been to promote national interest, raise participation and contributions in local and national development and promote democratic principles within the trade unions. Freedom of Trade Unions is thus respected. There has been no incidence of interference by public authorities to restrict or impede the lawful exercise of the basic rights. No trade union has also been dissolved or suspended by any administrative authority and decision. The Government frequently consults and conducts social dialogue with its social partners on major issues of policy, implementation and progress. This also takes place during the revision of the labour laws as well as the implementation of labour policies. To empower the social dialogue, hence, the MOLHW has been currently developing directives so as to build up an advisory board comprising of the representatives of Government, Employers and Employees. The role of trade unions in improving the conditions of workers 233. Trade union movement of Eritrea started in the 1950s. It can be claimed with certainty that the Eritrean trade union at that time was one among the very few of its kind in Africa. Its development was briefly hampered by the Ethiopian occupation of Eritrea. The National Union of Eritrean Workers (NUEWr) was established in 1979, under the auspices of the Eritrean People‟s Liberation Front (EPLF) and played a vital role in the liberation struggle for the independence of Eritrea. The National Confederation of Eritrean Workers (NCEW) is the umbrella organization of the Eritrean Trade Unions which are organized in five Federations. As an offshoot of the National Union of Eritrean Workers (NUEWr), the NCEW was also established in 1994 in a congress consisting of representatives from base unions and federations, ensuring a decentralized and independent structure. It is the only trade union movement and one of the civil society organizations in Eritrea. 234. The NCEW has led the trade union movement in the country with the vision of contributing towards the creation of a highly disciplined, organized, educated and skilled, Eritrean workforce. It also promoted decent working and living conditions. In its endeavours to achieve these goals, NCEW has promoted social dialogue among social partners (Government, Employers and Workers) to deal with issues of common interest relating to economic and social policy, including addressing the complex challenges of building economic competitiveness as well as social equity at enterprise, sector, national and international levels. With meager resources, NCEW has also invested in the education and training of workers. This is intended to up-grade their organizational and vocational skills and to make them more productive and competitive in the job market. A Workers‟ Training Centre has been established in the port city of Massawa, and is ready to commence shortly. 235. Presently the major employer of the unionized labour force is the government. In cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and multilateral organizations, NCEW organizes labour as well as labour related trainings and seminars aimed to raise awareness on modern and harmonious labour relations in the country. NCEW also strives to strengthen partnerships with regional and international trade unions and development organizations. It also plays a critical role in Page 57 of 100