People are not commodities – Ramaphosa

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday presented the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Future of Work report saying that leaders should seek to build a world where work does not result in the commodification of human beings but in a higher standard of living.

The ILO, established in 1919, is currently celebrating its 60th year present on the African continent and Ramaphosa said that among other things, the work environment should seek to protect workers’ rights and provide the possibility for advancement.

Ramaphosa was accompanied by Namibian President Hage Geingob, who is also the chairperson of SADC and the Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant.

“It is a world where men and women in the workplace are equals before the law and protected from prejudice and injustice. It’s a human centred society anchored in the principles of social justice, the vision of the ILO. This year the ILO begins its second century of advancing social justice in the world of work and in furthering its mission to promote jobs and protect people,” Ramaphosa said.

He said that many of the advances of the past two centuries in the world of work, whether it is raised wage levels, improved working hours, unemployment insurance and other worker benefits, have been thanks to the international labour standards and social protection set by the ILO.