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Paper presented by Vimbai Mushongera

Zimbabwe Congress Of Trade Unions

Background Introduction UN Declaration 1948- 22 &25 ILO Social security convention Social security status WHO Standards Proposed reforms Recommendations conclusion

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ZCTU was formed in 1981, 28th of February

It is a membership driven organization The Congress is composed of thirty five

affiliates with a total membership of more than four hundred thousand workers

Has organised informal economy workers rural & urban based 1.25 Million- Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Assoc -MOU

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Article 22 of the Universal Declaration states: Everyone, as member of society, has a right to social security.

ILO Conventions 102/1952 Social Security Minimum standards 118/1962 Equality of treatment 121/1964 Employment Injury Benefits 128/1967 Invalidity, Old Age survivors benefits 130/1969 Medical care , Sickness Benefits 157/1982 Maintenance of Social Security 168/1988 Employment promotion& protection 182/ 1985 Child Labour 183/ 2000 Maternity Protection 189/1998 Job Creation in small size ILO Recommendation 169 – Social Protection as cornerstone to

transformation of IE activities

WHO UNICEF

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NSSA National Aids Council Private Pension Schemes Insurance Schemes Private Medical Aid Schemes Housing Cooperatives Employment Creation & Micro- Credit Schemes Informal arrangements

Funeral Plans Traditional and cultural

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Low pension payouts Does not support Low Cost housing scheme

facilities to contributors Excludes medical aid cover Has been politicised Lacks transparency in investment portfolios Has not been subjected to regular annual audit

NSSA Act Pensions & Provident Fund Acts Weak National Policy Framework No social Protection Floor –Not Sustainable

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Need to undertake a an imperial study of sustainable Social Protection Needs for all workers

There is also need to de –mystify Actuarial Sciences & medical aid

A clear distinction between benefits given to those injured at work and the pensioned off

Investments should be targeted at benefiting contributing members

The need to extend social protection to informal economy & rural workers as a means of transforming the precarious activities

Recognising informal work & rural work = work=labour act. Recognise the bilateral and tripartite structures for Social

Dialogue

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It covers the following: - medical care - sickness benefits - unemployment benefits - old age benefits - employment injury benefits - family benefits - maternity benefits - invalidity benefits - survivors’ benefits

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Universal protection (2) Right to benefits (3) Protection against

Right to decent work (4) Income security (5) Actuarial equivalence between

contributions and benefits (6) Guarantee of minimum return (7) Gender equity (8) Stable financing (9) Fiscal responsibility (10) State responsibility

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The current social security systems in Zimbabwe have failed to address the question of social security protection, calls for a need to come up with a local strategy that would address the aspects of social protection floor, a concept which tries to provide a logical and coherent framework for the core content of the basic social rights even in times of crises

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Adequate social protection for all drawing on basic social protection floor as endorsed by the 98th session of the ILC as part of the global jobs pact

Promotion of the global jobs pact including the social protection floor

Need for the advancement of social and employment policies

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Universal access to a basic social benefit package was never codified in any ILO social security Convention. Thus, a new mechanism could complement Convention No. 102 and the other social security Conventions to ensure that social security standards provide the best guidance to its member States for the establishment of a basic benefit package (social protection floor) and help countries, once the package has been established, to move towards more comprehensive social security protection, including a higher level of income security in relation to the contingencies, as well as improved medical care benefits, as laid down in Convention No. 102 and the other up-to-date social security Conventions.

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Requests countries that do not yet have extensive social security to build “adequate social protection for all, drawing on a basic social protection floor, including: Access to health care ,Income security for the elderly and persons with

disabilities,Child benefits, andIncome security combined with public

employment guarantee schemes for the unemployed and the working poor”

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Call for a stakeholders conference Research into what other Countries have done

in the area of social security Research into the policies and legal framework . The surplus of contributions to NSSA should be

given back to the Contributors so that they invest it in projects of their choice

Need for workers to take control of their pensions

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Social security is a right for all Benefits should be spread beyond

contributors and seek to redress the imbalance in standards of living .

Health Insurance should not be through additional contributions by workers

A call to review the payouts on retirement is a must.

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THANK YOU!

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