President to attend launch of Future of Work report

Friday, January 18, 2019

President Cyril Ramaphosa will head to Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday to attend the launch of the Report on the Future of Work.

The report is produced by the International Labour Organisation’s Global Commission on the Future of Work.

President Ramaphosa and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven are co-chairs of the 27-member Global Commission that has been tasked to identify challenges and make recommendations that will sustain and protect the livelihood of workers around the world.

This, as Heads of State and world leaders are confronted with the fourth industrial revolution, climate change and the changing world economic cycle.

The Global Commission’s report will be launched at the ILO headquarters and will form part of this United Nations agency’s centenary year.

The President has since his appointment in May 2018, as co-chair of the ILO Global Commission, hosted the Presidential Jobs Summit and the South Africa International Investment Conference in October 2018.

These fora sought, among other objectives, to strengthen inclusive planning in protecting and creating sustainable livelihoods in an era of rapid technological change and climate impact, and attract investment that will yield returns in a fast-evolving digital economy.

More recently, government and social partners embarked on implementation of the National Minimum Wage Act which sets an historic precedent in the protection of low-earning workers and provides a platform for reduce inequality and decrease the huge disparities in income in the national labour market.

The ILO meeting will take place ahead of President Ramaphosa leading Team South Africa to the annual World Economic Forum - a gathering of world leaders in government, business and civil society - in Davos, Switzerland, from 22 to 25 January 2019.

For the ILO engagement, President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant. – SAnews.gov.za