SA Deputy Minister Warns of Rising Threats to Global Labour Institutions at G20

South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala, has raised a stern warning about the waning support for global multilateral labour institutions, cautioning that the erosion of funding and solidarity undermines decades of progress in workers' rights, social justice, and equitable trade.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 4th G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting at the Fancourt Hotel in George, Nemadzinga-Tshabalala emphasized that a retreat from collective global responsibility is not a mere budgetary concern, but a deepening fracture in the architecture of international labour governance.

“The International Labour Organisation (ILO), our indispensable beacon for decent work standards, has been forced to silence the voices of 225 guardians of social justice through job losses,” she lamented. “This is not just an institutional challenge—it is a humanitarian and economic one.”

G20 Employment Dialogue Amid Global Turbulence

The EWG meeting, held under the theme “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives”, aligns with South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” It is designed to tackle labour, employment, and social issues and lay the groundwork for the upcoming Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting (LEMM) scheduled for July 30–31, 2024.

The two-day EWG session drew technical experts and labour policy architects from across G20 member states. Their mission: develop a consensus-driven declaration, shape deliverables, and advance gender targets and global commitments on decent work and inclusive growth.

Labour Under Siege: Tariffs, Trade Shocks, and Governance Gaps

Nemadzinga-Tshabalala pointed to the deteriorating geopolitical climate, characterized by trade tensions, supply chain breakdowns, and weakened global dialogue, as being particularly harmful to developing economies.

“The harsh reality is that these tensions don’t stay in diplomatic chambers—they echo in the fields, on shop floors, and inside workers’ homes,” she stated.

Using Southern Africa as a stark example, the Deputy Minister described how a sudden, severe tariff imposed by a major trading partner has destabilized key sectors, including automotive manufacturing, agriculture, steel, and aluminium. Entire towns built around these industries are now facing existential uncertainty, she said.

These policy shifts, she warned, represent a quiet but devastating economic panic, with the potential to unravel decades of economic interdependence and shared prosperity.

Equality, Sustainability, and the Need for a Fair Global Order

Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala stressed that global trade policies must reflect shared responsibilities and equity, particularly for nations that bear the brunt of external shocks. She urged delegates to prioritize inclusive development, fair global economic rules, and stable international dialogue.

“Trade policies that devastate developing economies stand in direct contradiction to the principle of equality,” she declared. “True sustainability is impossible without predictability and cooperation at the global level.”

She warned that geopolitical rivalries stifling dialogue were shrinking the space for social consensus-building, threatening labour peace, global cohesion, and the advancement of inclusive employment.

A Call for the ‘Fancourt Declaration’

Calling for bold action, the Deputy Minister urged the EWG to craft a clear and actionable declaration, which would form the foundation of the Fancourt Declaration—the concluding statement of the G20’s labour engagement stream.

This declaration, she said, must:

• Address the full spectrum of the global polycrisis—environmental, technological, social, and geopolitical

• Recognize that trade policy is jobs policy, and disruptions directly impact peace and social cohesion

• Commit to strengthening rules-based international frameworks

• Make measurable, enforceable commitments to protect the world’s workers from instability and inequality

“Let the Fancourt Declaration be a beacon,” she said, “demonstrating the G20’s resolve to uphold a just global economic order grounded in decent work for all.”

Building Towards Ministerial Consensus

Also addressing the gathering, Acting Director-General of Employment and Labour, Jacky Molisane, emphasized the urgency of the EWG’s tasks. She recounted the journey that began in Gqeberha with the first EWG meeting and progressed through Geneva, with significant strides on:

• Initiating the ministerial declaration draft

• Advancing gender target negotiations

• Finalizing deliverables for the LEMM

“We must now conclude our negotiations and ensure we are ready with a strong and united ministerial document,” Molisane said.

Among the deliverables is the Brisbane-eThekwini Gender Commitment, which aims to solidify gender equity benchmarks within labour and employment policies across G20 nations.

A Multilateral Path Forward

The G20 Employment Working Group’s mandate is to promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and job-rich growth. The Deputy Minister’s address made it clear that this objective can only be achieved by protecting multilateral institutions, investing in decent work frameworks, and ensuring developing nations are not left behind in global decision-making.

As delegates finalize the Fancourt Declaration, South Africa’s leadership at the helm of the G20 is positioning labour solidarity, equity, and social justice at the heart of its global economic vision.