Selected Speeches Of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I

LABOUR LAWS

A step which, We are persuaded, will stand as a landmark in Ethiopia's history is the enactment in recent weeks of urgently required labour legislation. The newly-promulgated Labour Relations Law and Public Employment Administration Order have been carefully prepared for the declared purposes of stimulating a better way of life for the workers of Our Empire and of promoting social harmony and content amongst all classes of Our people. If we meet the challenge which this legislation represents and, through it, fulfil the needs of an increasingly-enlightened society, these enactments will make an incalculable contribution to Ethiopia's future economic and social expansion.

Collective Bargaining

A nation's goals in any field of endeavour require, for their achievement, the combined efforts of all parts of its society, and, not least, of the entrepreneurial and labouring classes. The employer-employee relationship, in turn, must be based on sound and fair labour conditions. The Labour Relations Law will ensure that these exist. In addition, this law provides the mechanism for the settlement of disputes between employers and by peaceful negotiations. Recourse to the technique of collective bargaining will solve before they are created those difficulties which arise when labour and employers come into conflict. Collective bargaining will require from both employers and employees, and from the employers' associations and labour unions which they are authorized and empowered to create to represent them, a high degree of maturity and responsibility, as well as mutual respect and recognition of the other's rights. We expect that these attitudes will be manifested fully in their dealings with one another.

November 2, 1962.

Electronic edition created and published online by members of the
Emperor Haile Sellassie First Theocracy Reign
Order of the Nyahbinghi

May 3, 2017