MACHEKE (ILO News) - The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions held a two-day workshop on the ILO Decent Work Agenda for National Employment Council stakeholders at Macheke Lodges and Conference Center.

The meeting was attended by ZCTU Acting Secretary General Gideon Shoko and the Acting ILO Country Director for Zimbabwe, Hopolang Phororo.

“Decent Work, as defined by the ILO, is an aspiration of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men”, explained Ms Phororo.

The Decent Work Agenda is the balanced and integrated programmatic approach to pursue the objectives of full and productive employment and decent work for all at global, regional, national and local level. The four strategic objectives with gender equality as a cross-cutting objective are - creating jobs; guaranteeing rights at work; extending social protection; and promoting social dialogue.

The Zimbabwe Decent Work Country Program has four priorities - promote productive employment and decent jobs; improve the application and implementation of International Labour Standards; strengthen social dialogue capacities and processes for sustainable socioeconomic development; and increase coverage of social protection through mainstreaming elements of the social protection floor.

Participants discussed key topics including the relationships between Decent Work and Collective Bargaining, Gender, and Legislation.