BRICS Countries Focus on Productivity and Employee Rights
They say if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This African proverb rang true at the recent BRICS gathering in Johannesburg.
The BRICS countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa recently gathered in Johannesburg for the first scheduled Employment Working Group meeting of 2023. They were joined by the International Labour Organisation and the African Union, as well as representatives from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Malawi.
The four-day meeting, organised by South Africa’s Department of Employment and Labour, focused on issues of productivity and employee rights. This a topic, we’re of course, very passionate about since the implementation of and respect for human rights in the workplace leads to increased productivity.
The meeting, which ended on Friday 24 February 2023, sought to address how to manage issues of human dignity and promote decent work as the world tries to recover from Covid-19, the energy crisis and stagflation.
As Siyabonga Hadebe, South Africa’s Labour attaché in Geneva, explained, “In terms of productivity, we’ll look at how we can have more output using the same inputs. Also, how can we have more innovation to grow our economies? On employee rights, we are all members of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and, therefore, subscribe to labour conventions on matters of health and safety and the right to form and belong to trade unions.”
During the meeting, delegates from the BRICS countries and other African countries shared their expectations on intercontinental ties and the creation and sustainability of jobs. The meeting focused on how to ensure that workers are treated with respect and the ILO’s call for a just, equitable, and sustainable world of work in line with human rights and best practices.
“How do we make sure that our people at work are looked after, treated decently, conventions in the ILO speak of equal pay for work of equal value. How do we make sure that we agree to a particular standard, already IOL has set that standard so as BRICS member state how do we rationalise that and make sure that in reality our people are treated well,” says Labour and Employment Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi.
The meeting also saw South Africa launch an employment productivity ecosystem project for the BRICS block that will speak to the relationship between employment and economic growth. The project is committed to sharing ideas for protecting the rights of workers and ensuring adequate compensation through wages that will, in turn, boost productivity.
Increasing productivity depends on improving working conditions and protecting labour rights. Claire Harasty from ILO noted that South Africa is putting the bar high for the BRICS countries to move towards economic growth with decent work, which is also a commitment that these countries took in the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
The BRICS countries will continue to hold other sessions throughout the year, with the next meetings scheduled for May, June, and September. These gatherings are a significant step towards addressing issues of productivity and employee rights and provide an opportunity for the countries to learn from each other, share their expectations on intercontinental ties, and promote decent work while respecting worker rights.
As the countries move towards economic growth, it is essential to ensure that workers are treated well and their rights are protected, as this will have a direct impact on productivity.
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