Supporting Safe and Inclusive Work Environments in Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked country where economic and social issues such as inflation, lack of medical services and gender-based violence are prevalent. Most workers are found in the informal economy and roughly 80% of the population depends on the agricultural sector for their livelihoods. Labour institutions are in place and recently showed their commitment to the realization of International Labour Standards through the ratification of key ILO Conventions in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) and violence and harassment (V&H) in the world of work. Nonetheless, these institutions need strengthening to realize these commitments and create safe and inclusive work environments in the country. This institutional support must be provided in synergy with local, and regional stakeholders as well as employers’ and workers’ organizations to achieve impactful results. The project adopt a sustainable multilevel strategy, based on the following pillars: enhancing prevention, dispute resolution and enforcement mechanisms to ensure the protection of victims of OSH violations, V&H and discrimination; increasing knowledge and data on the response to V&H in OSH national systems; setting innovative and easy-to-use tools to integrate V&H into OSH management systems, including by addressing the interrelations with other psychosocial risk factors; strengthening collaboration and social dialogue, among actors at all levels to promote OSH and counter discrimination and V&H in the world of work including in the public sector. The project leverages the Ministry of Public Service, Labour, and Employment, in particular the Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution and the Labour Inspectorate, the Labour Court and the Ministry of Health, to prevent, monitor and remedy violation of workers’ rights with a focus on OSH, discrimination and V&H. The project partners with the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve coverage and access to occupational health services. The project also works with the employers’ organization and the five workers’ organizations and social dialogue institutions to reach underserved populations most vulnerable to violations of their rights – workers in the informal economy and in particular women, the youth, persons with disabilities and migrant workers as well as public service workers and workers in hazardous sectors. Project interventions cover all 10 districts of Lesotho and have a spill over effect to the families and communities where these populations live. In rural areas, the project partners with actors present on the ground such as traditional chiefs, local government structures and primary occupational health services to reach as many workers as possible.

Project symbol

LSO/23/01/USA

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Pretoria

Start date

15/11/2023

End date

14/05/2028

Total allocation

494083

Total expenditure

Status

Active

494083

Development Partners

USA, United States Department of Labor, Bureau for International Labor Affairs, Office of Trade and Labor Affairs

Country/Countries

Lesotho

Outcomes

Outcome 6: Protection at work for all
Outcome 2: Strong, representative and influential tripartite constituents and effective social dialogue