ILO, 2022-2025, Decent Work and Labour Rights in Southern Africa ILO, 2022-2025, Decent Work and Labour Rights in Southern Africa Targeting the working poor young, men and women, and the micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) of the building construction sector that employ a majority of the labour force in the Southern Africa sub-region, the Project builds on an already strong partnership between International Labour Organisation (ILO), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its member states, and vital stakeholders such as Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC) and SADC Private Sector Forum (SPSF).
Adopting a market systems development approach, the Project will work on two levels
aimed to strengthen the capacity of the SADC Secretariat to advocate for scaling-up
systemic interventions; propose and promote effective policy change across its member
states, and drive long-term and sustainable improvements for vulnerable female and male
labourers in the building-construction sector (sub-regional level); and to implement
national projects and engage with national governments, private sector actors, trade
unions and employers organisations in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa by
addressing key systemic constraints in the sector in which the vast majority of workers are
locked in low wage, inadequate safety and informal employment (see footnote). The three
suggested countries have been identified and selected due to their growing construction
sectors, decent work deficits as well as experiences and relationships with key partners
and ongoing related interventions. Det aktuella projektet har arbetande fattiga unga, män och kvinnor som målgrupp. Det bygger på ett starkt partnerskap mellan International Labour Organisation (ILO), Southern African Development Community (SADC) och dess medlemsländer, och viktiga intressenter såsom The Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC) och SADC Private Sector Forum (SPSF).
Projektet kommer att arbeta på två nivåer med syftet att stärka SADC-sekretariatets kapacitet att förespråka uppskalning av systeminsatser; föreslå och främja effektiva policyförändringar i dess medlemsländer samt att driva på långsiktiga och hållbara förbättringar för utsatta unga, kvinnor och män i byggnadssektorn (sub-regional nivå). Dessutom kommer nationella projekt att genomföras liksom samarbete med nationella regeringar, privata aktörer, fackföreningar och arbetsgivarorganisationer i Moçambique, Zimbabwe och Sydafrika för att ta itu med viktiga systembegränsningar i en sektor där den stora majoriteten arbetskraft är lågavlönad och där bristande säkerhet och informell anställning är rådande. De tre föreslagna länderna har identifierats och valts ut på grund av deras snabbt växande byggnadssektorer, underskott i anständiga arbetsvillkor liksom på grund av existerande erfarenheter och relationer med nyckelpartners och pågående relaterade utvecklingsinsatser. The project objective is to contribute to improved labour rights in the building-construction sector in the Southern Africa Development Community. The project, which will be implemented using a systemic approach to decent work and will work at the sub-regional level (Outcome 1) as well as in three countries: South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (Outcome 2). 

The project will aim to improve labour rights through targeting interventions that provide benefit to the working poor and young women and men and the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that employ them. These target groups include the workers who are most likely to have few labour rights - including poor wages, occupational safety and health, contract stability and informality  and the MSMEs, who disproportionately struggle to provide decent work to their employees relative to larger contractors. 

As the project will be grounded in a systemic approach to decent work, it will strive to benefit the target groups in long-term sustainable way that can reach scale. It will do this by working through key project partners, including the South African Development Community (SADC), regional and national employers associations and trade unions, SADC member government bodies and the private sector.