The 15th BRICS Trade Union Forum with representatives of trade union centers of BRICS member and partner countries is being held in Hyderabad from 14 to 16 July under the chairmanship of India. Its theme is ‘Building for Strength, Innovation, Collaboration and Sustainability’. This forum provides a great opportunity to bring a big change in the lives of workers. Its objective is that the future of work should be such that it is inclusive, equal and beneficial for all.
In the 15th BRICS Trade Union Forum, a joint manifesto was issued on many important issues including changes in the world of work, artificial intelligence, social security, digital platform economy, women workers and skill development. The Forum welcomed the International Labor Organization’s adoption of the ‘Historic Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy-2026’.
What did the International Labor Organization say?
- Along with this, ILO asked BRICS countries to speed up the process of making national laws in line with it. In this, emphasis was laid on ensuring trade union rights, collective bargaining and social security of employees working on digital platforms. The forum said that AI, automation, robotics and digitalization are bringing major changes in the world of work.
- These are creating opportunities, but at the same time challenges related to job loss, increasing inequality, digital monitoring, algorithm based management, threats to privacy and labor rights are also emerging. The announcement said that AI systems should not take final decisions in matters such as employment, performance evolution, disciplinary action or termination, unless there is effective human monitoring and employees are given the right to object to the decision.
The purpose of technology and AI should be to help humans
The forum also made it clear that the purpose of technology and AI should be to help humans, not to replace them. AI governance needs to be people-based, fair, and accountable. It also said that workers and their representative organizations should be included in the process of designing and monitoring AI systems. Governments were also appealed to consider making rules for safe, transparent and non-discriminatory use of AI in the workplace.
The manifesto said that new employment forms like gig work and digital platform work should also be brought under the ambit of ‘decent work’. Irrespective of the category of employment, all workers should have equal rights. Regarding women workers, the forum talked about increasing their participation in the work force, providing more leadership opportunities, equal pay, safe workplace, digital inclusion, skill development, special emphasis on STEM and green skills.
What did the forum say on social security?
It was also recommended to provide better access to finance, market and technology to women-owned enterprises. The Forum on Social Security said that this is the right of the people. Expand a universal, adequate and sustainable social security system for all workers. Along with this, the need for portability of social security and lifelong security was also emphasized.
Regarding skill development, the forum termed lifelong learning, re-skilling and up-skilling as the basis of the employment system of the future. The declaration also said that governments, employers, trade unions and educational institutions should work together to create a mechanism so that no employee is left behind during technological and economic changes.
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