The Government is evaluating the implementation of staggered schedules in the civil service and other sectors of great impact to improve mobility in the Metropolitan region of Greater Maputo.
The proposal of the new working hours model was considered this Monday, June 5, by the Labor Consultative Commission (CCT), a body that brings together the Government, unions and employers.
Submitted by the Department of Industry and Trade, the proposal will allow the Executive to better establish the start and end times of the working days in order to produce results that affect the public transport system of passengers.
The idea had already been touched upon last April by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) as part of the crucial actions to solve the problem of mobility for the Metropolitan region of Greater Maputo, surrounding the cities of Maputo and Matola and the towns of Marracuene and Boane.
However, the Organization of Workers of Central Mozambique (OTM-CS), the National Confederation of Independent and Free Trade Unions of Mozambique (CONSILMO) and the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) consider that it is still premature to move forward with this model of schedules due to its complexity in legal and practical terms, and suggest a greater involvement of each sector of activity to safeguard the various interests.
For Paulino Cossa, from CTA, the proposal is mainly aimed at the formal sector and reminds that 90% of the workforce in the country’s capital is informal, which, in his opinion, may not be influenced by the entry into force of the measure.
In total, there were eight items on the agenda, which included the presentation of the draft decree on the Communication of Vacancies and Pre-Professional Internships and the respective technical opinion and information regarding the status of ratification of the Convention No. 190 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Sexual Violence and Harassment at Work.
The massification of labor arbitration in Mozambique was also highlighted at the meeting, as a mechanism for resolving labor disputes without the need to resort to the courts, which would make it faster and more effective.
Joaquim Siúta, inspector-general of the Ministry of Labor, said that the Government is moving forward with the training of arbitrators, in an effort to make this mechanism viable, which plays an important role in the growth of the economy.
