Maputo, 2 May (AIM) – Mozambique’s main trade union federation, the OTM (Mozambican Workers’ Organisation) has denounced the increasingly precarious nature of work in the country as approximately 95 per cent of employment remains informal.
According to the OTM General Secretary, Damião Simango, speaking on Friday, in Maputo, on occasion of International Workers’ Day, celebrated on 1 May, despite the progress made over decades, “we are witnessing the systematic erosion of social rights,” marked by the expansion of precarious work, outsourcing, and the weakening of labor relations.
“Millions of workers from the formal system do not have contracts, do not have a minimum wage, nor access to social protection. They are invisible workers. It means that we need to implement a strategy of progressive formalization so that international conventions do not constitute mere protocol”, he said.
According to Simango, there is a need to carry out a deep reflection on the rights and interests of workers. “Our organization must continue to fight for the effective implementation of international conventions”, he said.
Youth unemployment, he said, is one of the main challenges, as well as the risks associated with occupational safety and health. “We are facing a silent pandemic, with hundreds of workplace accidents annually, many of which are not even reported,” he said.
On the economic front, he called for a structural change in the development model. “We export raw materials and import finished products, which, in practice, is equivalent to exporting jobs,” said Simango.
(AIM)
Nl/Ad/pf (250)
