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By Joyce Mukucha
In pursuit of promoting worker empowerment and protection as well as regulating individual and collective employment relations, Cabinet has approved the Labour Amendment Bill.
Speaking in a post-Cabinet briefing this Tuesday, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa said the Bill also provides for the rights to fair and safe labour practices and standards.
She said it aligns the Labour Amendment Act to Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013, and to the ratified International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Labour Amendment Bill which was presented by the Attorney-General on behalf of the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation. The amendments also make provision for the promotion of the ease of doing business in the labour market through the streamlining of the labour dispute settlement and retrenchment processes.
“The Bill also takes care of emerging issues in the world of work such as labour broking, violence and harassment at the workplace and emerging forms of employment relationships with a view to closing the lacuna in the existing legislation thus entrenching fair labour standards contemplated in section 65 of the Constitution,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa said provisions are also made to deal with “gender-based violence” and other cases of violence and harassment at the workplace.
Clause 3 of the Bill, she highlighted, outlines the types of work which shall not be defined as forced labour.
“These include the following any work or service exacted by virtue of compulsory military service laws, any work or service which forms part of the normal civic obligations voluntarily undertaken by citizens.
“It also includes any work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law and any work or service exacted by a public authority by virtue of any law in cases of emergency.”
It has been highlighted that Clause 11 seeks to amend section 18 to align the Labour Act to Section 65(7) of the Constitution to ensure that women employees have the right to fully paid maternity leave for a period of 3 months by removing qualifying periods, prescribed intervals for maternity and a number of times for enjoying the right to maternity leave under one employer.
The Minister pointed out that the Bill will go a long way in maintaining a balance between guaranteeing employee rights and ensuring productivity in the workplace.
“The issue of dysfunctional fragmentation of unions in the various economic sectors vis-a-vis the right to freedom of association will also be provided for,” she added.