Programme Director

Deputy Minister

DG

DDG

Members of the Fourth Estate, the media

Ladies and gentlemen,

This week, South Africa is hosting the BRICS Labour and Employment Minister's meeting here in Durban.

It is preceded by the Employment Working Group meeting which started yesterday and will be concluded today.   In our beautiful City of eThekwini, there is also the BRICS Trade Union Forum, where we evoked the timeless rallying cry of workers across the annals of history.

We have established two platforms on the side lines of this Labour and Employment Meeting of Ministers in order to reach out to the broader community of eThekwini employer organisations and work seekers. To this end we have organised a Careers Fair and an employer's/ trade union Jobs session at the Durban Exhibition Centre and the Olive Conference Centre.  

Work seekers together with prospective employers in the Province will interact in our quest to establish partnerships to fight unemployment.

The Careers Fair, will provide the much needed exposure and insight to our guests on how we bring together, the local, district, provincial and national government to work together in delivering government services to our people.

We have also created a special session at the Olive Conference Centre on the 29^th September 2023 from 07h00 to 12h00, for Trade Unions, Employers, Community and other government leaders, to brief them on the outcomes of our discussions but also to establish partnerships in fighting the unemployment scourge.

The development of a collaborative effort to boost productivity initiatives and enhance social protection among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Countries will take centre stage, when the Employment Working Group (EWG) and the Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting (LEMM) convene at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Umhlanga from 26 -29 September 2023.

Under the tutelage of the Department of Employment and Labour, South Africa will host the last in a series of meetings for the labour and employment stream of the BRICS Countries. The all-encompassing theme of 'Ensuring Decent Work, Dignity and Respect for All' guides the discussions that are aimed at facilitating collaboration in employment creation and labour market governance among the BRICS Partners.

The meetings for the labour and employment stream follow the recent BRICS Leaders' Summit that took place in August 2023.

In preparation for the Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting, the Fourth EWG and the BRICS Network of Labour Research Institute meetings are being held from yesterday, the 26^th to 27^th September 2023. At these gatherings, senior officials and technical experts are considering issues such as the Ministerial Declaration, the Report on Social Protection in BRICS Countries, the BRICS Productivity Platform and ways to strengthen collaboration between the BRICS Countries at the multilateral level.

The EWG and Network of Labour Research Institute meetings will culminate in a two-day Meeting of Ministers on 28 – 29 September 2023, where they will adopt the eThekwini Declaration.

The Ministers are expected to emphasize labour rights, universal access to social protection, skills development and sustainable enterprises to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Their efforts align with the call of BRICS leaders to achieve a human-centred recovery and the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition to the BRICS Ministers, I also invited my counterparts from Cuba, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Representatives of social partners and international organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Social Security Agency (ISSA) and the African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC), will also be present. Leaders from the KwaZulu-Natal Province and eThekwini will deliver welcome addresses to international delegates.

The ministers of social development and small business development, as well as senior officials and experts, will also be in attendance.

Yesterday morning's BRICS Trade Union Forum called for "Workers of the world, to unite!" – a call which has echoed through the ages, from the factories of the Industrial Revolution to the fields of the struggle against apartheid.

Workers of the world must unite in a resolute and unyielding alliance to confront and mitigate the pernicious impacts of unchecked capitalism and the stranglehold of neoliberalism.

These twin forces, left unchecked, are exacting an increasingly grievous toll upon the conditions of both workers and the communities that depend on their well-being.

The erosion of labour rights, the dismantling of social protection systems, and the blind pursuit of market-driven policies have resulted in a precarious existence for countless workers, who find themselves adrift in the unforgiving tides of the global economy.

As workers hailing from the diverse BRICS nations, you stand united under the resounding banner of 'Advancing Social Justice, Peace, and Dignity Together!'

This theme, serves as a powerful testament to workers unwavering dedication to forging a world characterised by the safeguarding of workers' rights and dignity, where industrial peace and social justice prevail – the one dependent on the other.

It is heartening to see this theme align with the mission of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting, which is 'Ensuring decent work, dignity and respect for all'.

The world is changing, and the labour and employment sectoral meetings come on the heels of the BRICS Leaders' Summit, which welcomed new members to our partnership. Starting from January 2024, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will be part of our grouping.

In our view, this expansion is a recognition of the BRICS Countries' growing influence and importance on the world stage.

The BRICS Ministers of Labour and Employment have identified four pivotal areas of focus for this year, with the aspiration that these priorities shall endure beyond the current period.

• The first priority concerns building sustainable enterprises, innovation, and enhancing productivity. We must create an environment where businesses thrive, and workers benefit from increased productivity.
• Secondly, we aim to vigorously champion and advance labour rights and decent work.
• Thirdly, we steadfastly commit ourselves to the imperative task of ensuring universal access to comprehensive social protection, accompanied by the essential assurance of a minimum basic income grant for all.
• Lastly, our collective commitment extends to the critical mission of fostering and propagating decent work opportunities while simultaneously bridging the substantial skills gap that pervades the informal economy.

In this multifaceted endeavour, we wholeheartedly acknowledge and underscore the indispensable role that the informal economy plays within the broader economic landscape of BRICS Countries.

To this end, we are determined to provide the comprehensive support and protection that workers in the informal economy so rightfully deserve.

Our commitment also extends to abolishing child labour and accelerating progress toward universal social protection for all by 2030.

We further recognise the importance of investing in skills development systems to improve access to relevant and quality skills for workers in the informal economy and new forms of employment.

In the XV (15^th) BRICS Summit Declaration, our leaders implored the labour and employment ministers to explore the development of a BRICS platform to implement the Productivity Ecosystem for Decent Work, a holistic approach, seamlessly integrating labour policies, technological advancements, skills development, and social protections into a harmonious whole.

The Trade Union forum made the call: it is time to unite, to stand together in solidarity, and to forge a world where justice, peace, and dignity are the birth right of every worker.

We believe that LEMM will take this process to the next level.

Thank you. ​

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