Story by John Nhandara
ZIMBABWE is set to attend the 111th edition of the International Labour Conference slated for Geneva, Switzerland, next month, where discussions on various key social and labour issues will take centre stage.
The summit, which will be held from the 5th to the 16th of June, will bring together delegates from the International Labour Organisation’s 187 member states.
Appearing on ZBC’s Current Affairs Programme Face the Nation this Tuesday, Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavhima revealed that Zimbabwe will send a delegation to share experiences with other countries on labour issues such as labour standards, fairness and child labour.
“The country will be well represented by organisations such as EMCOZ, and industry. It will discuss issues related to standards, fairness, and social justice as it relates to the world of labour. Also, issues related to child labour. We need to go and present our case because Zimbabwe has been listed as one of the countries in violation of ILO standards,” he said.
Turning to public servants’ welfare, Professor Mavhima said the government will continue reviewing salaries in the civil service, benchmarked on the economic performance of the country.
“We need a motivated labour force and that will also help push productivity. However, when we decide to pay we also look at the purse because we need to match the production capacity of the country with what we are paying. Our economy is however showing positive signs of growth in all sectors,” he added.
The government has also revealed a commitment to continuously review pension payouts to improve the welfare of pensioners and cushion them from various economic shocks.
