MUTARE – Despite gains in mainstreaming gender in most areas, conditions of service still suppress woman, the International Labour Organisation has said.
This was said by Ms Hopolang Phororo, Country Director of ILO, in remarks made on her behalf by Gamuchirayi Bakasa at a Gender Sensitization meeting for government officials.
Phororo said having more women in the labour market did not translate to equality of treatment as she decried the declining conditions of work.
“Despite progress in areas such as education and maternal mortality, the world has fallen short in bringing women’s employment, earnings and working conditions in line with those of men.
“Globally, the labour force participation rate for women is over 50%, compared to 77% for men. Yet having more women in the labour market is not enough. The quality of jobs is paramount,” she said.
Phororo said while ILO was leading the work towards transformation to gender equability in the workplace, government must work in line with its economic development framework to ensure this goal was met.
“The ILO is playing a leading role in guiding transformation to gender equality in the workplace across the world and in Zimbabwe.
“As the nation continues to develop under the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET), and align the labour laws to the new Constitution and labour reform needs, the ILO believes that it can commit itself fully to supporting its tripartite partners in collectively addressing the challenges faced by the Zimbabwean people,” she said.
She said the transition from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals created opportunities for both employed and the unemployed.
She said ILO was committed in supporting the government as she urged government to maintain the momentum in ensuring that existing gaps are covered.
“The ILO is convinced that these goals, which reflect the organization’s own focus in achieving decent work as well as gender equality as a standard inn member states, will help enable the people of Zimbabwe to live an empowered and productive life.
“The ILO is committed to support efforts of the Government and social partners to make gender sensitive decent work a reality for all in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Zimbabwean labour force has recently been under siege, with employers taking advantage of colonial labour legislation to fire workers wantonly, leading government to rush through a new labour law.
