PRETORIA - President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday morning arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is attending the 108th session of the International Labour Conference.
“President Ramaphosa co-chairs the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Global Commission on the Future of Work alongside Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of the Kingdom of Sweden,” the Presidency said in a statement.
"Over the past year he has led a team of distinguished commissioners mandated to make recommendations in response to changes in the global economy brought on by technological advancement, demography, globalisation and climate change.
“The president [Ramaphosa] will deliver the keynote address at the high level sitting of the 108th session of the conference where the outcomes of the Global Commission on the Future of Work will be presented to heads of state and government.
"The International Labour Conference coincides with ILO’s Centenary celebration and is being convened from 10-21 June 2019 under the theme: ‘Building a Better Future with Decent Work’.”
Later on Monday, Ramaphosa would be hosted by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder for an official luncheon.
“He will then meet with his counterpart Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for a bilateral meeting. The two nations enjoy long standing strong relations. Sweden was among the first western countries to give official support to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa during the 1970s,” said the Presidency.
The ILO’s International Labour Conference is an annual gathering of governments, labour and business to deliberate on contemporary issues of mutual interest in the global labour markets and adopts international labour standards open to ratification by the 187 member states.
The International Labour Organisation’s Centenary Conference will review and outline the programmes of the next century and recommit the ILO as the global authority on labour and employment matters, strengthening its role and influence in the multilateral system. It will also drive the ILO’s leadership role in shaping the future of work.
It was 25 years since South Africa re-joined the ILO and had since the advent of democracy adopted legislature and programmes in support of social justice and decent work.
In 2018 South Africa hosted the Jobs Summit where all social partners forged a common drive to effectively collaborate in addressing problems to unblock growth in the South African economy and would ensure inclusive growth and create employment in the face of changing world dynamics.
Ramaphosa signed into law the historic National Minimum Wage Act, which would bridge the inequality gap by protecting low-paid workers and provided a firm foundation to eradicate poverty.
The Pretoria delegation includes newly-appointed Minister of Employment and Labour Thembelani Nxesi, and a delegation of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).