PORT-LOUIS (ACTRAV INFO) The Director of ACTRAV, Maria Helena Andre, says she supports Mauritius’s trade union initiatives for developing the country’s draft National Employment Policy (NEP). She was speaking at a three-day national forum (17-19 September) organized by the ILO's Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV), the ILO Antananarivo Country Office and nine trade union confederations.
Andre noted that a key objective in drafting national employment policy includes getting the government’s commitment to the process plus defining priorities to promote job creation and economic growth.
The priorities of the NEP are agreed upon by government institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, youth and women’s organizations as well as university and research institutions.In addition to National Employment Policy (NEP) development, the forum discussed how to boost women’s participation in trade union activities in Mauritius.
Launched by the Minister for Gender on behalf of the Minister of Labour, the forum considered how to strengthen trade union unity and solidarity. Andre encouraged participants to be forthright about building solidarity with trade unionists amongst the nine confederations in Mauritius.
She added that trade union unity has become a common feature in all countries and is now seen as the new approach for the labour movement for modernizing its structures, broadening its membership base and promoting solidarity. Moreover, unity constitutes a formidable response to a myriad of external and internal challenges facing workers’ organization at all levels—sectoral, national, regional and international levels.
Such approaches are not only now widespread, she said, but occur in diverse realities and forms.
Held at the Maritim Hotel in the Republic of Mauritius city of Port-Louis, the forum gathered together union leaders and activists.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Issa Dia Regional Specialist in Workers' Education Tel: +27 82 42 70 538 Email:
