Full text of Tsvangirai's speech on ILO's 90th anniversary

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Full Text of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's speech at the Commemoration of the 90th Anniversary of the International Labour Organisation on April 22, 2009:

Posted to the web: 22/04/2009 18:01:56
MASTER of Ceremonies, Minister of Labour and Social Services, Honourable Mparirwa, Honourable Ministers, Acting Director of the ILO Sub-Regional Office, Mr. Tabi-Abodo, Trade Union and Business Leaders, Ambassadors, The UN Resident Co-ordinator and Representatives of other International Organisations, Senior Government Officials, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would like to thank the Minister of Labour and Social Services, the Honourable Mpariwa and the Acting Director of the ILO Sub-Regional Office, Mr Tabi-Abodo, for inviting me to join my colleagues from Government, and representatives from Labour and Business in commemorating the 90 year anniversary of the International Labour Organisation.

The ILO’s proud history includes campaigning against slave and forced labour, designing programmes for the eradication of child labour, campaigning for freedom of association and equality at the work place and calling for collective determination of the shop-floor price of labour. These are just a few examples of the organisation’s tireless efforts to bring about social justice in the labour markets.

The Government of Zimbabwe is also grateful for the efforts which the ILO has taken with its constituents in addressing the issue of HIV and AIDS at the workplace and beyond. Worldwide, HIV and AIDS are no longer regarded as diseases but rather as human rights issues. It is common cause, that with an affected and infected workforce, labour productivity diminishes. To recover our economy we need a healthy workforce and in this respect, I urge the ILO to continue supporting the HIV and Aids programmes in the workplace.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this inclusive government is committed to working with the ILO, labour organisations and business in continuing to strive for fair and equitable working conditions.

Such is our commitment to the principle of the tri-partite approach, that it has been included within the Global Political Agreement that forms the foundation of this government and in that agreement it is represented by the National Economic Council.

I am proud to have worked with the ILO throughout the 1980s and 1990s and to have been part of the team that established Zimbabwe’s own Tripartite Negotiating Forum in 1998, in an attempt to address the socio-economic issues faced by workers in this country.

As we have all experienced, the plight of Zimbabwean workers deteriorated significantly over the past decade, with devastating effects on livelihoods and the sociopolitical economy of this country. In order to redress this situation, it is imperative that this spirit of cooperation and consultation between the key stakeholders continues and flourishes. In this regard, you have my full commitment to work tirelessly for both business growth and the rights of the workers.

At this occasion, we have witnessed government, labour and business signing the Decent Work Country Programme for Zimbabwe. This programme is designed to address the challenges in our labour market with assistance from the ILO. This kind of collective approach is what we need in our road map towards economic recovery.

In line with the pursuance of the Decent Work Agenda in Zimbabwe I am confident that this Government’s Short Term Economic Recovery Programme will provide a solid foundation and realistic framework through which to pursue this agenda. Therefore I ask both labour and business to join with the Government to work together under the auspices of STERP.

In addition, this Government has further responsibilities of which we are aware and to which we are committed. The binding constraint to our economic growth has been, and remains, the rule of law. Without investor confidence, we cannot attract investment or access the lines of credit necessary to kick-start our economy. Therefore, this government in general, and my office in particular, are dedicated to ensuring that the laws of this land are applied consistently, impartially and fairly.

In addition, through Parliament, we will pursue a legislative agenda that entrenches the rights of all citizens and all stakeholders so that everyone can live in prosperity, free from fear, hunger or persecution.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Government also appreciates the initiative of the ILO to engage the African heads of State and Government in discussing the twin problem of unemployment and poverty on the continent. That initiative resulted in the signing of the Ouagadougou Declaration on Employment and Poverty in 2004. It is this Declaration which is now used as the basis of formulating and executing policies to address these problems at both the national and regional economic community levels in Africa.

In line with the Decent Work Country Programme, I would encourage the ILO, together with other relevant UN agencies, to mobilise resources for the national programmes focusing on youth unemployment and poverty. It is internationally accepted that the only meaningful strategy to deal with the deepening poverty traps in Africa and elsewhere is to create employment opportunities.

The ILO’s concept of Working out of Poverty is relevant to Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. This is not to suggest that the current social protection programmes which are being supported by our development partners are not important, but rather I am saying for the long term we need to address poverty through employment generation.

In addition, I see a clear role for the ILO in the re-organisation of the Small and Medium Enterprises and the informal economy in order to create jobs. We have a Ministry of SME’s whose mandate also extends to the informal economy which, as a developing nation, we cannot afford to ignore in our attempts to turn around our economy.

Indeed our economy, like those in the rest of the world, has been affected by the Global financial crisis. In this regard the ILO is being urged once again to work with key stakeholders to develop meaningful responses in order to mitigate this crisis in the world of work.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you to join me in congratulating the International Labour Organisation for 90 years of meaningful contributions, not only in the workplace, but to our global society as well and for ensuring that its agenda reflects the agenda of its member states and their Social Partners.

If we look at what the ILO and its partners have managed to achieve over the past ninety years, we can be filled with optimism and hope at what we can achieve together in the decades to come.

I thank you.
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