The Secretary General of the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), Akhator Odigie, has urged the Namibian government to advocate the inclusion of international labour standards in trade protocols.

Speaking at a press conference in Windhoek on Friday, Odigie said Namibia is central to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which advocates economic growth, trade expansion and industrialisation, in line with the principles of respectable work.

Odigie said labour rights must be compromised in AfCFTA protocols as it is important to make sure different vulnerable groups are first to benefit from trade and economic collaboration.

“Recognising that workers are fundamental to economic production, labour rights must be integral to all AfCFTA protocols. This is essential to ensure vulnerable groups, including women, youth and informal workers are prioritised and included in the benefits of increased trade and economic cooperation,” he said.

He encouraged the Namibian government to push for the inclusion of international labour principles, inclusive of all suitable procedures.

“We urge the Namibian government to advocate the inclusion of international labour standards in all relevant protocols,” said Odigie.

Some of the protocols he highlighted include protocol on trade in services, protocol on rules and procedures for the settlement of disputes, protocol on investment, protocol on intellectual property rights, protocol on competition and two other protocols still under negotiation, which are protocol on digital trade and protocol on women and youth in trade.

At the same event, the president of Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA), Mahongora Kavihuha, said all trade arrangements must consist of agreements that protect and advance workers’ rights.

“We are also advocating that every trade agreement should contain the labour provisions,” said Kavihuha.
-Nampa