ILO bolsters its relations with ILES
The International Labour Organisation ( ILO) has expressed its desire to further strengthen its relationship with the Institute for Labour and Employment Studies ( ILES).
ILO Senior Workers’ Specialist responsible for the SADC Region based in South Africa’s Pretoria office, David Darkenoo and his delegation is in the country visiting various partners and stakeholders.
The delegation met with some of the board members of ILES, Botswana Public Employees Union ( BOPEU) representative and the management of ILES and was welcomed by the institute’s CEO Shandukani Hlabano. The visit follows the inaugural labour conference which ILES hosted in July this year. In his welcome, Hlabano said ILES envisions to be a school of excellence on all labour and employment matters.
“Our vision is captured in our recently- developed three- year strategy. We believe that in the short to medium term, ILES will be the centre of excellence for labour and employment. We hope to create an information hub for labour matters,” he said. Recently, the ILES received a Case Management Portal from the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions ( BFTU). The portal was developed through the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung ( FES), one of the development partners that continues to support ILES. The portal is expected to enable the institute to compile all decisions of the courts on labour matters. The portal would be used by researchers, students, lawyers and members of the public. Hlabano pointed out that ILES does not only participate in training but also plays a critical role in research on various public policies. He said the institute is a registered service provider of ILO.
When receiving a consignment of books, the CEO said the donation would go a long way in aiding ILES to publish its own works in Labour Law and Labour economics.
In his remarks, Darkenoo extended his gratitude for the recent labour conference which one of the ILO representative, Limpho Mandoro termed a success. Darkenoo said that as one of the United Nations agencies with competencies in International Labour Standards and Employment issues globally, the ILO’s association with ILES is of paramount importance.
“The Department in the ILO which I head is known as Bureau for Workers Activities ( ACTRAV) and it is mandated to serve as the main link between the International Labour Office and the world of work through one of its constituents: trade unions or workers’ organisations”.
Darkenoo added that his department ensures that the concerns and interests of workers’ organisations are taken into consideration in the policy development and activities of the ILO. Therefore, ACTRAV supports workers’ organisations to improve capacity to present social, economic or environmental policy proposals including in the context of labour law reforms. It also promotes gender equality and non- discrimination; Human and trade union rights issues; Policy interventions by workers’ organisations to ensure effective application of international labour standards ratified by their governments.
For its part, the strategic goals of ILES include promoting workers’ skills and competencies through education and training in all areas of need during their working life, as well as to develop labour and employment training cadre that will become long- term training resource in various fields including financial management and leadership and through research and information management equip workers and other stakeholders to effectively participate in social dialogue and negotiation with employers and other social partners at national and international levels.
“The COVID- 19 pandemic has added a new sense of urgency to the challenges facing workers’ organisations and labour services organisations like ILES to respond to transformations in the world of work driven by globalisation, demographic, environmental and technological changes, as well as to play a crucial role in crisis mitigation, response and recovery,” he said.
In order to contribute to building stronger, more sustainable and equal economies and societies, workers’ organisations must continue to exercise leadership, demonstrate relevance and provide quality services to their current and new members. “They need to bolster their capacity to analyse and understand the new realities in the world of work, shape and influence economic, social and sustainable development policies, strengthen their own institutional and organisational processes, and adopt innovative strategies, especially in the new context brought about by the crisis.” Some of the books donated cover subjects such as International Labour Standards, Collective Bargaining, Minimum Wage policy issues, Labour Migration, Employment issues, Gender Equality issues and Youth employment challenges. Darkenoo also told the ILES management that they have to collaborate with other international labour networks such as the Africa Labour Education and Research Network established by ITUC- Africa.