Mauritius has just ratified the International Labour Organization’s Convention 190 on violence and harassment at work. A virtual ceremony was held for this purpose at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Newton Tower in Port Louis to ratify Convention 190. The ratification was carried out by the Minister of Labor, Soodesh Callichurn, via video conference with the Director of ILO, Guy Rider (intervening from Geneva). The representatives of workers, various unions (Reaz Chuttoo, Jane Ragoo, Deepak Benydin and Radhakrishna Sadien), who have been stakeholders in this initiative, were also present at this ceremony. Through the ratification of Convention 190, Mauritius becomes the first country in the Indian Ocean and the third on the African continent to ratify the long-awaited ILO Convention on Violence and Harassment in the Workplace.
The Ministry of Labour emphasizes that Mauritius’ decision to be among the first countries to ratify this Convention and it is proof of its commitment to impose fines and imprisonment 4 times more severe than for any other crime or violation of labour laws against the perpetrators of any form of violence against workers in the course of their work under the Convention.
Mauritius, in accordance with its constitutional obligation to the ILO, laid a document on this matter before the National Assembly on 23 March 2021. A correspondence had already been transmitted on May 07, 2021 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate the ratification process.
The Ministry of Labor emphasizes that Mauritius has by its actions shown the way to other countries so that no worker is deprived of his dignity in the true sense of the word and this Convention.
