On Friday 30 September, the stakeholders to the multi-lateral initiative to promote fundamental employment rights in Burma/Myanmar – the EU, Burma, the United States, Japan, Denmark and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – welcomed the considerable progress the initiative has made since it launched in November 2014.
Meeting in Rangoon on 29 and 30 September, the participants of the second forum for the stakeholders to this initiative – the Burmese tripartite partners (public authorities, unions and employers), the governments of the third countries involved, development partners, enterprise and international investors as well as other representatives of civil society – looked at the priorities and challenges of updating employment laws and practices in Burma and assessed the progress made towards compliance with international employment standards.
In a joint statement, they welcomed considerable progress in the adoption of laws and practices for employment since the first forum was held in May 2015.
Firstly, the stakeholders welcomed the reaffirmed commitment of the public authorities and social partners of Burma to reform employment law, including a consensus on a step-by-step approach including the amendment of the priority laws (phase I), the drafting of the law on employment standards (phase II) and the creation of a consistent employment code (phase III).
The parties also welcomed the Burmese tripartite agreement on the need for the new legislation to comply with the fundamental international employment standards and for the progress to be steered by other relevant international standards. They also welcomed the agreement on the institutionalisation of dialogue to be chaired by the Burmese minister for employment, immigration and the population with the organisations representing employers and workers, which will serve as a privileged consultation mechanism for the reform process of Burmese employment law.
Other positive steps were also hailed as progress, such as the agreement of 28 August 2015 for the country's first-ever minimum wage, the agreement of October 2015 on the development of an approach to industrial relations, the promulgation of several legislative modifications such as raising the minimum legal working age from 13 to 14 years, developing a list of hazardous work for children under the age of 18 and the development of a charter on health and safety at work.
On the basis of this progress, the stakeholders reiterated their commitment to this initiative, including the planned employment reforms agreed at the first forum meeting, and the identified priorities for the next steps with the work. These are: the development of a modern and coherent employment law; reinforcing the institutional capacities for actors and institutions on the employment market, including the social partners; the institution responsible for setting the minimum wage; reinforcing employment inspection and the dispute settlement bodies.
The parties also identified areas in need of reforms: a reinforced protection for rights of association for workers' and employers' organisations; reinforced employment conflict management; revision of employment contracts; fighting the worst forms of child labour; controls on security and the protection of health and workplace.
A third Stakeholders' Forum will be held in 2017. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)