Plans afoot for Lao labour policy development

Laos will continue to work with its development partners including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for the ongoing protection of workers’ rights and benefits.
This was the message at the national launch of the ILO’s “Work for a Brighter Future” report at an event on Wednesday that also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ILO and the 55th anniversary of Laos’ membership of it.
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Dr Khampheng Saysompheng, expressed appreciation of the ILO’s Global Commission on the Future of Work which produced the report and congratulated the organisation on its 100 years of action in protecting the rights of workers. 
“Decent work and social justice are the foundations of peace, quality and prosperity in our country,” he said. Dr Khampheng also thanked the ILO for its many decades of technical assistance and support in promoting decent work for a fair wage in Laos.

The Work for a Brighter Future report was launched internationally last month and will be submitted to the Centenary session of the International Labour Conference in June.
It will make an important contribution to the labour policies and strategies developed by Laos over the coming years as the country works to fulfil goals set out in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The report addresses ways to achieve a better working future for everyone in a time of unprecedented change and exceptional challenges in the world of work.
It calls for a human-centered approach to job creation that focuses on three areas of action: investment in people’s capabilities, investments in the institutions of work, and the creation of decent and sustainable jobs.
Director of the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, Mr Graeme Buckley, said that in Laos “the full benefits of the demographic dividend will only be realised if new jobs keep pace with the growth of the working age population and if young women and men are better equipped with appropriate skills and knowledge.”
“We hope that the implementation of the National Social Project Strategy and the National Rural Employment Strategy, which are currently being drafted in Laos, will provide a solid basis for all relevant partners to address these challenges,” he added.
The report’s recommendations are designed to put people, and the work they do, at the centre of economic and social policy and business practice,” Mr Buckley said.  
A large proportion of Laos’ population that includes the elderly, people with disabilities, women and children, remain quite vulnerable to social, economic and natural risks.
This is especially true for those working in rural economies and informal work sectors, Mr Buckley added.
 The ILO was established in 1919 and is the United Nations’ specialised agency that is dedicated to labour and work issues. Within a unique tripartite structure, it brings together governments, employers and workers’ representatives to set labour standards, develop policies, and devise programmes that promote decent work for everyone.
In Laos, the tripartite constituents are represented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Lao Federation of Trade Unions, and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update February 28, 2019)