On both a global and local scale the living condition of workers has become sensitive to shifts in the economy. Conflict, drought and inflation compound to make the independent person rely on others. We are constantly working to approach all concerned bodies especially the government with the identification of the problem and solution.
Fortune: What would you like to have achieved before foregoing your responsibilities?
Everything in CETU is done through a committee so no individual holds too much sway on the course of events, solely relying on our five-year strategic plan. But the realization of minimum wage laws in Ethiopia would be a significant milestone I would like to reach.
A minimum wage law warrants some sense of dignity at the very least. Once we manage to incorporate this into the body of laws governing the country, I believe successive generations will benefit from improved living conditions.
We have to at least be at par with our close neighbours. Kenya for instance has a minimum wage of 125 dollars, which the president even suggested would be raised by six percent at last year’s May Day celebration.
Fortune: Why do you think reports of worker rights violations or even despondence to the creation of worker unions for manufacturers within the country’s industrial parks have become frequent?
Two reasons stick out to me although it might arise from a combination of reasons. One such pivotal cause is that these companies come into the country allured by the promise of very cheap labour. It seems that they mix up ‘cheap’ labour with insensitivity to working conditions and basic labour rights. I have experienced instances in which the companies were surprised that there was someone around asking questions about labour rights “like other countries”.
Some of these investors actually hail from countries with better labour rights than Ethiopia but they somehow do not expect anyone to enquire about it here. So they become very averse as they think it will lead to insistence on professional safety requirements. But the right to safety gear was already ingrained by the labour law, which means adherence to safety protocols should not be contingent on whether the workers ask or not. It is not as if the workers are asking for some sort of luxury, it is a necessity.
