© ILO

The new Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2021-24 was signed by the ILO, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and trade unions and employers organizations of the country.  The signing event took place at Steinel Electronics Company in Chisinau, capitol of Moldova. The company employs 300 workers. 26 of them are persons with disabilities (PwDs), 10 hired with the support of the Employment Agency and the ILO last year. Steinel Electronics received the “Best Employer for PwDs” prize as an acknowledgement for integrating workers with disabilities.  Simon Springett, UN Resident Coordinator noted in his opening remarks that Moldova considers access to quality jobs for all age groups one of its top three development priorities.  The new programme is fully aligned with the UN, the Government and social partners, all committed to implement it.

"Only improved social dialogue, one of the priorities of the DWCP, can lead to social progress and economic development." 
Leonid Cerescu, President of the National Confederation of Moldovan Employers

The Decent Work Country Programme since its inception has been developed in collaboration with ILO constituents: the Government, workers’ and employers’ organizations. The priorities were selected by the social partners, and the programme focuses on eight concrete outcomes and clear deliverables, which enable tracking progress.   Sergiu Sainciuc, Vice-president of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova stressed the country looks back at 20 years of social partnerships, and they support the Government in its efforts to create favourable business conditions, economic growth and decrease outward migration. Leonid Cerescu, President of the National Confederation of Moldovan Employers highlighted that only improved social dialogue, one of the priorities of the DWCP, can lead to social progress and economic development. 

“The implementation of the DWCP is a priority for the Government of Moldova going forward.  The challenges are clear: businesses disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic need to secure occupational safety and health at the workplace; the pervasive informality, low wages and pensions have to be tackled. If the Labour Inspectorate and the Employment Agency manage to upgrade their capacities, trust of the population in authorities will grow,” said Marcel Spatari, Minister of Labour and Social Protection.

Heinz Koller, ILO Assistant Director and Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia explained that with this new agreement, which is the fourth in a row, the Republic of Moldova and the ILO continue their long-standing good tradition of collaboration. The ILO provided support for the country during its transition and brought new initiatives to the ground such as the Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs), a model of stakeholder cooperation to fill gaps in local labour markets. 1,000 youth in NEET (neither in employment, education or training) were activated, and 200 jobs were created thanks to the LEP in the Cahul region alone. The ILO also assisted the Republic of Moldova in the ratification ILO Occupational Health Services Convention No. 161, which protects workers against work-related injuries, diseases and deaths. The ILO, in unison with the local UN Office, stands ready to create better employment opportunities and improve working conditions in the country with its local partners.