MANAGUA (ILO News) – The recruitment of the 258 lawyers who this year received training to improve labour justice in Nicaragua was not part of an isolated project: the application of standards is one of the pillars of the new decent work strategy launched in this Central American country as part of a renewed social dialogue between government, employers and workers.
The Decent Work Programme was signed by the tripartite representatives of Nicaragua and the ILO in September. As well as establishing a framework for cooperation between the Organization and this country, it makes the implementation of mechanisms aimed at boosting social dialogue a priority in a country facing significant difficulties in terms of employment and overcoming poverty.
“Speaking about decent work is a challenge and above all a responsibility for those of us involved in the world of work on a daily basis” says Nicaraguan Minister of Labour, Jeannette Chávez Gómez, who believes that the signing of the Programme constitutes a milestone in labour relations that will soon be followed by other dialogue initiatives.
The first of these initiatives will be the establishment of a National Labour Council, a tripartite body for the discussion of labour issues affecting the country. Another is the creation of a strategic framework, also through a tripartite agreement, to be known as the National Dignified Employment and Labour Plan.
“This means that there is now plenty of room for concrete social dialogue in Nicaragua, and this is key to the success of decent work generation initiatives”, according to the Director of the ILO Subregional Office for Central America, Virgilio Levaggi, who signed the new Programme in Managua on behalf of the Organization.
Nicaragua has the task of creating paths to decent work in the midst of a grave social situation, with poverty affecting 46 per cent of the 5.5 million-strong population. Fifteen per cent of the population is currently living in extreme poverty.
As to labour indicators, the unemployment rate stands at 5.2 per cent, lower than the average for Latin America, but the text of the Decent Work Programme warns that “the main structural weakness of the Nicaraguan labour market is the quality of employment generated by the economy.”
Around 30 per cent of employed workers are affected by sub-employment. This category includes those who work less than 36 hours per week but wish to work more (visible sub-employment) and those who work 36 or more hours but who earn less than the minimum wage (invisible sub-employment).
Furthermore, analysis of the labour situation in Nicaragua has shown that over 70 per cent of the jobs created each year are in the informal economy and small-scale farming activity.
“The problem with informality is that it involves precarity,” explains Levaggi. “Low incomes and poor working conditions are factors which contribute to the limitation of people’s opportunities to progress and overcome poverty.”
Another problem affecting this Central American country is unemployment, which affects 4 out of 10 youths in the workforce. “This very important sector of our population is seriously affected by unemployment, especially young women,” stresses Minister Chávez.
It should also be mentioned that the Nicaraguan Labour Ministry has extended inspections to many rural areas and in different fields, such as in the fight against child labour.
Hay que destacar que el Ministerio de Trabajo de Nicaragua ha venido dando saltos de calidad en cuanto a ampliar la cobertura de las inspecciones a las zonas rurales del país, como la reducción significativa del trabajo infantil en el campo, entre otras acciones importantes.
One of the priorities of the framework for cooperation between the ILO and Nicaragua set out in the Decent Work Programme is the strengthening of the capacities of employers’ and workers’ organizations and state institutions, together with the improvement of the social security system, occupational safety and health and a youth employment plan.
The number one priority is effective compliance with international labour standards, including strengthening of institutions, awareness-raising among the actors concerned, relevant legal changes, an appropriate standards framework and training for anyone wishing to work in this field.
This year, prior to the signing of the Decent Work Programme, the ILO launched the scheme which provided training for the 258 lawyers from the Ministry of Labour, the justice system, workers’ and employers’ organizations and academia, with the aim of strengthening the Nicaraguan labour justice system.
At the same time, the first systematic compilation of labour case law was carried out, a key instrument for judges and lawyers in their work.