18 July
With Myanmar’s recent achievement in labour sector reform including unlisting the Tatmadaw from the child soldiers rectuirment list, our labour reforms have paved the ways for ensuring peace, strengthening democracy, and helping our people prosper.
It is worth noting that the Tatmadaw has been unlisted from recruitment and use of children as soldiers in military services since June 9 this year by the United Nations. The recent achievement is a milestone for the government’s commitment to the elimination of forced labour and recruitment of child soldiers in our country. The National Complaints Mechanism (NCM) launched in February 2020 is a step forward towards eradicating forced labour in the country. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population briefed experts from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and representatives of employers and employees about the National Complaints Mechanism (NCM) and pledged to protect those who blow the whistle on forced labour. Besides, actions were taken against those who break the law. While the National Complaints Mechanism had yet to be operated, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, Ministry of Defence and ILO held three meetings, resulting in their closing 398 forced labour cases related with Tatmadaw and, as a result, 217 cases have so far been closed by ILO. Hence, ILO is strongly requested to close the remaining 161 cases.
The government sent 277 cases to ILO, abiding by the Supplementary Understanding-SU mechanism agreed to by the ILO after the cases were settled by the governmental departments. There are some cases which have been closed by ILO, but still, some cases remain to be closed.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry is requested to settle the remaining cases and to submit them to the ILO.
The significance of the National Complaints Mechanism is that the mechanism comprises necessary stakeholders, such as employers, employees, the military, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. We are confident that cooperation between the government and labour organizations, which represent and lead the labour force across the country, as a model of solidarity serving in the interests of employees, would become a milestone in efforts to eliminate forced labour in our country.
GNLM
