the importance and relevance of the 2019 Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.

The world of work is experiencing a transformative change with new forms of work emerging, which is driven by technological innovations, industry 4.0, demographic shifts, climate change and globalization. In response to these challenges and to commemorate 100 years since the ILO's founding, a Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work was adopted in 2019 at the 108th session of the International Labour Conference. It provides concrete and robust guidance on mitigating the impacts of these transformative changes and harnesses the opportunities that come with the Future of Work. The L20 and B20 groups urge the G20 nations to use the "ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, 2019" as a guide for their policy development, reform, and implementation.

II. Working collectively towards promoting social justice and the fundamental principles and rights at work through effective social dialogue will advance achieving full, productive and freely chosen employment, decent work to all and just transitions.

The main goal of social dialogue is to promote consensus/building and involvement among social partners. A bipartite forum at shop floor level is key to resolving disputes and differences and promoting healthy labour relations. Successful social dialogue structures and processes have the potential to resolve important labour, economic and social issues, encourage good governance, advance stability, and boost industrial and economic progress. Social partners have an important role to play in policy design, analysis and implementation of employment and industrial relations policies. Effective social dialogue is key to building trust. The L20 and B20 groups call on G20 nations to promote and institutionalize social dialogue models, in both bipartite and tripartite, in policy discussions and priority means of action.

III. Policy making and implementation should be characterized by diversity and inclusiveness to ensure no one is left behind.

Diversity and Inclusion, besides being at the heart of human rights, is essential to achieve peaceful societies, with full human potential and sustainable development. Moreover, it has been shown that empowering women & diverse marginalised groups and promoting their inclusion can spur productivity and economic growth. The L20 and B20 groups are available to offer ideas, guidance and advice on improving policy levers to promote and advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion efforts.

IV. IV. Promoting environmental sustainability, green and sustainable jobs and addressing climate change are required to promote a harmonious relationship between humans and nature. A just transition can include promoting sustainable energy sources, jobs, and growth in the green economy. Most importantly, skills development and training are important levers in this transition to the green economy.

B. To address work-related and social challenges, the L20 and B20 agree that the following issues should be incorporated into the policy reform, taking into account national circumstances. Identified issues have to be prioritized, reviewed and discussed with specifics, fixed goals, action-oriented and workable plans at the national and G20 levels.

1. We recognize the pervasive nature of informality and that the workers in the informal economy lack access to social protection and other benefits. Hence collective and determined efforts are needed to promote and deliver a smooth and sustained transition from informal to formal work and social security for all. Strong and resilient labour institutions are essential to sustainable recovery and growth.

2. Enable mobility both within the country and across borders. In a growing global workforce environment, there is a need to address the portability of social security benefits. Coordination of social security systems is important in order to address a workers mobility challenge.

3. An enabling environment to protect workers and Trade Unions, and to support the growth, productivity and sustainability of enterprises it is essential to build resilient and inclusive economies. Targeted support and enabling environment should be offered to under-represented groups and individuals, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

4. Acknowledging the technological interventions and need for changing skill sets for an effective and the well-directed skill development with upskilling, reskilling, lifelong learning and recognition of prior learning. It will benefit governments, employers and workers by advancing and promoting employability, sustainable development, productivity growth and economic prosperity. Apprenticeships, digital and core skills, and entrepreneurial skills should be better harnessed. It is critical for workers and employers to have the right skills in the context of digital and just transitions.

5. The productivity of the workforce has an impact on the sustainability of enterprises. Productivity efforts should be combined with sustainable decent work in tune with the UN SDG goals. Enhancing productivity and decent work with a view of full and productive employment is fundamental to economic growth. Experiences of success models and best practices from different countries have to be shared for learning.

6. Noting the changing demographics in G20 nations, and the anticipated impact on the availability of skills, social protection, education and healthcare systems, it is important that measures are developed at the national level to alleviate these pressures and mitigate any negative social and economic effects.

7. New forms of work are created by digital transformation in the world of work, like platform and gig work. Digital transformation is not expanding at an equal rate in different countries, and digital divides continue to widen, with some countries falling behind due to a lack of digital infrastructure and access to the internet and digital skills. Hence cooperation among different actors is essential to close these gaps. This digital transformation has to be extended to educational, vocational and medical fields in tune with technological advancements.

8. We need to recognise and address the emerging work environment, i.e., work from home, remote work etc. Effective policies on remote work can be helpful to promote inclusion and productivity.

9. Promote investment in health care, education and other public services of high importance to the sustainable development of workers and enterprises.

C. Beyond the employment track, there are other interconnected elements which should be considered in order to promote policy coherence.

The L20 and B20 call for:

- Cooperative industrial relations must be based on trust and supported by social dialogue mechanisms, tripartite and bipartite workplace cooperation, dispute settlement efforts, collective bargaining, social commitment and involvement of social partners in policy development discussions, replacing just ad-hoc consultations.

- Policymakers must continuously monitor global trends on disruptions in employment creation, inflation/fluctuations in commodity prices and any future economic disorder or crisis.

- Employment-intensive activities that will assist social upliftment is required.

On the basis of the above elements, the G20 nations must take up an important role in the G20 multilateral system by reinforcing its cooperation, upholding solidarity to reduce inequality and developing national social dialogue.

The multilateral system should aim to promote policy coherence in pursuit of a human-centred approach to the future of work that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient by recognizing the strong, complex and crucial links between social, trade, financial, economic, gender and environmental policies.