Durban - The Public Service and Commercial Union (PSCU) says that it is optimistic that Professor Mthunzi Mdwaba will be elected as the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Director-General despite the lack of support from Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi.
The PSCU said that Mdwaba has been accompanied to the elections in Geneva, Switzerland, by its Secretary General Tahir Maepa and lamented that Mdwaba’s bid for the ILO Director-General position had not been backed by government.
In a statement, the PSCU congratulated Mdwaba for having stood firm and demonstrated to all that the government does not hold anyone’s destiny.
The union said that Mdwaba had made it to the finals of this race without government support.
“We wish him all the best no matter the outcome.” the union said in the statement.
In September 2021 the government officially nominated Mdwaba, who is the chairperson of Productivity SA, for the role of ILO Director General, before suddenly withdrawing its support for Mdwaba the following month.
In September the South African government announced that it had formally nominated and lodged papers allowing Mdwaba to run for the position, however when the time came for the government to send Mdwaba’s candidature to ILO Chairperson Anna Jardfelt Melvin by the 1 October 2021 deadline, it revoked its nomination for Mdwaba.
If he is elected, Mdwaba will become the 11th Director General of the ILO and will replace Guy Ryder who has served in the role since October 2012, having initially been elected by the ILO’s Governing Body in May 2012.
The government’s withdrawal of Mdwaba’s nomination was slammed late last year by former Statistician-General of South Africa Dr Pali Lehohla, who said that the government’s action sent the wrong signal for South Africa’s participation in the UN multilateral system.
“Worst of all, it hurts Mdwaba’s person as a citizen who trusts or trusts in his government. The Mdwaba scenario exacerbates a deeper issue of South Africans’ deployment strategy to international organisations,” Lehohla said at the time.
The PSCU said that the election in a secret ballot will be held in a private sitting of the Governing Body at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 25, and will last as long as required to conclude the election, with at least 45-minute breaks between each round to allow for consultations.
The story will be updated with Nxesi’s comment when it is obtained from the Employment and Labour Minister.
Political Bureau