Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation - Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP), said that decent work should be at the centre of all measures to overcome the COVID-19 health and economic crisis and also to build the post-COVID-19 world truly inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
 
Today, the ITUC-AP published its statement on COVID-19 with policy recommendation to governments and employers.
 
It is expected much more serious impact of COVID-19 on the demand side through the labour market in the Asia-Pacific region with severe deficits in decent work including a large number of informal workers and the working poor. Furthermore, he pointed out the absence of adequate social protection for all in most of the countries in the region with the most vulnerable groups of workers – women, youth, older workers, migrant workers, self-employed and precarious workers – being easily excluded.  
 
Therefore, he called for all governments to take immediate and decisive actions to prioritise employment retention, income supports with extended social protection and occupational health and safety measures.
 
In the statement, he also emphasised the importance of making the post-COVID-19 world inclusive, resilient and sustainable since the world after the pandemic would have increasing precarious jobs and income equality with significant changes in in daily life including consumption and production.
 
“This can only be done by building trust in governance systems and institutions, and increasing confidence in the future with a new social contract,” said Shoya Yoshida.
 
He emphasised the importance of working together to contain the virus and to ensure our post-COVID-19 world sustainable and resilience with democracy, multilateralism and tripartism with all international labour standards being respected more than ever. 
 

The ITUC-AP has been working with the ITUC to respond to this global and health crisis. The ITUC is leading in collecting, analysing and disseminating information about COVID-19. Please visit the ITUC webpage on COVID-19  for information from our affiliates, Global Union Federations and other organisations on the pandemic. 

Please also visit the ITUC-AP webpage on COVID-19 Pandemic for additional news and information. 

The ITUC-AP Statement is attached.