Rwanda Workers’ Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR) has warned that while digitalization is bringing efficiency and innovation to the workplace, it is also introducing new risks to workers’ job security and deepening existing inequalities. The union is calling for stronger protections for workers.
Speaking during Labour Day celebrations held at CESTRAR headquarters in Kigali on May 1, the union’s Secretary General, Africain Biraboneye, emphasized the need for proactive policies to manage the digital shift.
“Smart technologies are advancing rapidly. They improve productivity and reduce physical injuries, but they also eliminate human oversight and pose new health and safety risks,” Biraboneye said.
Biraboneye pointed out the lack of existing policies to regulate these tools and stressed the need for proper training for workers who interact with them.
“Robots can misoperate; they can drop what they’re meant to lift or act unpredictably if a program fails,” he noted. “We need clear policies, in line with international standards, to ensure safe integration of these systems into the workplace.”
“These tools must not threaten workers’ lives or livelihoods. We need immediate strategies to protect those working directly with or around digital systems, from machine operators to maintenance staff.”
Call for wage adjustment
Biraboneye also urged the government to establish a reliable mechanism for adjusting wages to match rising living costs and currency fluctuations.
“For years, we have called on the government to create a structured system for wage reviews that reflects inflation and the weakening currency,” he said.
“Setting a national minimum wage and reviewing it at least every five years would be a major step toward safeguarding workers’ wellbeing and ensuring economic stability,” Biraoneye said.
Flora Nyiratsinda, Secretary General of the Hotel, Bars, Restaurants and Tourism Workers’ Syndicate, acknowledged progress in workers’ treatment within the hospitality sector but said challenges remain.
“Some hotels still offer wages that do not meet workers’ basic needs,” she said. “It’s concerning that some hotels are increasing their star ratings while their workers still get low salaries,” Nyiratsinda said.
She added that establishing a minimum wage would help address this issue, ensuring that improved hotel ratings also translate into employees’ improved welfare.
“In some cases, the low wages are even pushing workers into prostitution,” she warned.
(News Times)
