Labour administration at the heart of decent work, says ILO

ADDIS ABABA/OUAGADOUGOU (ILO News) – Promoting employment, vocational training, social conflict prevention, and better working conditions through labour administration should be at the heart of the movement towards decent work for Africans, said Aeneas Chapinga Chuma in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Mr Chuma was attending the Ministerial session of the Knowledge sharing workshop on strategies for workplace compliance with international labour standards in countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU/UEMOA). The meeting aimed at defining a common strategy to strengthen workplace through labour administration and inspection.

“Labour administration is vital to the effort aimed at creating jobs for our youth, extending the coverage of social protection systems at the country level and ensuring that our efforts do not erode the rights of workers”, he underlined.

Labour administration must increasingly be accorded a high profile as it has become a key factor in the elaboration and implementation of governments’ economic and social policies, the ILO Senior Executive emphasized.

The Regional Director for Africa of the ILO also recommended a shift in development thinking to prioritize employment generation targeting the jobless youths with a view to increasing productivity and providing social safety nets.

“The ILO in the African region remains committed to continuously assisting member States to put in place coordinated labour administration systems as a pathway to decent work for all women and men”, concluded Aeneas Chuma.

Participants are to adopt a roadmap with appropriate measures for strengthening the effectiveness of labour administration and inspection for better workplace compliance with international labour standards in UEMOA countries.