On July 15, 2021, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Labour & Employment Ministers’ (LEMM) Meeting was held under the India’s Presidency which was chaired by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- During the meeting, discussion on four priority areas of cooperation were held viz. Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations; Formalisation of Labour Markets; Participation of Women in the Labour Force; and Gig and Platform Workers: Role in the Labour Market.
- During the meeting, BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Declaration 2021 was adopted.
Key Points:
i.Views were exchanged on the impact of Covid-19 on global labour market.
ii.Simplification and codification of Indian labour laws into four labour codes were highlighted during the meeting viz. “The Code on Wages 2019”, “The Code on Social Security 2020”, “The Industrial Relations Code 2020” and “The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020”.
- These codes led to formalization of the labour market, increasing participation of women in the labour force and enhancing the role of gig and platform workers in the labour market.
iii.Emphasis were laid on the need for signing of Social Security agreements amongst BRICS nations to promote welfare of the international migrant workers.
iv.On the issue of “Formalisation of Labour Markets”, BRICS reiterated their commitment to enhance the transition from informality to formality
v.BRICS countries also agreed on the sustained participation of women in the labour market and also supported the development of the digital economy.
Recent Related News:
Ministry of Labour & Employment has notified Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020 which covers the applicability of Aadhar. It will enable the Labour Ministry to collect Aadhar data of workers in the Unorganized Sector.
About Ministry of Labour & Employment:
Minister of State– Rameswar Teli (Constituency – Dibrugarh, Assam)
