Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Peter Matambanadzo
18 May 2008
Harare — African states should enhance collective bargaining systems in line with global trends that have the potential to transform their economies while improving the standard of life for the labour force, Zimbabwe's Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Nicholas Goche has said.
He said collective bargaining was the bedrock of industrial harmony and productivity and could immensely contribute to economic development of the continent.
Goche made the remarks while officially opening a weeklong African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC)workshop on the role of labour administration in promoting and strengthening collective bargaining in the private and public sectors in Harare on Monday. He is the chairman of ARLAC, an organisation comprising English-speaking African countries.
The objective of the workshop, which brought together experts from employers and workers organisations from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe was to tackle the challenges that confront labour administration systems under the globalisation forces.
The workshop also critically dealt with the challenges faced by the collective barging institutions and processes and came up with solutions under globalisation.
Goche said effective collective bargaining had a potential to unlock value within developing economies and increased competitiveness for the developing economies on world markets. To this end, he said, collective bargaining should be the first stepping stone in the quest to achieve decent work in Africa.
"The institution of collective bargaining has the potential of fostering mutual respect and trust, which elements translate into enhanced democracy and durable industrial harmony," he said.
"Only in such an environment can governments and the social partners formulate and implement stronger measures for the achievement of decent work, in spite of the vagaries of globalisation."
Currently the world is faced with challenges such as the disappearance of national social economic, economic barriers, international spread of trade and financial and production activities supported by the growth of information and communication technologies.
He noted that shared economic growth through globalisation had remained elusive for developing nations resulting in massive concentration of economic resources and wealth within a few developed countries. Goche also commended most ARLAC member states for making major strides in collective bargaining systems and ratifying conventions which address the rights of workers.
"I particularly note that this progress is in spite of the West baseless and hateful determination to vilify our governments on the application of international labour standards," he said.
He said it remained self evident that Africa has made far-reaching and progressive reforms in labour administration over the last few years. Goche urged the participants to come up with lasting solutions which contribute to developing constructive systems of collective bargaining for Africa. He commended the role played by the International Labour Organisation and United Nations Development Programme in supporting member countries.
ARLAC director Cecilia Mulindeti assured the minister that the workshop would come up with effective solutions that would promote and strengthen collective bargaining in private and public sector. The workshop also discussed the role of social dialogue in promoting peace, productivity and income policies, as well as HIV and Aids, employment relationships to work and gender.
The experts were expected to adopt a communiqué on ways of strengthening and developing systems of collective bargaining for Africa.
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