Plans are at an advanced stage for Namibia to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention 190 concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work including boardroom bullying.
Cabinet recently directed the labour minister to table the convention in the National Assembly for consideration and ratification.
The labour ministry executive director Bro-Matthew Shinguadja said the ratification of the convention is believed to fill the gap, as there is currently a legislation vacuum, to help eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. The labour ministry had a stakeholders’ consultative meeting last Thursday where they met to reach consensus on the way forward.
Shinguadja said a number of violence and harassment cases have been witnessed in workplaces and this affirms the necessity to ratify the ILO convention.
A source in the ministry said, “these and other unreported or recorded incidents are facts that are projecting a scary picture that if nothing is done from a labour and employment perspective, soon many workplaces will become places of brutality, assault, verbal, physical and emotional abuse, including violence and harassment in the boardrooms.”
The ministry also indicated some boardroom violence and harassment are hidden from public scrutiny where junior, vulnerable and junior managers are subjected to all sorts of abuse and harassment by some senior managers.
Therefore, the labour ministry has called on stakeholders to come up with a plan that may attract collaboration, cooperation, networking and support from all individuals, organisations and other technical operators to assist Namibia in curbing the barbaric act of violence and harassment.
At the same meeting, special advisor to the labour minister, Vicki ya Toivo noted that the convention is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly in September whereby Namibia will deposit instruments of ratifications with ILO as soon as the House asserts to ratification.
The convention was adopted in June 2019, at the annual International Labour Conference in Geneva. Namibia then declared her interest in 2019 to ratify the convention, being the first African country to declare such interest.
The convention protects workers and other persons in the world of work, including employees as defined by national laws and practices, as well as persons working irrespective of their contractual status, persons in training (including interns and apprentices), workers whose employment has been terminated, volunteers, job seekers, customers and job applicants as well as individuals exercising the authority, duties or responsibilities of an employer.
–anakale@nepc.com.na