1. Maternity Protection Campaign (part 2): Action steps; Steps for campaigning Charles Sagoe Moses- Ghana Funny Kondolo- Zambia Joyce Chanetsa- Zimbabwe

2. Main focus of a campaign Ratification of ILO Maternity Protection Convention C 183 Improvement of existing laws on maternity protection (MP) Information dissemination on MP issues to general public and other stakeholders

3. Formal ratification procedure ILO Maternity Protection Convention 2000 (C 183) was adopted in June 2000 C183 came into force in February 2002 one year after second ratification ILO submitted instrument to member states Government submits instrument to tripartite for consultation Submission to competent national authorities (ie parliament; legislative assembly or congress)

4. Ratification procedure cont.d Government also recommends one of the following courses of action: 1. Ratification of C183, because current laws already in compliance 2. Enactment of legislation to give effect to provisions of C 183 3. Postponement of ratification to allow for further consultations 4. No ratification Reporting back to ILO by December 2001 on recommended course of action

5. Member state ratifies C 183 Supervisory machinery of ILO comes into force 12 months later Must implement all provisions of C 183 Reporting at regular intervals NB. Where national law and practice go beyond provisions of C183, no watering down is permitted

6. Member state takes no action Reminders are sent by the ILO at 12 and 18 months after the end of the ILO Conference NGOs/peoples action on governments to work towards ratification

7. Member state chooses not to ratify ILO requests report obstacles to ratification

8. Country example-Submission to the competent national authorities in Ghana 1. ILO C 183 is adopted in June 2000 2. Officer at MOL prepares a memo for a consultative tripartite/civil society meeting 3. Tripartite meeting is held 4. Officer at MOL reports to Minister of Labour, Minister reports to Cabinet 5. Ministry of Justice conducts a legal review to prepare issues for parliament 6. Select parliamentary committee on labour issues discusses the ILO instrument and prepares a preliminary report 7. Parliament debates, approves and votes on preliminary report 8. Legal and internal desk at MOL reviews legal aspects 9. Attorney General finalises legal document 10. Sector Ministry (Labour) finalises report according to guidelines, this includes feasibility of ratification 11. Report is submitted to ILO

9. Practical steps at national level – Interest group 1. Advocacy 2. Identify the key stakeholders i.e.. MOL, MOH, TUs, Women's groups, Employers, media etc through participatory stakeholder analysis 3. Form a working group 4. Conduct a rapid assessment (Zambia example)

10. Practical steps at national level – Interest group cont.d 5. Disseminate the findings of RA to all stakeholders at all levels (choosing your path/s) 6.Develop a plan of action (country example) 7. Ensure that MOL takes the lead of the process 8. MPC focal person to follow up progress with MOL 9. Implement the plan of action 10. Monitor and evaluate

11. Rapid assessment- what to ask Find out current national law and practice, identify the gaps To whom do the laws apply (scope) Duration and adequacy of maternity leave/other leaves Are breastfeeding breaks/reduction of working hours in place? If not, why not? Facilities for breastfeeding at the workplace Who finances and how? How can maternity protection be integrated into other on-going programmes? SWOT on own group

12. Rapid assessment- whom to contact Ministries of Labour, Trade, Health, Social security, Occupational health, Public health, Education,Women’s and Children’s Affairs Trade unions Interministerial bodies University research departments Employers associations National ILO offices National WHO/UNICEF offices Women’s groups/other NGOs Workplaces (formal/informal sectors)

13. IBFAN Africa Working Group on Maternity Protection IBFAN Africa working group on maternity protection established in September 2000 (sub-regional representation) Group composition Zambia – focal point Zimbabwe- Southern Africa Uganda- East Africa Nigeria- West Africa Sao Tome-Lusophone Africa IMCH-technical support Terms of reference Technical resource for capacity-building on MP for the region Technical resource for the respective sub-regions Submission of quarterly reports

14. IBFAN Africa Working Group on Maternity Protection cont.d Regional Plan of Action is drawn up: Sensitisation and training workshops for 17 countries Rapid national assessments carried out in first 11 countries Draft national plans of action developed in first 11 countries (Zimbabwe example) National plans of action implemented in several countries (2001-2002) supported through eg WABA ILO seedgrants, IBFAN Africa etc Resource mobilisation Linking up with other regional bodies eg SADC, ECOWAS, AU, and TUCs