On February 20 the world marked the Day of Social Justice. This is where world leaders, workers and employers are invited to reflect on how to promote greater equality.
In his message to the world, International Labour Organization director general Guy Ryder emphasised the need to prioritise the formalisation of the informal economy. Sixty per cent of the world’s workers still earn their living, often in poverty, with few rights or protections.
Equally, he called for the improvement of workers' protection and enterprises' sustainability, promoting decent jobs and inclusive economic growth and, creating a just transition towards a carbon-neutral global economy.
This has, since the advent of Covid-19, been the focus of trade unions in Kenya under the umbrella of Cotu. In October last year, Cotu launched its ‘Covid-19 response and resilience strategy (2021-2025)’, which was inspired by the effects of the pandemic, especially on social justice and the future of work.
This strategy document focuses on how Cotu and affiliated unions can manage emerging issues such as organising around the informal sector, tapping into the gig economy, ensuring just transition and how to work with key partners, especially in the supply chains.
As such, Cotu has been collaborating and partnering with its social partners to ensure the implementation and awareness of SDGs, specifically SDG 8 that focus on Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Decent work, which is a social justice agenda, sums up all the aspirations that people have for their working lives. This is because decent work, inter alia, delivers a fair income with security and social protection, safeguards basic rights, offers equality of opportunity and treatment, and also prospects for personal development and to have your voice heard.
Decent work is also central to efforts to reduce poverty and is a path to achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. Ultimately, decent work underpins stability, peace and security in communities and societies.
In pushing for the decent work agenda Cotu, together with the ILO, Ministry of Labour and Federation of Kenyan Employers, participated in the development of the Decent Work Country Programme III that prioritises human capital development, sustainable economic growth and social dialogue and tripartism.
This will go a long way in ensuring the reduction of inequality and empower workers, particularly among women, youth and the most vulnerable such as people with disability.
Secondly, in advocating the formalisation of the informal sector, Cotu is working on ensuring that the tripartite partners work on reviewing the labour laws to ensure that the changes in the world of work are incorporated.
This will hasten the process of formalising many jobs within the informal sector. For example, employees within the transport sector, especially those working on digital labour platforms such as Uber and Glovo.
Looking at the developments in other countries on the formalisation of jobs within this sector, and the recent agreement between the International Transport Workers Federation and Uber, Cotu is focusing on ensuring that the hundreds of thousands of workers on DLPs have social protection and are fully within the formal economy.
Third is the question of climate change and just transition. Cotu is keen on ensuring that its programme on just transition grows in reach and impact as we seek to ensure that those workers who were in jobs that are being phased out because of change in climate policy undergo a just transition.
Unknown to many, workers are very interested in climate change and just transition considering they are the most affected as a result of job losses. It will be impossible to achieve social justice without involving workers in discussions on just transition.
Finally is the question of governance. A good government, will, without doubt, ensure social justice in Kenya. However, the opposite is equally, and unfortunately, true.
This explains why Cotu is very concerned about governance and must give its voice, support or disapproval on the candidates seeking political power.
Considering governments are known to be abusers of rights, it’s imperative to note that the most commonly abused form of human rights is labour rights. And that’s why workers are always on the lookout for candidates who will promote labour rights.
Therefore, to build back better, we should focus on promoting great equality in Kenya. Social justice is the ultimate guarantor of economic and political stability.
Secretary general, Cotu (K)
