Promoting Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in the Zambian Mining Sector

Brief project overview :

This project strategy is based on the ILO’S longstanding experience of the Zambian labour environment and its close relationships will all constituents in accordance with the principles of Tripartism. The Project with the support of the Social Partners and ILO will try to address the current challenges of Labour relations and employment matters in the mining sector. The Project is in two parts one component on fundamental principles and Rights at Work funded by USDOS, and the Right to Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining –phase two funded by Norway.

Objectives :

The project’s development objective is to promote sound industrial relations and compliance with Fundamental principles and rights at work in the Zambian mining sector. The project is structured along three immediate objectives to achieve its overall goal : promote tripartite trust and effective Social dialogue in the mining sector to address core employment and labor issues (Immediate objective 1); strengthen the capacity of the Government to promote sound industrial relations and enforce international labor standards in the mining sector( Immediate objective2); and enhance the trade unions capacity to better represent and serve their members , particularly through workplace cooperation and collective bargaining ( Immediate Objective 3)

In addition to the above objectives, the Norway funded component will support the Promoting the Right to Freedom of Association and the Right to collectively Bargain.

Expected deliverables :

• Establishment of a fully operational Tripartite Partnership Committee (TPCM) for the Mining Sector
• Members of the TPCM are better informed on the situation of labour rights and working conditions in the sector
• Tripartite agreement on shared priorities to improve sound industrial relations and labour law compliance in the sector
• Labour inspection task force for the mining sector is established and better equipped to improve labour law compliance and to assist the social partners in the sector
• Increased number of mining companies improve labour law compliance
• Enforcement and prevention components by supporting labour inspectors and social partners in terms of human resource , equipment, and management
• An assessment of the opportunities and gaps related to the trade union functioning is carried out to agree upon and develop a sustainable trade union training programme
• Coordination and Collective Bargaining capacity building within individual trade unions and among them.

Project Implementation :

The 2013-2016 Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) priorities are the result of national consultative process and are in line with the United Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2011-2015 for Zambia. The project design is based on the first and fourth Pillars of the DWCP namely the promoting of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the promotion of Social Dialogue. Therefore, the project is embedded in a broader set of initiatives planned until the end of 2016, which will contribute to the implication of the project results.

At the project level, the tools, skills, working procedure, strategic planning and programmes developed with the tripartite constituents are expected to have a long-lasting impact on the functioning of the social dialogue and the country’s ability to realise core labour rights. As for the development of local expertise, the project will make sure to include junior representatives of national constituents in the training activities as they represent the future of their institutions. Throughout its activities, the project will aim at transferring knowledge to national consultants’ in order for them to replicate training activities without the support of the project or international consultants once the project is completed.

Effective social dialogue will be safe guarded after the end of the project, through the well-functioning and skilled Tripartite Partnership Committee for the Mining established by the project. The tools for labour inspectors together with the strategic plan on labour inspection will enhance the capacity of the government to enforce labour standards after the closing of the project. Finally,, the efforts to enhance the capacity of the workers’ organisations in the sector and the establishment of a database tracking the information on collective bargaining should lead to a sustainable improvement of the workplace cooperation and industrial relations.