Lesotho trade union leaders strengthened capacity to advance social dialogue

Lesotho, Maseru (ILO News) - Trade union leaders in Lesotho strengthened their capacity to organise workers, engage in collective bargaining and contribute effectively to social dialogue. The three-day capacity-building programme was facilitated by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The programme formed part of the ILO’s continued support to strengthening labour relations, trade union capacity and the advancement of decent work in Lesotho.

The programme brought together senior leaders from Lesotho’s three four trade union federations — FELETU, LLC, and LFTU with particular attention given to ensuring the representation of women and young workers.

In his opening remarks, Alexio Musindo, the Director of ILO Decent Work Team office in Pretoria encouraged the trade unions to use dialogue and mediation as a means of addressing labour relations issues. His address also touched on the importance of the workers developing a workable criteria for determination of the most representative trade union federation in the country.

As a key outcome of the programme, trade union leaders strengthened their understanding of social dialogue, recruitment and organising, while enhancing their capacity to work together as workers to protect and defend the interest of the working class. address sexual harassment in the world of work. Furthermore, participants also shared experiences on approaches to determining the most representative trade union federation at national level and developed an action plan to strengthen collaboration among trade unions for more effective social dialogue.

The programme took place at a critical moment for Lesotho’s labour movement. While the country had made important progress through the adoption of the Labour Act 2024, extension of labour protections to the public service and ratification of key International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions, structural and institutional challenges continued to affect the effectiveness of industrial relations and social dialogue.

Among the challenges confronting trade unions is high unemployment and informality, fragmented membership, limited collective bargaining coverage, institutional capacity constraints and difficulties in organising workers in non-standard and informal employment and young workers.

The need to strengthen recruitment and organising was particularly significant. Lesotho’s trade union density stood at 9.4 per cent, while young people represented only 1.5 per cent of trade union membership, highlighting concerns about the limited membership base and ageing profile of the union movement.

Against this backdrop, the programme equipped trade union leaders with knowledge and skills to strengthen union management, recruitment and organising, collective bargaining and negotiation. Participants also deepened their understanding of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and examined the important role of trade unions in strengthening social dialogue.

Beyond strengthening leadership capacity, the programme provided an important platform for trade union leaders to explore opportunities for greater collaboration. This was particularly relevant in a context where fragmentation among trade unions had contributed to limited financial, technical and research capacity, affecting their ability to participate effectively in national policy and socio-economic discussions.

By strengthening leadership capacity and promoting greater collaboration, the programme reinforced the role of representative and effective trade unions in ensuring that workers’ voices remained central to social dialogue, labour relations and the advancement of decent work in Lesotho.