Staff Reporter
TO enhance trade union organisational effectiveness, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the “Decent Work in Trade and Investment Agreement” project, which will focus on Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda as beneficiary countries.
The project was launched earlier this week and according to the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation, Utoni Nujoma, its timing is impeccable as Namibia is faced with challenging times, namely economic, social and political turmoil.
Nujoma said that the government, employers and employees have been working closely together to collectively overcome some challenges of common interest. He highlighted the consideration of decent work pillars, standards and rights at work, employment creation, social protection and social dialogues as critical guides in trade and investment aspirations.
The ministry said that the project aims to impact the promotion of decent work in trade, industrial and investment policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The ministry added that the project is also intended to unlock trade unions’ potential of active participation by timely and effectively responding to employment and decent work challenges and opportunities, in law and in practice.
“Trade unions in Namibia have always played a crucial role in national development and we wish to see their role and that of the employers even more amplified, venturing into new areas of engagements such as trade and investments for decent work creation,” Nujoma said.
The ministry explained that the project will be executed in direct partnership with the national trade unions and beneficiary countries will be able to connect and learn from each other with regards to the debates, perspectives and status of trade and investment, industrial policy processes, agreements, employment, jobs and decent work issues.
