Enhancing legal frameworks and social dialogue in South Sudan

© ILO

© ILO

Juba, South Sudan (ILO News) - 20-21 August 2024, the ILO held a two-day sensitization workshop for trade union leaders in Juba, South Sudan, focusing on the rights of migrant workers in partnership with the South Sudan Workers Trade Union Federation (SSWTUF). This workshop enhanced the capacity of trade union leaders to understand, advocate for, and protect the rights of migrant workers. As South Sudan continues to experience significant migration inflow, addressing the challenges faced by migrant workers has become a pressing issue.

The workshop was attended by 43 trade union leaders, government officials, and representatives from the Employers Association of South Sudan. Key sessions of the workshop centred around the role of trade unions in safeguarding migrant workers' rights, the importance of social dialogue, and the legislative frameworks guiding labour migration in South Sudan. Participants were introduced to the African Manual for Trade Unions on Labour Migration, which serves as a critical tool for trade unions to advocate for fair migration governance and protection of migrant workers’ rights. The manual was discussed as an essential resource in empowering trade union leaders to play an active role in the formulation and implementation of policies that impact migrant workers.

The workshop highlighted the importance of trade unions in addressing these issues through advocacy, legal support, and social dialogue with employers and government bodies. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the existing legal and policy frameworks and explored ways to improve their implementation to better safeguard migrant workers. The workshop also focused on promoting an understanding of international and regional legislative frameworks that guide labour migration, including key ILO conventions. Special emphasis was placed on ILO Conventions 97 (Migration for Employment Convention), 143 (Migrant Workers Convention), and 189 (Domestic Workers Convention). Participants were encouraged to advocate for the ratification and implementation of these conventions within South Sudan to strengthen the legal protection of migrant workers and align national laws with international standards. Finally, the workshop was also a platform for knowledge sharing. The Federation of Somali Trade Union (FESTU) was able to share its experience in implementing its innovative strategy to organize migrant workers in Somalia and Somali migrant workers with the support of the ILO. FESTU was able to highlight the process undertaken, explain the challenges faced and the importance of organizing migrant workers to enhance their protection.

A key outcome of the workshop was the development of a roadmap for implementing the Union-to-Union agreements signed in November 2023 between SSWTUF, the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU), and the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU) in Uganda. These agreements are designed to foster closer coordination and cooperation among trade unions in the region, enhancing the protection of migrant workers’ rights. The workshop facilitated group discussions where participants identified priority actions for implementing the agreements and established a monitoring framework to track progress. The roadmap emphasizes the need for structured communication between unions, sharing of best practices, and joint advocacy efforts to influence policy at national and regional levels.

The workshop was officially closed by the Minister of Labour, Hon Gen Hoth Mai James, who appreciated the ILO’s tripartite principle and emphasized the Government’s commitment to abide by it. He appreciated the leadership taken by the SSWTUF in promoting and protecting the rights of migrant workers and the ILO for the continued support to the tripartite partners.

© ILO

© ILO

“The Government of South Sudan has the role to protect and regulate workers in South Sudan, and this also include migrant workers. Hence, the Ministry is committed to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers” Hon Gen. James Hoth Mai- Minister of Labour of South Sudan