Namibia Minute.
Thursday, 25 June 2026
Namibia’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Thursday, 25 June 2026
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Namibian press · Organization

International Labour Organisation

Also known as: ILO · International Labour Organization · International Labour Organisation country director

International Labour Organisation — UN agency setting global labour standards and addressing decent work, including recent convention on platform economy workers adopted with Namibia's support.

2024-06-222026-06-25
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What’s been said

Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.

  1. June 2026

  2. Informanté

    International Labour Organisation (ILO) adopted Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy establishing global labour standards

    Source

    “The convention, adopted during the ILO's 114th session, seeks to address challenges faced by gig workers, including unfair pay practices, lack of social protection, unsafe working conditions, algorithmic management and worker classification.”

    Namibia backs global treaty protecting platform workers’ rights

  3. New Era

    International Labour Organisation reports more than 200 million children worldwide engaged in child labour

    Source

    “According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than 200 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour, performing work that damages their physical, emotional and mental development.”

    ‘Poverty, abuse, exploitation’….over 200m child labourers globally

  4. Windhoek Observer

    International Labour Organisation adopted landmark Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy

    Source

    “The International Labour Organization on Friday adopted a landmark Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, establishing a global framework to protect digital platform workers while ensuring fair wages, social protection, and respect for fundamental labour rights.”

    ⁠⁠Namibian-brokered deal sets global standard for digital labour rights

  5. Windhoek Observer

    International Labour Organisation was urged to expand technical assistance to help member states modernise labour market institutions

    Source

    “He also urged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to expand technical assistance to help member states modernise labour market institutions and adapt social protection and skills systems to the realities of AI-mediated work.”

    ‘AI should serve workers, not replace them’ – Immanuel
  6. March 2026

  7. Informanté

    International Labour Organisation faces projected deficit of US$52.6 million by end of 2024/25 fiscal year

    Source

    “"Chair, my delegation is highly concerned about the ongoing cash-flow challenges, including a projected deficit of US$52.6 million by the end of the 2024/25 fiscal year, and the slow pace in assessed contributions for 2026.”

    Funding pressures risk ILO mandate execution

  8. Informanté

    International Labour Organisation faces potential loss of up to 350 positions

    Source

    “He added that the ILO faces a potential loss of up to 350 positions, compounded by uncertainty as to which ILO departments will be affected.”

    Funding pressures risk ILO mandate execution
  9. January 2026

  10. New Era

    International Labour Organisation warned efforts to improve global job quality had stagnated

    Source

    “But the ILO warned that efforts to improve global job quality had stagnated, leaving hundreds of millions of workers wallowing in poverty, even as trade uncertainty risked cutting into workers' wages.”

    Global unemployment ‘stable’, but decent jobs scarce
  11. November 2025

  12. The Namibian

    International Labour Organisation reports that unpaid care work prevents 708 million women from participating in the labour market

    Source

    “Globally, unpaid care work prevents 708 million women from participating in the labour market, according to the International Labour Organisation.”

    Why degrees fail to protect South African women from unemployment
Politics

Minister urges worker voices in policy and mineral beneficiation

The News

Justice and Labour Relations Minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel has called for workers' voices to be reflected in national policy and economic planning, stating that Namibia must move beyond exporting raw minerals to beneficiation and value addition to create sustainable employment. Speaking at a Mineworkers Union of Namibia regional meeting in Swakopmund, Immanuel said the country can no longer export raw minerals while importing finished products at higher value.

Why it matters

Economic policy: Justice minister urges mineral beneficiation and value addition over raw exports to create sustainable employment.

22 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Monday 22 June

  1. Minister urges worker voices in policy and mineral beneficiation

    Justice and Labour Relations Minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel has called for workers' voices to be reflected in national policy and economic planning, stating that Namibia must move beyond exporting raw minerals to beneficiation and value addition to create sustainable employment. Speaking at a Mineworkers Union of Namibia regional meeting in Swakopmund, Immanuel said the country can no longer export raw minerals while importing finished products at higher value.

    22 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Saturday 20 June

  1. Namibia backs ILO convention protecting platform economy workers

    Namibia has welcomed the International Labour Organization's adoption of a Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, which establishes global labour standards for gig workers and addresses challenges including unfair pay, lack of social protection, unsafe conditions, and algorithmic management. The deputy executive director representing Africa praised the negotiations as demonstrating what dialogue and tripartism could achieve.

    20 June 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 16 June

  1. Namibia acknowledges child labour in agriculture, domestic sectors

    The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations reports that child labour remains a serious concern in Namibia, particularly in agriculture and domestic work linked to poverty and food insecurity. The ministry recorded two cases during the financial year involving a cattle herder and domestic worker, both arrested and the children reunited with their families.

    16 June 2026 · New Era →

  2. Namibia brokers African consensus on digital platform worker rights

    The International Labour Organization adopted a landmark Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy at its 114th conference in Geneva, establishing the first binding international treaty to protect digital platform workers with fair wages and social protection. Namibia coordinated the unified African position on behalf of half of Africa's nations and signed a Host Country Agreement to host the 15th African Regional Meeting of the ILO in Windhoek in December 2026.

    16 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Tuesday 9 June

  1. AI should serve workers, not replace them – Immanuel

    Justice Minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel told the International Labour Conference in Geneva that artificial intelligence can support decent work without job losses if governments prioritize retraining over retrenchment. He cited Namibia's Social Security Commission, which introduced digital tools affecting 65 positions but retrained rather than laid off workers.

    9 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →

Saturday 9 May

  1. UN coordinator calls for coordinated action on job creation

    The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Namibia has called for stronger coordination and expanded support for small businesses to help Namibia achieve its target of creating 500,000 jobs. According to the Namibia Statistics Agency, youth unemployment stood at around 44% in 2023.

    9 May 2026 · Informanté →

Thursday 23 April

  1. Namibia leads continental efforts addressing youth unemployment

    President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah commissioned a new National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism, with Namibia tasked to spearhead efforts tackling youth unemployment across Africa. The country's approach involves youth development funding, apprenticeships and education support, though Namibia itself faces a youth unemployment rate of around 44.4% according to census-based figures.

    23 April 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 8 April

  1. NEF warns ministerial interference blurs labour dispute lines

    The Namibian Employers' Federation has cautioned against growing ministerial involvement in company-level labour disputes, arguing it undermines the Labour Act's structured mechanisms and threatens institutional credibility. The NEF cited the Tsumeb Smelter case as a precedent and warned that ad hoc political intervention risks weakening Namibia's rules-based labour system and tripartite governance model.

    8 April 2026 · New Era →

  2. NAB staff petition board over collective bargaining violations

    Employees of the Namibian Agronomic Board, represented by the Public Service Union of Namibia, have submitted a petition alleging the board violated agreements to include them in negotiations on a job evaluation and grading exercise, approving final reports without worker input. The workers cite breaches of collective bargaining principles under the Labour Act and International Labour Organization Convention, and have given the board 48 hours to respond.

    8 April 2026 · New Era →

Thursday 26 March

  1. ILO funding crisis threatens labour standards work globally

    Namibia's delegation at the UN International Labour Organisation's governing body raised concerns that funding challenges, including a projected deficit of US$52.6 million by end of fiscal year 2024/25 and potential loss of 350 positions, could hamper the ILO's ability to execute its global mandate. The Executive Director of Namibia's Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations called on member states to honour financial obligations and warned that Namibia, which lacks its own ILO office and depends on technical support from South Africa, risks disproportionate impact from proposed cuts to travel and technical missions.

    26 March 2026 · Informanté →

Wednesday 25 March

  1. Namfisa exempts lump-sum pension payouts from new regulations

    The Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) has advised the finance minister to exempt a clause in the Financial Institutions and Markets Act (Fima) that would have forced all retirement fund members to annuitise their benefits. Workers will continue to receive one-third of their retirement benefits tax-free as a lump sum, though the government's long-term policy aims to move Namibia toward full annuities in line with International Labour Organisation standards.

    25 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 25 February

  1. Mining sector employs 26.7% of Namibian workforce, chamber claims

    The Chamber of Mines disputed claims by an International Labour Organisation representative that the sector does not create significant jobs, saying its members created 20,843 direct jobs and an estimated 145,901 indirect jobs in 2024. The chamber also responded to other criticisms regarding local beneficiation, foreign ownership, and environmental impact.

    25 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 18 February

  1. Parliament finds Namibian miners using subcontractors to cut wages

    A parliamentary committee investigating 11 mines across five regions found that mining corporations are retrenching permanent employees and rehiring them through subcontractors at lower wages with reduced benefits and job insecurity. The committee also flagged concerns about voluntary separation packages being used to bypass labour law compliance and rising occupational health and safety incidents in the sector.

    18 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 15 January

  1. Global unemployment stable, but decent jobs remain scarce

    The UN's International Labour Organisation reports that global unemployment is expected to remain stable at around 4.9% through 2027, but warns that this masks a severe shortage of quality jobs, with hundreds of millions of workers in poverty and informal employment. Trade uncertainty and ongoing automation pose further risks to workers' wages and job prospects, particularly for young people and workers in developing regions.

    15 January 2026 · New Era →

International Labour Organisation — Namibian press coverage · Namibia Minute