It has a land area of
approximately 30,355 km˛, roughly the size of Belgium or Taiwan, or the American
state of Maryland.
The Kingdom is home to the
largest and most ambitious civil engineering project in the whole of Africa, the
Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which has harnessed and commercialised
her upstream surplus water resources – often referred to by Basotho as their
“White Gold”.
Location and Access
Located at the southern tip of Africa,
Lesotho is completely outside the tropics and enjoys a cool, temperate climate.
Often referred to as the “Switzerland of Africa”, it is blessed with a
beautiful, often snow-capped range of mountains, the Maluti. The Kingdom’s
central position in the heart of Africa’s most developed economy, that of the
Republic of South Africa (RSA), is well served by air, rail and road links to
all its major centres.
The capital, Maseru, is only 600km away
from South Africa’s busiest harbour, Durban, and is one-hour’s drive from
Bloemfontein, a judicial and academic centre. It is also only an hour by air or
four hours by road from Johannesburg, in RSA.
|
DISTANCE |
BY
ROAD |
|
Maseru to Johannesburg |
455km |
|
Maseru to Durban |
600km |
|
Maseru to Bloemfontein |
155km |
|
Maseru to Cape Town |
1 165km |
|
Maseru to
Port Elizabeth |
738km |
|
Maseru to East London |
583 km |
Basic Facts
Size : 30
355 km2
Altitude :
lowest 1 388m; highest 3 482m
Capital City : Maseru
Population : 2.2
million; Maseru 385 000
Languages : Sesotho &
English
Monetary Unit : Loti
(plural “Maloti” – at par
with RSA Rand)
Top
Lesotho's Economy
§
GDP (US$m)
1 651 (2004)
§
GDP Per
capita(US$)
917
§
Real
GDP growth rate
3%
§
Current
Account Balance (US$m) -127
§
Current
Account Balance (%GDP) -7.7
§
Goods
and services exports(%GDP) 45
§
Inflation
5.2%
§
Unemployment rate(2002)
24.3%
§
Exchange rate
6.40
(maloti per USD monthly average)
Lesotho Labour Regulations
Lesotho Labour Laws have been consolidated into the
new Labour Code Order No. 24 of 1992 and its amendment (Labour Code Amendment
2000) which guide both employers and employees on proper procedures in all
aspects of industrial relations
The Statutory
Dispute Resolution System in Lesotho
Trade disputes are divided into two categories.
These are disputes of interest and disputes of right. The disputes of
interest may be resolved through negotiations, conciliation and finally
industrial action or arbitration by agreement between the parties.
Disputes of right can be resolved through
conciliation, arbitration or adjudication. Any form of industrial action aimed
at resolving a dispute of right is illegal.
The following disputes of right may be resolved
through adjudication in the Labour Court:
Application or interpretation of the Labour Code and
Labour Law, unfair labour practice (e.g. unfair discrimination, sexual
harassment, refusal to bargain) strike/lockout, dismissals, operational
requirements, dismissals (retrenchments).
The following disputes of interest may be resolved
through conciliation and arbitration in the Directorate for Dispute Prevention
and Resolution (DDPR). Any dispute referred by agreement between the
parties, interpretation or application of collective agreement breach of
contract/wages order, under payments of monies due and other unfair dismissals.
Probation
An employee may be employed for a probationary
period not exceeding four months. At any time during the continuance of
the probation period or immediately at its end, the employee may be dismissed
with one week’s notice.
The probationary period may be extended beyond a
period of four months only with the permission in writing of the Labour
Commissioner.
Redundancy and
Retrenchment
Employers are legally obliged to consult workers or
their most representative trade union if they have to retrench employees due to
redundancy or operational requirements.
Protective
Clothing
Where the nature of work requires protection and
equipment, the company shall provide protective clothing and equipment free of
charge to the employees concerned.
Top
Tripartite Boards
The Labour Code provides for the following tripartite
bodies in which government and workers are represented:
a) National Advisory Committee on Labour
b) Wages Advisory Board
c) National Council on Occupational Health and Safety
Lesotho Labour and Labour-related Offices
Detailed information on labour issues as well as other
regulations and procedures is contained in the Labour Code which may be
purchased from:
The Government Printer
P O Box 268
MASERU 100
Lesotho
Tel: + 266 22313023
The custodian to the Labour Code is the Labour Commissioner
who can be contacted at the following address where the need arises:
Department of Labour
Private Bag A116
Maseru 100
Tel: +266 22322564/5
ADDRESSES OF EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS:
Association of Lesotho Employers
The Executive
Director
P.O. Box 1509
Maseru
Tel: +266
22315736
Fax: +266 22325384
Lesotho Textile Exporters Association:
The Chairman
P.O. Box 15507
Maseru
Tel: +266
22321823
Fax: +266
22321877Lesotho Industrial Employers Association
The Chairman
P.O. Box 1463
Maputsoe
Tel: +266
22430303
Fax: 266 22430688
