Decent Work Country Programme for Seychelles |27 June 2017

Work underway to draft second edition

If everything goes according to plan, Seychelles is expected to have its second Decent Work Country Programme during the first quarter of next year.

This will be possible because the Ministry of Employment, Entrepreneurship Development and Business Innovation in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is in the process of drafting the second  Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) as the first one for 2011-2015 has completed its term.

The DWCP is a prerequisite of the ILO that all its member states promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent work in conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity.

DWCPs are mechanisms through which member states of the ILO together with workers’ and employers’ organisations coordinate and effectively carry out different programmes and strategies aimed at continuously improving and promoting decent work for all their citizens.

While a lot of work has been achieved through the first DWCP with technical and financial support from the ILO, the time has come for Seychelles to develop a second DWCP.

The principal secretary for employment Jules Baker said the aim is to pave the way for continued development to the next level and to continue to benefit from ILO support.

“For instance unemployment among the youth is 13% we therefore need to urgently find out through an in-depth study, of course, the different factors leading to that result. Other issues such as workplace discrimination as well as the perception that young people are believed to be widely discriminated against during recruitment as they are considered to lack experience, but there again a detailed study needs to be carried out to know the extent of the issue,” Mr Baker explained.

Developing a proper framework to meet the needs of people employed by SMEs as well as providing for development opportunities and exploring the potential for further development of these small business enterprises is another issue to be addressed.

Mr Baker also noted that result-based research need also be conducted to assess the situation of informal labour in the country.

Local consultant William Zarine, who is working with a team of a dozen people representing different organisations, agencies and departments to draft the second DWCP for Seychelles, said in the process they have conducted a situational analysis of employment in Seychelles.

Some of the most critical issues that they have established are the increasing rate of youth unemployment, women unemployment, work discrimination a complex issue which is not necessarily being reported unless these come up in employment-related grievances, occupational health issues and proper work protection gear for workers both local and foreign is also a concern.

The workshop, Mr Zarine said, is to lay out the major issues of concern, identify gaps and loopholes in existing laws, regulations which are not being carried out or monitored effectively and come up with measures and mechanisms to better address them.

Mr Zarine noted that Seychelles’ first DWCP 2011-2015 focused more on reviewing the labour laws, improving employer/employee relationship and on creating a platform for employees to discuss issues affecting them, improving working conditions and developing an employment policy as well as a health and safety policy.

Following the three-day working session a series of key priority areas will be identified in relation to employment, the development of SMEs, social protection and social dialogue where workers are able to be heard in a more structural manner.

Consultations will also be held to assess the unemployment situation on Praslin where recently the University of Seychelles in collaboration with the department of employment conducted a study on unemployment there. Mr Baker noted that a series of meetings and consultations have recently been held there in order to better understand the  situation where in spite of all the employment opportunities more young Seychellois there are not in employment but the intake of foreign labour is on the increase.