Brics moots wider social security net
New Delhi, May 13: The representatives of BricsS nations have expressed willingness to have a multilateral social security framework in order to safeguard workers’ rights.
The Social Security Agreement will help the international workers to port their benefit to their home countries thereby preventing loss of their hard-earned money.
Further, they are exempted from contributing (towards social security schemes) both in home as well as host countries.
The multilateral social security framework would help international workers to avoid double contributions in a cluster of such nations.
The Social Security Agreement will help the international workers to port their benefit to their home countries and are exempted from contributing towards social security schemes both in home and host countries.
The views were expressed by member nations’ representatives at the first Brics Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting held on May 11 and 12, 2021 at New Delhi in a virtual format, a statement said.
Indian labour secretary Apurva Chandra, chaired the meeting as the country has assumed the Brics
Presidency this year.
The prime agenda for the discussions were 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.
Apart from representatives of member nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Agency (ISSA) also made valuable interventions and suggestions on the agenda issues.
“On the issue of Social Security Agreement (SSA), the member nations resolved to enter into dialogue and discussion with each other and take it forward towards the signing of the agreements, while the ISSA and ILO on their part, expressed willingness to provide technical support in facilitating the conclusion of such agreements,” it said.
The member nations also converged on devising a multilateral framework for the same (social security agreement) at a later stage, it said.
The member nations also discussed various initiatives taken by them towards the formalization of jobs and how Covid-19 has enhanced informalisation risk.