Berita Baru, Jakarta – A number of civil society organizations have assessed that the 2026 BRICS Labour Ministers’ Declaration does not provide sufficient commitment to the protection of workers’ rights amid the agenda of economic transformation and the transition toward a green economy.
This view was expressed by the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), the Transnational Institute (TNI), Perkumpulan PRAKARSA, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, and the Sahita Institute in a joint statement released in Jakarta on Friday (17 July 2026).
INFID Executive Director Siti Khoirun Ni’mah said that BRICS, as an economic bloc representing more than 40 percent of the world’s population, has a responsibility to ensure that economic growth goes hand in hand with the protection of workers’ rights and the reduction of inequality.
“BRICS must not become merely a new economic bloc pursuing growth through purely technocratic discussions. BRICS should be an alternative force that demonstrates that development can advance alongside respect for workers’ rights, the reduction of inequality, and social justice,” she said.
The coalition appreciated several commitments contained in the declaration, such as the expansion of social protection, increased participation of women in the workforce, skills development, and digital transformation. However, they argued that these commitments have not been accompanied by stronger measures to guarantee workers’ rights, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, living wages, and corporate accountability mechanisms.
The coalition also highlighted the importance of developing new skills (reskilling), particularly green skills, so that the transition toward a low-carbon economy does not create structural unemployment in affected sectors.
Transnational Institute researcher Rachmi Hertanti said that BRICS cooperation on the energy transition must be accompanied by technology transfer and value creation in developing countries so that it does not merely reinforce extractive economic patterns.
“If BRICS cooperation continues to maintain a pattern of extracting natural resources from developing countries without meaningful technology transfer and without creating quality industrial jobs, then South–South cooperation risks perpetuating green extractivism,” she said.
Perkumpulan PRAKARSA Executive Director Victoria Fanggidae added that the success of downstream industrialization should not be measured solely by increased investment or export value. According to her, the industrialization process must also guarantee occupational safety, social protection, and the welfare of communities living around industrial areas.
Meanwhile, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia Coordinator Aryanto Nugroho emphasized that transparency must be an integral part of the development of critical mineral industries and downstream processing.
“Follow the money, and we will know who profits from this downstreaming agenda. Follow the decision-making process, and we will know who is actually sitting at the table,” he said.
In the statement, the coalition urged the Indonesian government to use its BRICS membership to advocate for stronger labour protection standards, expand universal social protection, promote green industrial policies that create decent work, and establish accountability mechanisms so that BRICS labour commitments can be implemented in a measurable manner.
According to Siti Khoirun Ni’mah, BRICS’ relevance as a forum for economic cooperation will be determined by its ability to place workers’ rights and social justice at the center of the global economic transformation agenda.
“BRICS will lose its relevance if it becomes merely a new economic forum with old development patterns. The world today needs cooperation that places people, workers’ rights, and social justice at the heart of economic transformation,” she said.
Source: beritabaru.co