Workers' rights still at risk
More and more workers in the global workforce are excluded from any protection under labour laws, the Global Rights Index indicates.
Namibia has been placed in the category of countries with repeated violations of workers' rights.
Although workers' rights have improved in Namibia over the past two years, a global report has found the county was still guilty of repeated violations, including violating the collective bargaining rights of workers.
The report investigates the violations of internationally recognised labour rights by governments and employers.
Namibia now ranks as one of the top five countries when it comes to workers' rights in Africa.
The 2018 Global Rights Index that was released recently says internationally there were restrictions on free speech and protests, as well as increasingly violent attacks on the defenders of workers' rights.
The index covers internationally recognised core labour standards, specifically civil rights, the right to bargain collectively, the right to strike, the right to associate freely and access to due process rights.
It highlights the world's worst countries for workers by rating 142 countries on a scale from 1 to 5, based on the degree of respect for workers' rights, according to 97 indicators
Namibia this year received an overall ranking of 2, placing it in the category of countries with repeated violations of workers' rights.
This is in comparison to its 2017 score of 3, when it was ranked in a worse category of countries with regular violations of workers' rights.
Other African countries that received the same score as Namibia this year were Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Togo. However, South Africa was still highlighted in the report for its 1 500 workers that were summarily dismissed after staging a strike at Sibanye's Cooke mine.
There was no country in Africa that received a ranking of 1 this year. This category means that there are irregular violations of workers' rights and countries that are rated with the best labour practices fall into this category.
Meanwhile Africa received an overall ranking of 3.9, falling just short of the category of systematic violations of workers' rights. Some of the worst performing countries in Africa were Zimbabwe and Algeria that was ranked 5. This category means there is no guarantee of workers' rights in the country.
According to the report, in Africa 84% of countries exclude workers from labour laws, while 36 out of 37 countries violated the right to strike. It also says all 37 countries in Africa violated the collective bargaining rights of workers, including Namibia.
Furthermore 65% of countries in the Africa region exposed workers to physical violence.
According to the report the number of countries that deny or constrain freedom of speech increased from 50 in 2017 to 54 in 2018.
A total of 81% of countries have violated the right to collective bargaining.
The ten worst countries for workers in 2018 were Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The number of countries where workers were exposed to murders, physical violence, death threats and intimidation significantly increased from 59 in 2017 to 65 in 2018.
The number of countries with arbitrary arrests and the detention of workers increased from 44 in 2017 to 59 in 2018.
The report adds that global shifts are under way in working conditions for people, with 65% of countries excluding workers from the right to establish or join a trade union, an increase from 60% in 2017.
More and more workers in the global workforce are excluded from any protection under labour laws, the report added.
ELLANIE SMIT
Although workers' rights have improved in Namibia over the past two years, a global report has found the county was still guilty of repeated violations, including violating the collective bargaining rights of workers.
The report investigates the violations of internationally recognised labour rights by governments and employers.
Namibia now ranks as one of the top five countries when it comes to workers' rights in Africa.
The 2018 Global Rights Index that was released recently says internationally there were restrictions on free speech and protests, as well as increasingly violent attacks on the defenders of workers' rights.
The index covers internationally recognised core labour standards, specifically civil rights, the right to bargain collectively, the right to strike, the right to associate freely and access to due process rights.
It highlights the world's worst countries for workers by rating 142 countries on a scale from 1 to 5, based on the degree of respect for workers' rights, according to 97 indicators
Namibia this year received an overall ranking of 2, placing it in the category of countries with repeated violations of workers' rights.
This is in comparison to its 2017 score of 3, when it was ranked in a worse category of countries with regular violations of workers' rights.
Other African countries that received the same score as Namibia this year were Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Togo. However, South Africa was still highlighted in the report for its 1 500 workers that were summarily dismissed after staging a strike at Sibanye's Cooke mine.
There was no country in Africa that received a ranking of 1 this year. This category means that there are irregular violations of workers' rights and countries that are rated with the best labour practices fall into this category.
Meanwhile Africa received an overall ranking of 3.9, falling just short of the category of systematic violations of workers' rights. Some of the worst performing countries in Africa were Zimbabwe and Algeria that was ranked 5. This category means there is no guarantee of workers' rights in the country.
According to the report, in Africa 84% of countries exclude workers from labour laws, while 36 out of 37 countries violated the right to strike. It also says all 37 countries in Africa violated the collective bargaining rights of workers, including Namibia.
Furthermore 65% of countries in the Africa region exposed workers to physical violence.
According to the report the number of countries that deny or constrain freedom of speech increased from 50 in 2017 to 54 in 2018.
A total of 81% of countries have violated the right to collective bargaining.
The ten worst countries for workers in 2018 were Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The number of countries where workers were exposed to murders, physical violence, death threats and intimidation significantly increased from 59 in 2017 to 65 in 2018.
The number of countries with arbitrary arrests and the detention of workers increased from 44 in 2017 to 59 in 2018.
The report adds that global shifts are under way in working conditions for people, with 65% of countries excluding workers from the right to establish or join a trade union, an increase from 60% in 2017.
More and more workers in the global workforce are excluded from any protection under labour laws, the report added.
ELLANIE SMIT
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