Workshop on basic labour rights

The Afghan Ministry of Labour and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are holding a three-day workshop on labour rights in the capital, Kabul, which concludes on Tuesday. The gathering is looking at implementation of the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. “The workshop will enable ministry employees, workers’ associations and journalists to know the fundamental conventions of the ILO,” Mohammad Ghaous Bashiri, deputy minister of labour and social affairs, said. The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work aims to ensure that economic progress does not occur at the expense of rights of workers. Adopted in 1998, the declaration commits member states to respect and promote principles and rights in four categories: recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of forced or compulsory labour; the abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment. The main problem in Afghanistan is lack of employment. “Around 2 to 2.5 million people are still suffering form unemployment in Afghanistan,” Bashiri explained. The forum served as an arena for representatives of organised labour to vent criticism of Kabul’s lack of action on unemployment. “Thousands of workers have been dismissed from their jobs and walking in the streets. Our government has done nothing to tackle the problems of workers in the country,” Zia Hamayon, a representative from the National Federation of Workers (NFW), said. This declaration is supported by a follow-up procedure. Member states that have not ratified one or more of the core conventions are asked each year to report on the status of the relevant rights and principles within their borders, noting impediments to ratification and areas where assistance may be required.