Cameron needs to push for better jobs and better wages at the G20 summit, says TUC

The TUC has today (Thursday) written to David Cameron asking him to show his support for UK workers at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Australia, by making the case for better jobs and wages.

The TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s time that David Cameron stood up for UK workers on the international stage and pushed for better jobs and better wages. We need to ensure that it is the many not the few that benefit from economic growth.”

Business and union leaders from the G20 countries have made a joint submission to next week’s summit in Brisbane, which calls for a number of common priorities including:

• ensuring that growth plans contribute to the creation of quality jobs, by:
  • increasing skill levels and matching skills to employer needs, for example through quality apprenticeship systems that benefit workers
  • bringing workers into the formal labour market and eradicating forced labour
  • remuneration determined by the formal labour market and that meets or exceeds legal minimums
• ensuring that growth is strong, sustainable and inclusive
• implementing the G20 Employment Ministers’ Safer Workplaces initiative

In an open letter to David Cameron, the TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“I hope that you will be able to secure a summit communiqué that reflects these objectives, and especially the creation of quality jobs based on quality apprenticeships, bringing workers into the formal economy and – in the spirit of the Modern Slavery Bill currently before Parliament – eradicating forced labour.”

The TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady is travelling to Australia to attend the G20 Summit, along with union and business leaders from all member states.  

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The G20 Leaders' Summit 2014 will be held on 15 and 16 November in Brisbane, Australia

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Clare Santry   T: 020 7467 1372    M: 07717 531150   E: csantry@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols   T: 020 7467 1337   M: 07876 452902  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk