The Social Labour Dimension of MERCOSUR

1. The Social Labour Dimension of MERCOSUR

2. MERCOSUR • In 1991 Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay sign the Treaty of Asuncion which formally creates MERCOSUR, considering economic and social integration a fundamental condition to accelerate the processes of economic development with social justice (Treaty of Asuncion). • The highest priority is economic integration of the four participating states, by means of: • free circulation of goods, services and means of production; • establishment of common external tariff; • adoption of a common trade policy; • coordination of macroeconomic and sector policies; • harmonisation of legislation in pertinent areas.

3. The social labour question The social labour spheres: • Meeting of Labour Ministers. • High-level Employment Group (Decision CMC 46/04) • Labour sub-group No° 10 of MERCOSUR: "Labour, Employment and Social Security Issues" • Follow-up Commission of the Social Labour Declaration of MERCOSUR.

4. MERCOSUR Regional Employment Strategy The Regional Employment Conference, held on April 15-16, 2004, synthesizes the existing political will in the region to give high priority to the problem of employment. Mobilising all the political and productive sectors of the region, achieving consensus on the need to place the issue of employment at the centre of regional and national public policies. In the framework of this conference, the ministers agreed on a “Declaration of MERCOSUR Labour Ministers,” estimating the general orientation that an employment policy for member countries should have and asking the CMC (decision-making body of block) that the GMC (executing body) draft a Strategy of Employment Growth for MERCOSUR (EMCE). CMC Decision 46/04 creates a High-Level Group with the goal of drafting this strategy (GANEmple). The Group’s tasks are the elaboration of the conceptual, methodological and operative basis for its implementation, as well as submitting a proposal for this strategy to the Common Market Council, through the Common Market Group (Arts. 3 and 4 of Decision 46/04).

5. MERCOSUR Regional Employment Strategy In Argentina’s case, the High-level Employment Group was created with the participation of high-level officials of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and Production, the Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Religion, and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the last of which was charged with the tasks of coordination of the group. In addition, Social Actors participates on the High-level Employment Group. The GANE Emple held two regional meetings. In the second meeting on December 2 in Montevideo, it was agreed to draft a synthesis of the documents previously drawn up by the different countries in order to present it to the CMC. The report advances the definition of the conceptual, methodological and operational foundations and the guidelines for the development of future directives. Further, several consensus were established, such as the following:

6. Principal consensus achieved • Formation of GANEmple, building of National Sections and coordination by the Ministries of Labor. • Definition of acting spheres: regional (strategy and directives) and national (elaboration of National Employment Plans inspired in the EMCE.) • GANEmple will be in charge of doing an evaluation and follow-up of EMCE, with the technical assistance of the OMTM. • The EMCE should enclose common strategic objectives, goals and benchmarks, relating and integrating economic, commercial, migration, educational and social prevision policies with the creation of quality employment.

7. MERCOSUR Regional Employment Strategy Guidelines adopted for the development of directives: • Employment generation as the centre of the linkage of economic social and labour policies. • Improvement in the quality of work and employment based on the fulfilment of the principles and fundamental labour rights; the fight against informal labour; eradication of child labour; incentives for the formalisation of enterprises and workers; technological development and innovation and others. • Improvement in competitiveness of economies and the employability of individuals through education and the continuous professional training. • Promotion of groups vulnerable to access to employment, work and income.

8. MERCOSUR Regional Employment Strategy • Improvement and expansion of coverage of the systems of social protection for the unemployed, combined with active employment policies. • Development and implementation of Public Employment Services that integrate programmes as well as active and passive employment policies. • Provide incentives for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the promotion of social/solidarity economy programmes and cooperatives. • Promotion of local development and of productive networks on a basis of territory or sector, especially in border zones. • Promotion of gender perspective in all policies, programmes and actions of employment generation. • Foment public and private investment in projects and productive sectors that imply intensive use of labour.

9. Observatory of MERCOSUR Labour Market It is a tool to measure the impact of social, commercial and economic integration. The observatory studies and provides information about the labour situation of MERCOSUR: Achievements: 1- Bulletin of labour current events 2- Creation of a section on employment policies that contains an interactive data bank and a classification of policies according to different criteria. 3-Creation of a section of statistics that permits integrated access to principal labour, economic and demographic indicators with methodological definitions 4. Creation of an observatory website