Somali Congress of Trade Unions (SOCOTU) Concerns about the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for Somalia signed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
Somali Congress of Trade Unions (SOCOTU) expresses its deep concerns over the conduct of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Somali Federal Republic Mr. Bihi Eman Egah in signing the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for Somalia. SOCOTU notes that the Director General of Somalia’s MOLSA was just arrested over allegations of corruption. This comes as no surprise to SOCOTU which has expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and suspicious circumstances surrounding the negotiations leading to the signing of the DWCP by Minister Bihi.
The Minister and his Director General have repeatedly sidelined legitimate trade union organization in Somalia choosing dodged legitimate questions on the process leading up to the DWCP signing. Discussions over resources associated with the DWCP have taken place behind closed doors and outside of Somalia often with Minister Bihi meeting with International Labour Organization (ILO) officials alone despite the tri-partite way these discussions were to be conducted. SOCOTU has reason to believe that the Director General now in custody has vital information related to corrupt practices by Minister Bihi including information related to signing of the DWCP for Somalia.
SOCOTU further believes that Somalia’s delegations to the International Labour Conference (ILC) during the tenure of Minister Bihi warrant a full investigation on the legitimacy of the selection of delegation members. SOCOTU urges the Prime Minister Hamza Barre and the President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to look deeply into the manner in which the MOLSA has conducted its affairs while Minister Bihi has been at its helm. SOCOTU also informs the ILO that any complicity in alleged corrupt practices will reflect badly on the legitimacy of the ILO.
Somali workers need and deserve an inclusive and transparent DWCP and a MOLSO free of corruption, favoritism, and nepotism. SOCOTU stands ready to cooperate with any government investigation into Minister Bihi’s conduct and that of his Ministry officials. SOCOTU stands in strong support of the zero tolerance for corruption policy of the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Barre.
Somali Congress of Trade Union (SOCOTU) a national trade union center in Somalia consisting of 11 sectoral trade union affiliates and was established in 2010 with its headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia, SOCOTU has been a vibrant voice for trade unions in Somalia and is an affiliate of the Organization of Trade Union Unity (OATUU)
