10 May 2011 | Employment.
Message on the occasion of International Workers Day
1st May, 2011
Victory in our jobs
We are celebrating the 1st of May, 2011, under the banner of ‘victory and excellence for Seychelles,’ in all possible domains.
The Workers’ Day commemoration is essentially in recognition of the hard work that has gone into the building of our country. When we began to take stock of our true potential as a nation, we had the future of our workers and our children in mind. The previous generations of workers, a good number of which are still with us today, have worked hard and led the struggle that has made it possible for us to have the high standard of living we enjoy today.
This realisation was our first great victory towards building a more advanced society. Let us never forget that our present welfare system, social security, two pension schemes, free health care, increased maternity leave, minimum wage, extensive education system and training programmes, and other benefits, are all due to a movement to recognise and give greater importance to the value of our workforce. These are victories of our workers and their children that we must preserve at all costs.
Today, we pay homage to every generation of workers, men and women, for their role in ensuring the strength, prosperity and welfare of us all. We thank you for this.
Let us use the 1st of May as a day of reflection to think about the challenges ahead of us. My government launched a macro-economic reform that was essential to our development. We are on the right track and our economy is performing well. Our inflation rate is well managed. The international and local business community are showing more interest in investing in Seychelles. The rate of people in gainful employment has risen from 37,625 in 2006 to 43,609 in June 2010. The average wage has risen from SR3,938 in 2006 to SR6,247 in 2010. We have succeeded in introducing a minimum wage which has increased in the last three years.
Under the banner of our national theme for 2011, ‘Victory for Seychelles’, we are reaching for excellence. My government will continue to put in place the necessary mechanism to stimulate economic development and create more jobs in Seychelles. Today, there are jobs for everyone who wants to work in our country. What is disquieting is the fact that there are still people who are not prepared to work, and who spend their time abusing drugs and alcohol. Work brings dignity.
The employment law is currently being revised to render the employment market more flexible and more modern. We need to create a working environment that allows better dialogue between employers and employees; an environment that promotes productivity and guarantees peace and prosperity in the workplace and in Seychelles in general.
We need to continuously harmonize our education system with our human resources development in order to cater to the needs of the employment market. Today, we have succeeded in creating our own university to train more qualified workers. I wish to take this opportunity to ask all employers to keep investing in Seychellois workers. In the long run, this will allow more Seychellois to gradually replace expatriates in key positions.
In this year of victory, we must keep seeking to improve the performance of our workforce. We are in the age of globalization, where we have to face some tough competition, and our workforce needs to be well equipped to face the challenges of the day. It is for this reason that I place lots of emphasis on education, continuous training, information technology, entrepreneurship and productivity. In Seychelles, we are already doing very well in specific areas and we want to share this with the rest of the world to create more wealth.
We have very little natural resources, but we have the intelligence, determination, strength and unity of our workers. We have to keep on investing in our people so that we may be able to adapt to rapid change in the global village, and become a dynamic workforce, able to realize our vision for development. In Seychelles today, each new day opens new doors of opportunity.
Victory and excellence also mean a workforce that sees challenges as a motivation to perform better. Excellence in our workers adds to our experience.
Our hope is that all Seychellois students and workers:
When we go to church on May 1st, and even during our moments of recreation, let us take the opportunity to think about our place in society. Our Seychelles that we cherish needs the love of all its workers. Let us think of what more we can do to keep our small country a place where it is good to live and work.
We are proud of our workforce. My family joins me in wishing you a happy day. May God bless you in your endeavour to bring more victories and excellence.
Thank you.
