Recent developments

An ILO Action Programme to promote social dialogue on skills, employability and equal opportunities in telecommunications services, focused on sub-Saharan African countries, has been implemented in 2006 to 2007. The Programme includes research, policy guidance and activities to promote training, employability and social dialogue.

Three main activities under the Action Programme were carried out in 2007:

In Cameroun, two Regional Training Seminars on Skills and Employability in Telecommunications Services, for workers, managers and government officials from Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad and Gabon were held at the École Nationale Supérieure des Postes et Télécommunications, in Yaoundé, 30 July-4 August 2007, and trained 40 participants. One course focused on enhancing commercial activities and customer service, while the other examined technological developments.

In Uganda, an extensive primary research study was organized to establish the scale and scope of Child Labour in the Telecommunication Industry in Uganda, and to provide recommendations for mitigating the problem, as appropriate. The research was initiated in July 2007 and completed in October.

In Zambia, a Training Seminar on Skills and Employability in Telecommunications Services, was held at the Zamtel Training College, Ndola, 20-31 August 2007, and trained 12 participants -- workers, managers and government officials from Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The course focused on enhancing commercial activities and customer service in the sector.

The first activity under the Action Programme had been the ILO Tripartite Regional Seminar on Skills and Employability in Telecommunications Services in Africa (Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 4-6 December 2006). The regional seminar brought together Government, Worker and Employer representatives from Cameroun, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It enabled participants to share experiences and discuss specific challenges facing the telecommunications industry and identify activities for the Action Programme in 2007. The seminar adopted a set of conclusions, available in English, French and Spanish. A team of experts from the ILO, the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and Union Network International (UNI) supported the Seminar.

For the postal industry, the main activity was the ILO/UPU Regional Seminar on Social Dialogue in Postal Services in Africa, held in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, 27-29 November 2006, which brought together representatives of postal administrations, postal workers delegates and representatives of public and private employers from Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and Zimbabwe. A team of experts from the ILO, the UPU and UNI supported the Seminar. The Seminar examined the experience of reforms in the African postal sector; raised awareness about the need for social dialogue, and the role of social partners in the processes of restructuring and globalization; and provided a forum to discuss current challenges, problems and opportunities for human resource development. The seminar adopted a set of conclusions, available in English and French. The UPU has issued a report on the Seminar, available in English and French.