Timor-Leste Workers Get Digital Route to Raise Workplace Concerns

The platform brings case records into one place, addressing difficulties associated with managing grievances through face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, WhatsApp and other informal channels.

For workers seeking help with a workplace problem, reporting their concern is only the beginning; knowing that someone has recorded it and will follow up matters just as much. The Timor-Leste Trade Union Confederation (KSTL), supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), launched a digital Grievance Management System in Dili on 3 September to help unions receive complaints, track their progress and maintain more consistent support for workers across the country.

The platform brings case records into one place, addressing difficulties associated with managing grievances through face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, WhatsApp and other informal channels. These familiar ways of contacting unions remain important, though the absence of a central record has made it harder to monitor cases and ensure that workers' concerns receive regular attention.

A Clearer Path From Reporting to Resolution

KSTL and the General Workers Union of Timor-Leste (SJT-TL), which will administer the system, demonstrated how grievances can be recorded, managed and followed through the platform during the launch. The system gives union representatives a shared way to document concerns and monitor each case from its initial report through to resolution, supporting more organised handling of the problems workers bring to them.

KSTL President Almerio Vila-Nova described the launch as an important step in strengthening the confederation's ability to represent workers and protect their rights. He thanked the ILO for supporting its development and said the platform would improve how KSTL receives, manages and follows up grievances nationwide, reinforcing its wider work on social justice and decent employment.

Built Around the Challenges Workers Face

The system took shape through consultations with KSTL and its federations, including focus group discussions, field observations, design work, testing and user training. Visits and consultations in Baucau and Ermera helped identify practical and geographical barriers that workers encounter when raising concerns or seeking support, giving the development process a clearer connection to experiences outside the capital.

Information gathered through the platform could also help unions recognise recurring workplace problems and bring stronger evidence into discussions with the Government and employers. ILO Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste Simrin Singh stressed the importance of making the system a practical, trusted resource, while ILO Senior Workers' Specialist Ravindra Chanaka Samithadasa highlighted that grievance mechanisms need fair, transparent and credible processes so workers can feel confident their concerns will be addressed.

Government and employer representatives welcomed the initiative, linking better grievance handling with improved services and cooperation. Paulo Alves, speaking on behalf of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment, highlighted the potential of digital tools to strengthen service delivery, while Franquelino da Costa Freitas of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste reaffirmed employers' commitment to continued dialogue with KSTL.

Bringing Support Beyond the Capital

KSTL plans to train municipal and field coordinators and introduce the system to workers in the formal and informal economies, public-sector employees, local authorities and other stakeholders. Activities across the eastern, central and western regions will include strengthening local communication and referral networks, helping people understand where to seek assistance and how to access the platform.

The initiative forms part of the ILO's wider support for workers' organisations, social dialogue and access to grievance procedures and legal remedies in Timor-Leste. Funding comes through its Regular Budget Supplementary Account intervention, "Preparing Timor-Leste's Workers and Policymakers for Just Transition and the Formal Economy," which supports better services and progress towards a more formal and inclusive economy. The rollout will focus on turning the new platform into an accessible service that workers can use with confidence.