ILO, Timor Leste Move Forward to Create More Job

Since 1 January 2004, the ILO Office in Jakarta has been given the responsibility to manage the ILO programme in Timor Leste and strengthen relations with the ILO Constituents, international organizations and other agencies.  The country became the organization’s 177^th Member State on 19^th August 2003. It has a population of approximately 800,000 majority of whom are engaged in subsistence agriculture.  One of the major challenges for the country is to reduce poverty and create jobs for its population.

The Secretariat of Labour and Solidarity (SLS) is ILO’s focal point for labour and social issues.  Mr. Arsenio P. Bano, Secretary of State of Labour and Solidarity, is currently in charge of SLS.  The State Secretariat is responsible for vocational training, employment promotion, labour relations, formulation and enforcement of labour laws, promoting social dialogue and provision of social services.

There are several employers’ organizations in the country. Five of them are represented in the three tripartite boards (please see 1 sub-para below). The organizations are: ASSET Lorosae, ACCAIT, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, NCBA (Coffee Growers Association) and UNAPE (organization of small enterprises).  There are also several workers organizations in the country of which two are represented in the Boards. The largest one is the Timor Lorosae Trade Union Confederation (TLTUC), with Jose Conceicao da Costa as the President. TLTUC is receiving assistance from ILO and ICFTU on capacity building and workers’ education activities. The other trade union which is represented in the boards is SBST (Serikat Buruh Socialis Timor).

The ILO is contributing to the development process of Timor Leste since 1999. It focuses on:

1.  Capacity building of the constituents, including technical assistance in setting up and functioning of important tripartite
national bodies such as National Labour Board, Labour Relations Board and Minimum Wages Board;

2.   Poverty alleviation through skills training programmes leading to gainful employment, micro-enterprise and small
business development, and post-training support;

3.   Advice and technical assistance on labour law formulation and implementation including facilitating and
dissemination of information on labour law. 

On capacity building, the ILO has been implementing a technical cooperation project called SIMPLAR since January 2002. It is contributing to improved labour relations machinery by strengthening the three Boards, the Secretariat of the Boards, labour inspection and labour administration services of the Government, and employers and workers organizations, and labour law reform. The project is financed by the US Department of Labour. It will continue to October 2005.   

ILO’s contribution to the poverty alleviation has taken the shape of integrated programme of job creation through skills training, small business development training and development, post-training support including credit, monitoring and follow up. An Employment and Vocational Training Fund that has been set-up and operational to finance proposals for skills training and/or small business development from the communities, NGOs, training providers and other groups, aimed at finding or creating new jobs for the people of Timor Leste. This programme has received a major boost through formal funding commitments of the European Commission and the UNDP for a five-year project known as STAGE (Skills Training for Gainful Employment). For more information, please see separate note on STAGE.

Recently, the Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration has taken the initiative to develop a collaboration with the State Secretary of Labour and Solidarity.  During a visit of the Timorese Delegation to Jakarta on 16 April, both sides looked at how Timor Leste could benefit from the materials and training already available in Indonesia.  The fact that Bahasa Indonesia is still widely spoken in Timor Leste facilities the exchange and also allows the ILO to make use certain publications and tools produced in Indonesia for the development of the programme in Timor Leste.

from left to right:
Alan Boulton, Director ILO Jakarta, Jacob Nuwa Wea, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Republic of Indonesia
and Arsenio P. Bano, Timor Leste's Secretary of State of Labour and Solidarity
(16 April 2004)

DECENT WORK COUNTRY PROGRAMME: PRIORITY OBJECTIVES FOR TIMOR LESTE, 2004-2005

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