Post-Covid employment challenges on agenda for new NCCE |14 December 2022

The NCCE during its meeting yesterday

The newly reconstituted National Consultative Committee on Employment (NCCE) chaired by Minister for Employment and Social Affairs Patricia Francourt, held its first meeting yesterday afternoon.

The tripartite committee, comprising six members representing government, three representing employees while another three are the voice of employers, is a legal obligation for Seychelles as a member state of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) whenever laws or policies relating to labour are to be adopted nationally.

Its main aim is to group together partners and stakeholders including from the private sector and workers’ unions, for discussions and decisions on issues of national importance, including education and training, employment programmes, and the adoption of international conventions.

The NCCE was dissolved over the past couple of years, due to the Covid pandemic.

Principal secretary for Employment, Jules Baker, highlighted the importance of the committee, before government takes any such decisions. The committee is especially important at this post-Covid juncture, where a number of major issues with economic implications need to be discussed.

“Employment laws affect the whole economy, whereby all sectors, whether government, private or parastatal are guided by national laws. It is for that reason that we have found it necessary to reconstitute the committee at this point in time,” PS Baker said.

“With the crises happening overseas, we need employment laws which are more resilient and more balanced, so that all interests are taken into account. It is important that we bring this group to address the challenges which the Covid pandemic have brought us, and to find the ways in which we can have a legal framework for Seychelles that will take us beyond ten years from here,” PS Baker noted.

Among the pertinent points to be addressed by the current NCCE are fatal accidents at work, which are on the increase, mainly due to negligence and lack of education, PS Baker added.

Whether the legal framework covering occupational health and safety is still relevant and whether it addresses developments such as new technologies are discussions on the table.

Reskilling also ranks highly on government’s agenda in the post-Covid era, as well as education and training for school leavers. This forms part of the ministry’s mandate to keep the unemployment rate below 5 percent. Seychelles has come a long way and cannot afford to regress, PS Baker added.

The issue of non-Seychellois workers remains one which is alarming, and which the NCCE will tackle to reduce Seychelles’ dependence on foreign labour. Policies towards introducing succession plans and career progression provisions are also on the table.

“We need the engagement of all stakeholders. The private sector is very engaged with us to provide the opportunities but government also needs to bring a clear policy relating to human resource development over the next ten years, to supply the private sector,” PS Baker added.

The NCCE is mandated to meet at least once every three months, to provide their views and advise government on matters of industrial relations, matters referred to it by government, as well as to initiate studies into socio-economic issues.

Chairman of the General Employer Trade Union of Seychelles (Getus) Donald Monnaie said the organisation is most concerned about Seychellois employees not in employment, and the dependence on foreign labour.

Mr Monnaie added that Getus is open to discussions with government through the NCCE, as to the needs of the private sector and the drafting of policies towards empowering Seychellois employees to replace foreign workers within the medium and long-term.

The NCCE stems back to 2006 when government committed to adhering with the ILO principle, leading to amendments in the Employment Act. Under section 72 (A) the law made provisions to establish the tripartite structure, the NCCE. Regulations came into force in 2010, relating to the structure of the committee.  

Text and photo by Laura Pillay