Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The government and stakeholders have begun formulating the national minimum wage policies to be used by employers as the basis for payment of employees in a series workshops.
The discussion sessions would also see officials from states and national ministries of labour develop and validate the Vocational Training and Occupational Health and Safety Policies within the next four days. Speaking during the opening of the workshop, Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol told the participants to work out the policies, contained in the National Labour Policies and Strategic Planning 2021-2023, in conformity with the constitution and other international frameworks. “I expect the Honourable Minister of Labour and his team as well as our development partners especially UNDP to join efforts to work out the best strategic plans possible and to fulfill any policy gap. It is also paramount that whatever structure and new guidelines put in place do not
contradict the Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan amended and international laws,” Akol stressed. Minister of Labour, James Hoth Mai said the ultimatum aim of his ministry’s strategic plan 2021-2023 was to improve the standard of living of South Sudanese by putting in place sustainable policies for labour reforms. “The ultimate aim of national development strategy is to improve the standard of living of the people of South Sudan through designing sustainable policy and strategic plan for labour reforms,” Minister Mai said, adding that the new policies would also address gender gap in employment. The Minister of Public Service, Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro advised the participants to always uphold professional ethics in order to provide services to the people equitably. “This is a key ministry that develops rules and regulations for the public and private sectors so, it needs you to be professional at all times, and if you are not, you will not do the right thing in the ministry,”Bakosoro cautioned. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Samuel Doe said:”
they would support the ministry of labour to address priority areas of the reforms in Chapter one and chapter four of the peace agreement and the Labour Act, 2017.”
