The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation (MLIREC) held a stakeholder consultation on the development of an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill to bring Namibia in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) requirements.

The draft bill provides for the safety and health of workers in a hazardous working environment.

The discussions on occupational safety and health legislation are intended to close loopholes in the system and promote the right to a safe and healthy working environment.

As a member of the International Labour Organisation, Namibia is obliged to uphold and protect the rights of all workers.

"The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation is committed to promoting and realising, in good faith and in accordance with the ILO conventions, the principles concerning the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment. In this regard, the draft bill you are about to discuss provides for, among others, the safety and health of workers against hazards arising out of or in connection with the activities at the workplace, duties and their representatives, and the workers right to a safe and healthy workplace, including the right to information, training, and representation," said Lydia Indombo, Executive Director at the Labour Ministry.

A specialist for eastern and southern Africa from the ILO, Peneyambeko Munkawa, says the goal is to achieve comprehensive coverage and protection for all and administer occupational labour and health.

"The ILO remains your committed partner in this journey to ensure the successful finalisation of this OSH Bill, implementation of the national policy on OSH, delivery of commitments made through ratification of the ILO Conventions, and application and domestication of the fundamental OSH conventions."