Ministers of Employment and Labour and Social Partners from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) met on 30 March 2022 at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe, Malawi, to deliberate and make decisions to strengthen the Region’s labour administration systems and enhance the prospects of decent work for people in the Region.
The meeting, held in hybrid format, was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Malawi and attended by Ministers and Social Partners from Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The meeting was also attended by delegates from the SADC Private Sector Forum (SPSF) and Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC), as well as by representatives from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In her Keynote address, Honourable Nancy Tembo (MP), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malawi and current Chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, warmly welcomed the tripartite delegations to Malawi. She highlighted that the meeting was being held under the theme of the 41st SADC Summit Meeting of “Bolstering Productive Capacities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic for Inclusive, Sustainable Economic and Industrial Transformation”, noting that the pandemic had seriously impacted labour markets with many jobs and businesses having been lost, and with many workers and employers having lost their lives.
She highlighted the need for Member States to continue responding to the pandemic by investing in economic stimulus packages, adopting pro-employment budgeting, extending social protection coverage and enhancing occupational safety and health, among other measures. In addition, she called upon the SADC Employment and Labour Sector to come up with strategies to deal with the transformative changes in the world of work, including those related to climate change and demographic transitions.
The remarks on behalf of the SADC Secretariat were made by Dr Thembinkosi Mhlongo, the Deputy Executive Secretary responsible for Regional Integration. He commended SADC Member States for having utilised their tripartite social dialogue mechanisms in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic at national level. He stated that this approach had been instrumental in ensuring broad-based participation, facilitating implementation of informed and balanced measures, as well as in promoting income security and safe and healthy working conditions.
Dr. Mhlongo informed the meeting that a lot of progress was being made by Member States in the area of employment and labour in SADC, including in efforts to eradicate child labour, despite the need to intensify the responses. He commended the Member States for having developed a new SADC Code of Conduct on Child Labour, which was expected to add impetus to ongoing efforts. Dr Mhlongo highlighted that rampant unemployment remained the most pressing challenge for the Region. In this regard, he informed the meeting that the Secretariat was facilitating a series of engagements involving think tanks, the private sector and young people to generate knowledge and build capacities for Member States to adequately respond to the employment challenge.
He mentioned that these engagements were leading up to the convening of a high-level SADC Ministerial dialogue for policymakers in the finance, industry and labour sectors as well as the social partners, as a way of promoting joint sector coordination in job creation.
The Ministers and Social Partners considered progress reports on implementation of regional and national programmes in the areas of child labour, social dialogue, labour market information systems and labour migration, among others. They also deliberated on global employment and labour issues of significance to SADC, such as the implementation of International Labour Standards, the work of the Governing Body of the ILO and arrangements for the forthcoming 5th Global Conference on Child Labour to be held in South Africa in May 2022.
The Ministers and Social Partners:
- Noted the draft Protocol on Employment and Labour presented by the Secretariat and approved a roadmap for the finalisation and adoption of the Protocol by August 2023. They noted that the Protocol seeks to enhance cooperation on guaranteeing fundamental rights at work, and to enhance the implementation of active labour market policies to promote skills development and job creation, among other objectives
- Approved the Revised SADC Code of Conduct on Child Labour and urged Member States to domesticate the new Code and to submit periodic reports to the Secretariat. Among other objectives, implementation of the new Code will reinforce measures to detect, prosecute and ensure conviction in child labour, human trafficking, commercial sex exploitation of children, while ensuring effective protection and remedies for victims. Member States will consider the first biennial monitoring report under the Code in 2024. The Ministers and Social Partners received an update on South Africa’s preparations to host the 5th Global Child Labour Conference scheduled for the period 16-20 May 2022 in Durban, South Africa. They commended South Africa for the inclusive manner in which the preparations were being done.
- Approved the Model Framework for National Social Dialogue Institutions in SADC, which seeks to facilitate greater tripartite cooperation on labour market issues and broader socio-economic development matters. The model framework will contribute to the strengthening of dialogue mechanisms involving governments, employers and workers, as well as foster industrial and labour market stability.
- Approved the Reporting and Monitoring Tool for the SADC Labour Migration Action Plan (2020-2025) and directed the Secretariat to submit the first comprehensive implementation report at their next meeting in 2023. They commended the ILO and IOM for ongoing support to the Member States and Secretariat in the implementation of the regional action plan.
- Endorsed the SADC Labour Market Observatory Implementation Framework for the strengthening of labour market information systems in Member States, and referred the same to the Committee of Ministers responsible for Education and Skills Development and the SADC Statistics Committee for further endorsement.
- Noted the reports by social partners, that is, SPSF and SATUCC which highlighted the efforts and contribution of employers and workers’ organisations towards the realisation of SADC’s regional integration agenda. Regarding the protection of the rights of workers in the Region, the Ministers and Social Partners urged Member States to continue national consultations involving social partners in the domestication of International Labour Standards, including through labour law reforms.
- Noted the Report by SADC Members of the Governing Body of the ILO (Eswatini, Malawi and Namibia), which included information on the election of the next ILO Director General. SADC Member States welcomed the historic election of Mr. Gilbert Houngbo from Togo to the position, as he becomes the first African to lead the organisation since its formation 103 years ago in 1919. Mr. Houngbo’s election presents an excellent opportunity for the ILO to prioritise the needs of Africa, and of other developing regions, in the effort to promote decent work and to reduce poverty and inequality.
The Ministers and Social Partners thanked and congratulated Malawi for successfully organising the hybrid meeting, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. They decided that their next meeting will be held in 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
