On 16 March 2023, the government presented to Congress a labour reform bill, described as an ambitious project to improve the conditions and income of workers.
The bill is part of a raft of reforms: it followed the major tax reform last year, and the pension system reform is expected soon.
Both lawmakers and the Constitutional Court must approve it.
The Minister of Employment and Labour, effective from 1 March 2023, increased the minimum earnings threshold of ZAR 241110.59 per annum and the national minimum wage of ZAR 25.42 per hour worked.
They increased, respectively, by 7.6 and 9.6 per cent.
On 1 December 2022, Teleperformance and UNI Global Union signed a global agreement with commitments on freedom of association, health and safety, content moderation, and positive relations.
The agreement covers the company’s 440,000 employees in 88 countries worldwide.
Following the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, effective September 2021, the signatories agreed to establish a comprehensive workplace health and safety programme in Pakistan.
The agreement, which expires on 31 December 2025, covers signatories’ garment and textile suppliers in a country with crucial importance as a garment and textile sourcing for the Accord brands.
On 18 January 2023, a first agreement in the sector of ride-share platforms (Voiture de Transport avec Chauffeur or VTCs in French) was signed, setting out a minimum income per trip at EUR 7.65 net from 1 February 2023.
It provides a 27 per cent increase over the lowest rate on the market, “regardless of the application used.
Last January, workers, employers, and government representatives from the region met online for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Leadership Programme on the Just Transition to discuss the latest research, knowledge, and insights and to share best practices in shaping a just transition to a green future of work.
On 28-29 November 2022, in Algiers, in collaboration with the Algerian Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, took place the first regional meeting of the Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood Region (SOLIFEM) Project.
Constituents from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) discussed with International Labour Organization (ILO) experts, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) the achievements of the SOLIFEM project in the inception phase and re-affirmed the importance of social dialogue as a path towards formalisation and decent work for youth in the Middle East and North Africa region.
On 9 October 2022, the Portuguese government, the leaders of the employers' confederations (of Industry, Agriculture, Tourism, and Commerce and Services), and the trade union (UGT) signed a national agreement for the improvement of income, wages, and competitiveness until 2026.
It aims to balance the weight of wages in national wealth, strengthen the competitiveness of companies, retain young talent and support families and companies to face the crisis.