It was noted that the World Day for Decent Work marked 14 years this year, with over 120 million people having taken part in celebration events worldwide since 2008.

With more than 200 million jobs lost as a result of the pandemic and 100 million more jobs still at risk, the ITUC proposed to its member organizations to celebrate this year’s World Day for Decent Work largely under the slogan of the fight for recovery and broader employment opportunities.

In supporting the ITUC’s initiative, trade union centres worldwide called on their member organizations to stand up for social rights focusing on the guarantees to reach the pre-COVID employment levels while continuing the fight to overcome the grave socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic.

Anton Leppik, Executive Secretary of the ITUC Pan-European Regional Council, and Mikhail Pouchkin, Deputy Director of the ILO Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, actively participated in the event.

In his presentation, Mikhail Pouchkin discussed in detail the ILO Global Call to Action for a Human Centered Recovery after the COVID-19. The Call to Action asks countries to implement recovery strategies that prioritize full employment and support for sustainable enterprises, the needs of the most vulnerable and hardest hit by the pandemic, and adequate levels of protections to all.

The Call to Action commits the ILO – with its mandate for social justice and decent work – to play a leadership role. The ILO will use all its means of action to support its member states in the design and implementation of recovery strategies that leave no one behind and advocate for a human-centred recovery, Mikhail Pouchkin underlined.

The event was attended by representatives of the Representative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis and a number of ministries and departments concerned, as well as trade union leaders and officers from all sectors and regions.

The webinar proceedings enjoyed extensive TV, radio and media coverage.