SADC discusses labour policies

NAMIBIA is drafting an Employment Service Bill to regulate conditions of employment, Labour Minister Alpheus !Naruseb said this week.

!Naruseb said the legislation was intended to support economic growth and at the same time to promote decent pay and work conditions. He revealed this when he officially opened a week-long SADC meeting on employment policies in Windhoek on Monday.!Naruseb said Namibia had taken a number of initiatives to address the challenge of unemployment, including the preparation of a bill that would give birth to establishment of a National Commission for Employment Creation.”In addition, Namibia participates as lead country in the Youth Employment Network that was established in 2001 to give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work,” said !Naruseb.He said the meeting was important, as it was indisputable that many countries are affected by rising levels of unemployment, especially among young people, women and people with disabilities.The Labour Minister said although developing countries had launched many initiatives aimed at economic growth and job creation, their relative lack of success has led to questions whether their goals are realistic.!Naruseb said it was clear from the huge number of unemployed people and an even larger number of working poor that the challenge was to increase the rate of economic growth in such a way as to increase job opportunities.”Economic growth that does not result in greater employment opportunities is not addressing the problem Africa is facing,” he said.This, he said, was critical if Africa was to meet the Millennium Development Goal target of curtailing extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, which could not be realised unless the current trend was drastically reversed.He revealed this when he officially opened a week-long SADC meeting on employment policies in Windhoek on Monday.!Naruseb said Namibia had taken a number of initiatives to address the challenge of unemployment, including the preparation of a bill that would give birth to establishment of a National Commission for Employment Creation.”In addition, Namibia participates as lead country in the Youth Employment Network that was established in 2001 to give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work,” said !Naruseb.He said the meeting was important, as it was indisputable that many countries are affected by rising levels of unemployment, especially among young people, women and people with disabilities.The Labour Minister said although developing countries had launched many initiatives aimed at economic growth and job creation, their relative lack of success has led to questions whether their goals are realistic.!Naruseb said it was clear from the huge number of unemployed people and an even larger number of working poor that the challenge was to increase the rate of economic growth in such a way as to increase job opportunities.”Economic growth that does not result in greater employment opportunities is not addressing the problem Africa is facing,” he said.This, he said, was critical if Africa was to meet the Millennium Development Goal target of curtailing extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, which could not be realised unless the current trend was drastically reversed.