ILO Focuses on Women Workers Rights on Orange Day
As the world commemorated Orange Day on 25 August 2015, the ILO started a one week training workshop on gender mainstreaming in order to give greater protection to women workers in Zimbabwe.
17 September 2015
Harare (ILO News): As the world commemorated Orange Day on 25 August 2015, the ILO started a one week training workshop on gender mainstreaming in order to give greater protection to women workers in Zimbabwe. Twenty-eight (28) representatives from the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU), the Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare participated in the three day workshop.
The ILO Country Office for Zimbabwe Director, Ms Hopolang Phororo along with her Harare CO colleagues wore their orange T-shirts and reminded participants about the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign. The campaign aims to highlight the need to address issues of preventing and ending violence against women and girls every month and not just during the 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence in November. In her opening remarks, she highlighted the importance of achieving gender equality and responding to the challenges that women face and how the ILO, UN and African regional bodies have recognised the need to give greater protection to women.
Under the Joint Programme for Gender Equality with UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA, the ILO is focusing on women’s economic empowerment and working conditions in five districts in Zimbabwe. This includes training on community gender transformation, which envisages ending violence against women and girls. Through an interactive dialogue led by the Senior Employers and Workers Specialists, Rose Anang and Inviolata Chinyangarara respectively, participants were able to identify practices within their workplaces which are discriminatory and to make recommendations on how to reduce discriminatory practices.
As a member state of the ILO, Zimbabwe has ratified the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention No.111 and the Equal Remuneration Convention No.100. Zimbabwe adopted the principles of the two conventions into the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No.20) Act, as well as the Labour Act. Provisions under the two laws state that women and men should get equal pay and that discrimination on any basis is restricted. Thus legislation clearly exists that has the aim of protecting individuals in and out of work.
While Zimbabwe is yet to ratify the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention No. 156 and the Maternity Protection Convention No. 183, some efforts have been made to provide protection to workers. The Constitution and Labour Act provide for at least three months paid maternity leave for all women. By ratifying the outstanding conventions, the country would have in place minimum standards to improve the working conditions of women and ensure that the structural barriers to gender equality are removed. Participants made a commitment to try and ensure that equality at work becomes a reality. The ILO Country Office for Zimbabwe will continue to provide technical support to its social partners so that inequalities within the workplace are addressed and equality becomes the norm and not the exception.
The ILO Country Office for Zimbabwe Director, Ms Hopolang Phororo along with her Harare CO colleagues wore their orange T-shirts and reminded participants about the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign. The campaign aims to highlight the need to address issues of preventing and ending violence against women and girls every month and not just during the 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence in November. In her opening remarks, she highlighted the importance of achieving gender equality and responding to the challenges that women face and how the ILO, UN and African regional bodies have recognised the need to give greater protection to women.
Under the Joint Programme for Gender Equality with UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA, the ILO is focusing on women’s economic empowerment and working conditions in five districts in Zimbabwe. This includes training on community gender transformation, which envisages ending violence against women and girls. Through an interactive dialogue led by the Senior Employers and Workers Specialists, Rose Anang and Inviolata Chinyangarara respectively, participants were able to identify practices within their workplaces which are discriminatory and to make recommendations on how to reduce discriminatory practices.
As a member state of the ILO, Zimbabwe has ratified the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention No.111 and the Equal Remuneration Convention No.100. Zimbabwe adopted the principles of the two conventions into the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No.20) Act, as well as the Labour Act. Provisions under the two laws state that women and men should get equal pay and that discrimination on any basis is restricted. Thus legislation clearly exists that has the aim of protecting individuals in and out of work.
While Zimbabwe is yet to ratify the Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention No. 156 and the Maternity Protection Convention No. 183, some efforts have been made to provide protection to workers. The Constitution and Labour Act provide for at least three months paid maternity leave for all women. By ratifying the outstanding conventions, the country would have in place minimum standards to improve the working conditions of women and ensure that the structural barriers to gender equality are removed. Participants made a commitment to try and ensure that equality at work becomes a reality. The ILO Country Office for Zimbabwe will continue to provide technical support to its social partners so that inequalities within the workplace are addressed and equality becomes the norm and not the exception.