Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe – Senior Business Reporter
SADC Ministers of Employment and Labour and Social Partners last week endorsed Zimbabwe’s candidacy for the position of President of the 113th International Labour Conference set for June 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Member States were requested to support Zimbabwe for the bid.
In a statement released by SADC after their annual meeting in Victoria Falls, it was noted: “Endorsed Zimbabwe’s candidacy for the position of President of the 113th International Labour Conference, to be held in June 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, and requested Member States’ support for the bid.”
At the 2025 session of the Conference, Government, employer and worker delegates from the ILO’s 187 Member States will address important world of work matters such as possible new international standards on the protection of workers against biological hazards in the working environment, decent work in the platform economy and innovative approaches to promoting transitions from the informal to the formal economy.
The meeting also commended Zimbabwe for signing the SADC Protocol on Employment and Labour in 2023.
In addition, Angola became the first Member State to ratify the protocol, which establishes a regional cooperation framework on decent work.
The statement continued: “They welcomed the update that the signed instrument of ratification would be deposited with the Secretariat in due course. They commended the Republics of Botswana, Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zimbabwe for signing the Protocol during the Summit held in August 2024.
“Accordingly, they urged all Member States to complete their national processes for signature and ratification by 2026, in line with previous Ministerial decisions.”
derick.khumalo