G20 steps up efforts to address workforce inequality
Employment officials say
they have ramped up their efforts to address income inequality in workforces
around the world that is severely impacting women and young people.
The G20 EmploymentWorking Group has been meeting in uMhlanga this week to reduce the growing rates of gender pay gaps and inequalities.
Sipho Ndebele, who is with South Africa's Employment and Labour Department says the global statistics show there is still have a long way to go to close the gaps.
"The inequality report highlights that the top 10% of the global population now receives more than 52% of the total income, while the bottom 50% receives only 8%."
READ: G20 group discusses worldwide youth unemployment targets
Zingiswa Losi, is with L20, which represents workers' interests in the G20 forum.
She has criticised and warned that some countries are undermining labour laws.
She says bargaining councils should be strengthened to safeguard workers’ rights.
"That workers' rights must be respected, that trade unions must be free to organise. They must be free to defend members to bargain collectively and to strike without fear. What we cannot do and should not, is to sit in polite conversations at the G20 and ignore the onslaught workers are facing out there."
Meanwhile the International Labour Organisation says just ten G20 countries are on track to meet the Brisbane target of reducing the gender gap in the workplace by 25%.
The deadline for the 2014 goal expires this year.
Stéphane Carcillo has acknowledged that progress has been slow.
"Half of the G20 countries are close or exceed the Brisbane target but also half of the countries still remain significantly short of the target."
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